(Continued from EdWorld At Home)
Here
are Eleven Things You Really Can Do.
1.
Open a college savings account
However old your child is, this
is the right time to start. Even if your child is approaching college
age, the more you can put away before he or she gets there, the
less you’ll have to pay down the line. The first step is to find
out how your state’s 529 college savings program works. A 529 education
savings plan helps families put away money for college costs while
offering significant tax benefits. You don’t need to put in the
maximum this year, or any year. But once you start your account,
it will always be there when you have extra money to put away.
[link:
The College Board’s guide to saving for college:
www.collegeboard.com/parents/article/0,3708,715-716-0-21393,00.html]
2. Talk
We know you don’t want to end
up like one of those parents on the WB who says to their troubled
teen, “It’s like I don’t know you anymore!” Fortunately, you don’t
have to, even though it seems like once kids get old enough to play
outside, they start talking to you less. And at some point you might
even start accepting her, “Fine,” when you ask her how her day at
school was. Our advice: Keep asking. Pay attention to the times
when your child tends to be most eager to talk – on the way to school,
at dinner, before bedtime – and make a commitment to yourself to
put everything else aside at those times so you can find out what’s
going on. How are her friends? (For that matter, who are
her friends?) What projects is her class working on? What does she
dream of doing this summer? Unless you’re planning on hiring a private
investigator (a topic for a different series), the only way to find
out is to talk.
3. Do your homework
You don’t need to become president of
the PTA – you probably don’t even want to – but you shouldn’t be
another faceless parent in the crowd, either. Make an effort this
year to take advantage of any opportunities you get to talk with
your child’s teachers. No one else can offer you the priceless insights
into what your child is really like when you’re not around. And,
especially in kindergarten and the early grades, you may also want
to find out how you can help the classroom. The more you can help,
the more time the teacher will have to spend with students. And
the more your child sees you helping out, the more he or she will
feel like part of a real school community. Find out if there’s something
you can do one hour one morning each month. That’s about nine hours
for the year, the equivalent of a day of work.
4. Backup your PC
As more of your photos, movies, messages
and music take up residence on your home computer, your potential
loss in a catastrophic crash grows ever larger. If you don’t back
up your files, the experts almost guarantee that you will come to
regret it one day. You don’t want to lose all of your baby pictures
– not to mention school play and soccer league photos – to a cranky
hard drive, do you? In 2005, back it all up at least once every
two months.
[link: Microsoft’s Backup basics:
www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/backup.mspx]
[link:
Apple backup guidance:
www.apple.com/support/dotmac/backup/]
5. Go ahead and praise
the kids once in a while
We tend to focus so much on correcting
the flaws we see in our children that gnaw at us that we sometimes
overlook the great things they do. Sure, it would be better if your
six-year-old ate with a fork, if your nine-year-old could pull himself
away from the TV, or if your 12-year-old finished all of his math
homework every night. And you may have already resolved to work
on these issues in the year ahead. But why not also resolve to praise
them for what they do well, like helping others, making friends,
writing well, or having a good sense of humor? Every kid, no matter
the age, needs to hear compliments sometimes, especially from their
parents. Don't be discouraged if your teenager only grunts in response
to the highest praise. It still sinks in. It’s easy to fall into
the rut of nagging your kids. This year, make it a point to let
them know you see their strengths, too.
6. Eat together, or
surely you shall eat apart
We all get into the habit: At the
end of a long day, instead of struggling to get everyone to sit
down at the table together, we do whatever works, and so the kids
eat different food than we do, at different times, while distracted
by different media. And on some hectic nights, that’s what we have
to do. But there are proven benefits from having a real family dinner,
even once in a while: For one, kids who eat dinner with their families
tend to eat healthier, according to the American Dietetic Association.
And couples who regularly arrange family meals have stronger marriages,
according to a Syracuse University study. If you’ve fallen out of
the habit, try to get back into it this year. Have a family dinner
once a week where everyone can sit down together (even if it’s to
eat prepared foods), with the TV off, and go around the table telling
each other about their day. It’s one way to tell your kids that
you think time with them is important, and they can’t get that message
enough.
7. Teach them something
Your kids may have great teachers at school,
but there’s no one they’d rather learn from than you, especially
when they're younger. Think about something you always wanted to
teach your kids – a skill or craft, a love of music, your family’s
history, how to fish – and make this the year you set aside some
time to teach it. Start by blocking out a couple of hours one Sunday
morning to have some time together and start your project. As with
anything else worth doing, starting is the hardest part. If it goes
well, believe us, finding more teaching time together will be easy.
You can also teach older kids something, even if it's just the way
you used to throw a mean Frisbee!
8.
Sleep
According to the National Sleep Foundation, most school-age kids
(age 5-12) need at least 10 hours of sleep every night. And you
need eight hours, although if you’re like two-thirds of Americans,
you’re not getting it. In fact, most American families are sleep-deprived,
and correcting that problem can be a major undertaking. Again, start
with small steps: Without making a big deal about it, try to subtly
shift your child’s bedtime routine five minutes early, then 10 minutes,
then 15. Most kids want to sleep more – it’s up to you to put them
in a position to do it. That means less after-dinner snacks, less
night-time TV, more reading time, and more attention to the clock.
Fifteen extra minutes a night translates into 9 additional full
nights of sleep a year. And as the kids shift their schedule earlier,
you should, too. Use those extra 15 minutes to get your tasks done,
turn off the TV, and get to bed. Another critical time is between
school and dinner. The more kids can get done then, the easier it
will be to move the bedtime earlier.
[link: For more details on sleep
needs, and results of the 2004 Sleep in America Poll, visit the
National Sleep Foundation: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/]
9. Smile
Sometimes when your preschooler
is tossing her stuffed animals around or swimming in a sea of packing
peanuts, you know that they shouldn’t be doing it, but they’re having
such fun that you can’t help but start to laugh. Follow that instinct.
This year, just once in a while, give in, and join in the fun yourself,
even if it makes a mess. It’s so important to let your kids know
that you value fun, that play is worthwhile, and that sometimes
disorder is OK (as long as they help clean up).
10. That’s right:
Watch less TV
It seems like new research
is being released almost daily showing that too much TV, especially
for younger children, leads directly to diminished ability and poor
grades. And while too much TV may not ruin you child’s future, it
is clear that the less time a child spends in front of screens –
TV, computer, and video games – the better. There are arguments
against banning TV for kids – limited programming with educational
value can be positive, and there’s something to be said for the
social value of at knowing what other kids at school are talking
about when they talk about TV. But, again, a small step away from
the tube – maybe 30 fewer minutes a day – is a step in the direction
of more reading, homework, and exercise time. Give it a try. ALSO,
and this is important: watch less TV yourself! Yes, it is the parents'
prerogative to settle in to a little mindless entertainment before
going to sleep, but kids can easily mistake the privilege as being
the point, not the sedative qualities of the habit. So they want
"more TV" because "Mom and Dad get to stay up and
watch more TV." The easy solution is to schedule some reading
time for yourselves right around the kids' bedtimes. If you want
to check out CNN after half an hour of silence, you're probably
OK unless you've got a light sleeper.
11. One More Thing
Don’t forget to love them, and to let
them know it. Even if their ages have soared into the double digits,
resolve to keep giving them a kiss and hug.
Education World®
Copyright © 2005 Education World
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