Teresa Martinez

Suspected Bullying Intervention:When Should Parents Step In?

December 17, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

Most of the time in the subject of suspected bullying, it is not as easy as parents just stepping in to intervene. For one, they most probably haven’t seen in their own eyes that their children is indeed being bullied. For another, a bullied child may hide the bullying himself in fear of incurring the ire of the bully and suffer even more or he actually thinks he can handle the situation by himself. Either way is dangerous and timely parental intervention may just be the one thing that could save a child from a life of misery.

boy beating up another boy Is it good to let your kids fight their own battles?

Should Parents Risk Financial Stability to Rescue Adult Children from Financial Problems?

December 12, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

Should parents risk their own financial stability to rescue their adult children from financial problems? This is probably one of the most difficult questions many parents will have to face at some point. Adult children are more likely to make bad financial choices because they are the ones who will most likely find themselves in situations that will call for major financial decisions such as marriage, career, or business.

When to Delegate Work and Responsibility to Children?

December 2, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

Responsibility is something which we give to our children gradually and in accordance with their age. Giving them too little or too much is counterproductive. The nature of task should take into consideration the physical, mental, and emotional capacity of children.

Three Ways You Might Unknowingly Be Overprotecting Your Kids

November 29, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

Protective actions carried out by parents to their children are normal and necessary. However, there are times that parents tend to overdo it, sometimes unknowingly hurting their children in the process. Here are three possible areas in which parents should consider backing out a little to provide their children more space to decide their fate.

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Protecting Children from the Consequences of Their Actions All the Time

The key words here are “all the time”. It is a natural reflex on the part of the parents to protect their children from painful consequences such as hurt feelings, physical injury, and facing punishment. If parents do this all the time, they are depriving their children of important opportunities for learning.

Of course, there is no doubt for the necessity of intervention for potentially life-threatening situations. Otherwise, parents should allow their children to discover the natural course of life, taking into consideration their ages. Shielding them from reality can be detrimental to their attainment of maturity.

Deciding Everything for the Children

At the start of life up until such time that a child attains a certain degree of physical and mental independence, parents are expected to decide everything for their children. As the child grows up however, parents should start releasing their full hold on their children and listening to their preferences becomes part of responsible parenting.

Deciding on such seemingly trivial matters such as what to wear or more important matters like choosing friends is something a child would like to have more freedom of as he or she grows up. Slowly attaining independence is a natural phase of growing up and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. It would be best for parents to opt for a happy compromise where both sides are able to accept agreed upon house rules rather than dictating on their children.

Doing Everything for the Children

Some parents are under the belief that they are the best parents if they make everything easy for their children. Not giving children any form of responsibility even if they can realistically be delegated some for their own good is counterproductive. Just imagine how children accustomed to doing nothing for themselves would fare in the outside world.

They would be practically helpless, unable to do anything without the assistance of other people. We all know that this is not always possible especially in the very hurried world we live in. Allowing children to exert effort on their own is part of raising up responsible kids.

Because of the love we have for our children, we parents sometimes forget that overprotecting is not the same as protecting them.

Things to Do Before Leaving Your Child With the Baby Sitter

November 25, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

Working parents have a constant and recurring need to hire baby sitters. Even stay-at-home moms will also encounter instances where they will need to get the services of one. Before I became a full-time stay-at-home mother myself, I had considerable experience with baby sitters and not all of them were good. Knowing these, here are my suggestions to parents before they leave their child/children with a baby sitter.

Are Infants Able to Detect Adult Emotions Correctly?

November 20, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

Adults are wont to believe that babies are not able to detect or determine if they are revealing their true emotions or not. Recent studies revealed that infants as young as 18 months old can actually tell whether an adult is not responding accordingly to a given situation. In simple terms, infants know when adults are bluffing or lying!

Raising Eco-Conscious Children

November 12, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

There is a need to raise eco-conscious children if we are to talk about any future for our world. However, the burden of training them towards the green way falls on the parents. Parents cannot preach on green living while they themselves are not doing it. How then can we raise children who will treat the environment with love and care?

How to Encourage A Child to Do Well in School

October 31, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

Not every child will perform in the same level as any other student in school. It is an accepted fact that each child will perform according to his or personal capabilities, opportunities, and circumstances. It is not really all about whether a child in inherently “intelligent” or otherwise but more so about the encouragement and support given to him or her that will help in maximizing potentials.

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Parents always have a big role to play in every aspect of their children’s life. Education is not an exception. It is in fact one of the most crucial areas where parental support is largely needed. How can this be done? [Read more…] about How to Encourage A Child to Do Well in School

How to Be Your Child’s Best Friend

October 30, 2013 By Teresa Martinez

Parents are the avowed protectors and providers for their children. In the traditional context of parenting, a parent trying to be the best friend of his or her child may be totally unheard of. Modern parenting however dictates that parents shed off a little of their authoritative figure to cultivate friendships with their children.

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