Parenting Blog

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Lara

Different Ways To Start Building a Family or Close Connections

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When most people think of starting a family, it’s usually a pretty narrow perspective that they’re thinking through. However, especially with the way modern culture is going, there are more ways than ever to create a family unit, or even just to form a very close circle of people that function the same as having a family unit.

Think of a few ways that this sense of family and closeness can be initiated. You could adopt a child. You and your partner might go through a surrogacy process. For the closeness of family without blood ties, you can get into volunteerism. And, a technique that many people forget about in the grand scheme of things is that you can reach out to your neighbors to get that physical proximity closeness as a part of your daily life.

Adoption

Deciding to adopt a child is one of the ways that many people choose to add to their family. There are a million different reasons that a couple could choose adoption as opposed to natural childbirth or other methods, so it is important not to judge people who are in the situation. Loving parents can take care of an adopted child just as well is a natural child, and there are millions of loving families that operate under this pretense.

Surrogacy

For families that want to choose a different option, there is a way to go through a surrogacy process that creates a situation that is much nearer to a natural birth than adoption. Surrogacy can involve a lot of additional details though. There is the matter of donors, mothers, expenses, and legal contracts. Surrogacy is not for everyone, but the people who do find it to be a good match discover that it is the only way that they can have the feeling toward a new child that they are desiring.

Volunteerism

Outside of the idea of blood relatives or adoptive children, it is possible for people to become heavily involved in volunteerism to get that sense of family. Especially for people that are single and have lots of extra time on their hands, volunteering for the community is a way to establish close daily bonds with some of the people that are closest to you culturally.

Meet Your Neighbors

It’s amazing how many people never take the time to meet their neighbors. There is such an emphasis on nuclear families that sometimes it gets lost in the shuffle that there are people who live right next to you! As long as your neighbors have the same sense of community that you do, you can find that the people right next-door can give you the closest feeling of family that is physically possible, and there are none of the additional hoops to jump through as for other methods. [Read more…] about Different Ways To Start Building a Family or Close Connections

Originally posted on December 3, 2018 @ 8:10 am

4 Great Ways To Create Relaxing Places Around Your Home for Your Family

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If you’re looking to improve your experience with your family at home, one of the things that you might consider focusing on is creating relaxing spaces for everyone. Though this might sound like an easy task at first, it does take a bit of thought to do it right, especially if you want to stay within a particular budget.

So what are some examples of ways that you can improve or create relaxing spaces in your home? You could create a patio area with an awning. Maybe you want to put together a game room somewhere in your house. Perhaps you consider finishing your basement to create a relaxing area. Or, if you have space, and a specific area has large windows, you can build a sunroom.

An Awning with a Patio

Going outside to relax with your family is always fun. However, if the sun is too bright, or there is rain, outside areas don’t work. That is – unless you put up an awning. Depending on where you live, this may have to be an industrial awning, or perhaps even a retractable one. There may be a small investment that you have to put into this high-quality accessory, but once that shade is up, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

A Game Room

Depending on the age of your children and what their interests are, maybe you want to create a game room for your household. Even in a small place the size of an office, you can put things that everyone will appreciate. Maybe you put in a table in for playing cards. Or perhaps you set up a computer system for video games and online entertainment. Large game rooms might include something like a pool table if you have the money to do it. When everyone wants to take a break, they go in this area to relax.

A Finished Basement

If the upper levels of your house are all full, consider that finishing your basement might be a good home improvement project. Then you can do whatever you want with the downstairs area. If you have a TV or entertainment center, that could go down there, or you could leave it minimized and free of clutter. Whatever kind of tendencies your household has, the finished basement could be the best of all worlds.

A Sun Area

If you enjoy plants and sunshine, maybe you want to create a relaxing sunroom. This is an area where you can collect all of your living things so that they can get enough sunlight, and you can explicitly set it up to be clutter free and designs to be calm and no matter who drops in. [Read more…] about 4 Great Ways To Create Relaxing Places Around Your Home for Your Family

Originally posted on January 7, 2019 @ 9:34 am

Medical Procedures Your Family May Have To Go Through

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Ideally, every member of your family will be perfectly healthy at all times, and no one will ever have to go to the hospital for any kind of medical procedure. Even reading that statement makes you think how unrealistic that possibility is. It is very likely that many of your family members will have to go through many medical procedures and processes, so it’s a good idea to understand the basics of them.

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Originally posted on November 13, 2018 @ 2:23 am

Steps To Take Care of Your Kids In the Case of Parental Separation

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Going through a relationship separation is hard on everyone. But it can be especially hard if there are children involved. And, because emotions run so high and so much is at stake regarding a standard of living, parents have to figure out the best way to take care of their children in cases of separation and divorce. Not everyone always agrees on the best way to do this.

Think about some of the steps a parent may have to take through the separation process. It’s important to understand the stages of going through a divorce. There is also the matter of child custody. Beyond that, one parent probably will owe child support payments. And it is essential for lawsuits and court arrangements that everyone keeps the evidence that proves their perspective to be the correct one.

Going Through a Divorce

If you and your spouse decide to get a divorce, then there are lots of consequences to that action. Particularly when it comes to your kids, you need to figure out what age-appropriate facts to tell them. If your children are older, they will expect to know specific details about why the divorce is happening. If they are younger, there is different information that you have to tell them for their emotional stability. It all depends on context.

Custody Orders

One point of conflict between parents when they go through a divorce is who is going to get custody of the children. This can be a very complicated, emotionally painful, and passionate discussion or sets of actions that have to occur. The important thing is the parents always keep in mind the children’s best interests. So many times, decisions get lost in politics or grudges that the kids get left behind in the wake of the arguments.

Child Support Payments

Then there is the matter of figuring out what child support payments which parent needs to make. This is based on a lot of different evidence. Perhaps one parent makes significantly more money than the other. Or, maybe one parent has more value in possessions. A judge should be able to look at all that information and figure out what child support payments should be.

Keeping Evidence

No matter what the relationship is, if a case of divorce goes to court, it’s crucial that you keep evidence. Particularly when it comes to a custody battle over children, you want all evidence to support your case. So, you should be able to look over text messages and emails, and it should showcase how awesome of a person you are. You should keep this evidence and submit it to a judge if there’s ever a question of your character. [Read more…] about Steps To Take Care of Your Kids In the Case of Parental Separation

Originally posted on January 7, 2019 @ 9:33 am

What To Do If You’ve Been Injured On The Job

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As a parent, one of the scariest things that you can imagine is losing your source of income.   Without a reliable source of incoming money, you won’t be able to provide for yourself or your children.  If you lose your source of income due to getting injured on the job, the fear can be even more intense since you wonder how you’ll be able to find work when your body is hurt.

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Originally posted on October 15, 2018 @ 3:58 am

4 Tips For Keeping Your Children Healthy

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As a parent, it can be hard to accept when one of your little ones is hurt or gets ill.  It’s never easy to watch your children feeling pain. Although there’s no way to keep them entirely out of harm’s way unless you keep them wrapped in a bubble, there are things you can do to encourage them staying as healthy as possible.

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Originally posted on October 15, 2018 @ 4:06 am

4 Biggest Mistakes Couples Make When Going Through a Divorce

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When two people come together in hopes of building a life together forever, the last thing on their minds is breaking up one day.  Unfortunately, it’s all too common for even the happiest of relationships to end in a bitter dispute.

When emotions are running high, people are capable of being incredibly vindictive and cutthroat in hopes of walking away as the proclaimed “winner” of a divorce dispute.  This can make things even more complicated when there are children involved.

If you’re someone going through a divorce, you should make sure that you learn from the mistakes that others have made before you and avoid the following common errors.

Posting Too Much On Social Media

Even though social media is a great tool to be able to express yourself and feel like you have a community to share with, it can work against you.  Posting about personal issues could give your former spouse ammunition against you. You could be accused of reckless behavior, and your photos could be dissected in a court of law claiming you are an unfit parent.

You’re better off saving your personal issues for your close friends and family in a less public environment.  Until you’re out of the clear of a nasty divorce, you should keep a low profile.

Dating Too Quickly

A lot of people come out of a relationship ready to move on.  They’ve been unhappy for so long that the idea of finding someone who can provide them happiness is promising and exciting.

However, moving too quickly into a new relationship doesn’t only have the potential to get you into legal trouble since you’re still married, but you may end up getting hurt.

Often people think they’re ready for a new relationship. However, they soon realize that they haven’t moved on yet.  It’s best to take things slowly to ensure that you’re actually mentally prepared to make a new commitment.

Making Threats

When things get particularly heated in a divorce one may threaten the other which results in a series of threats back and forth.

Acting out violently or being emotionally abusive can work against you in a court of law if the other party provides evidence.  You’re better off staying as peaceful as possible even if it’s challenging.

Involving The Kids

Talking to your kids about how angry you are with the other parent isn’t healthy for your children’s development.

It’s important to remain emotionally neutral as much as possible so that your child doesn’t feel forced to choose sides. If you genuinely think that the other party has done wrong, your child will grow up one day to see it for themselves.  It’s not up to you or your role to convince them of it.

 

Originally posted on September 24, 2018 @ 10:18 am