Tag: parenting

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pet cartoons

10 steps before you own a pet

cartoon of a mean dog an a foolish boy

Cartoon of a boy and a mean dog. The boy says, "A puppy! Can I keep you?"Have you ever had a child begging you for a pet? You know it will be extra work and money, but deep down you want the pet as well, don’t you?

One day, my son announced he wanted a dog for his birthday. My wife and I thought it was time and we began looking for the perfect dog. The whole episode ended badly because we were ill prepared for pet ownership. Here are ten things I learned that enabled us to become responsible pet owners later.

  1. No matter what, don’t let emotions be your deciding factor. We chose the first dog my son loved (which was the first dog he saw!). We needed to consider if dog was the right fit for our family.
  2. As a parent, assume you will have the primary responsibility. Pet ownership is a great way to teach responsibility, but don’t let your pet suffer because junior forgot to take the dog outside. Parents have to assume they will at least be sure the pet is cared for.
  3. Biking with a dog is a tricky thing. Don’t assume you or the pet will pick it up immediately. I still have the scars to prove it can end badly.
  4. While treats are a great reward, too many lose their effectiveness pretty quickly.
  5. Consider your yard. We thought our backyard was perfect. Little did we know our new dog liked to dig and make a break for it. We soon discovered this dog need much more room.
  6. Consider the size of your home. This dog wanted outside all of the time. She just didn’t feel comfortable in our house. And because she was outside all the time, the house became much dirtier when she was inside.
  7. Consider the age of all your kids. Our son was ready. Our daughter is four years younger and she didn’t understand that the dog didn’t want to play dress-up.
  8. Make sure everyone is prepared and ready to take on this new pet. My wife was staying home with the kids and didn’t feel comfortable with the dog. I knew we were in trouble at that point.
  9. Admit when you are wrong. Thankfully, the previous owner was gracious and welcomed the dog back. We just weren’t prepared. We had to be humble enough to admit we goofed.
  10. Start with a smaller pet first. We discovered later that a cat was a better fit for our family. When our family learned to take care of a cat, a dog came later. It was a better fit.

We ended up finding the right pets for our household. How about you? What are some tips you would give someone before committing to a new pet?

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Parenting Cartoons

12 Keys to helping your child deal with anger

Cartoon of a girl and a boy with a bottle for a head. The girl says, "Why do you bottle-up your emotions like that?"

Spear Cartoon 3775Temperament is something you see very early in a child. Some kids are laid back and go with the flow. Others seem born angry. Whether they are a Type A personality, or are easily frustrated, they need help in learning how to deal with anger.  Here are ten ways you can help your child with anger issues.

  1. Consider your child’s age. Helping a two-year old deal with anger is far different from helping your elementary child.
  2. A toddler may be overwhelmed and overstimulated. You may need to remove her from the situation.
  3. An elementary child may need to discuss his anger issues and need help finding constructive ways to vent.
  4. DO NOT ignore the situation. Pretending a child isn’t angry may only make her angrier
  5. DO NOT teach your child to deny (bottle-up) her feelings. Stuffing anger only causes it to come out in unproductive ways later.
  6. Look for triggers. Is there some situation that causes the child to become angry? Talk about it with your child.
  7. Acknowledge with your child anger is a normal reaction to something. We all face disappointments. We all face people who just seem to know how to get under our skin.
  8. If the anger is directed at a sibling, separate the two, then come back to mediate the situation. Allow each child to express their anger with words. Make sure the children talk about the offense and not about the other sibling’s personality or flaws.
  9. If the angry child causes destruction, use it as an opportunity to make amends. The child needs to know destructive anger has consequences.
  10. If a child destroys property, have them work to pay back the destroyed property.
  11. If a child hurts another person, take away privileges until they child feels remorse. A forced apology isn’t a real apology.
  12. When you feel angry about something, discuss it with your child. Let them know how you feel and how you are coping with it. Focus on your feelings and not on the offender.

Above all, if you’re angry over a child’s anger, that is not the time to correct his behavior. Give both of you some time to cool off before you correct him. Whether you’re a child or an adult, anger can cause you to make decisions you may later regret.

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Categories
children cartoons

What will kids be like in 100 years?

Cartoon of two girls. One is dressed in a futuristic costume. She says, "I'm your granddaughter from the future. And I'm here to save you from a bad school photo."

My youngest child with be eighteen years-old in a few weeks. That has me thinking about the future. Today’s kids have electronic gadgets I would have never dreamed about when my brother and I were playing Star Trek in our dad’s old pickup truck. It never ended well for our dad. When we pushed the old Chevy into warp speed, we frequently flooded the engine.

My brother and I where sure we’d have flying cars when we were adults. Yes, we’re still waiting on that one. Now that I have driven for thirty years, I realize, flying vehicles in the hands of some people would be quite the disaster. But driverless cars? Who but Google would’ve though about that?

Will my great grandkids see Star Trek type technology in their life time? Will they grab a snack from a 3D printer? Will Google still be around or will they think of Internet search engines the same way we look at Model T Fords?

Here are my predictions for what kids will be like in the year 2114:

  • Kids will still need a loving home
  • Kids will still need boundaries and they will test them
  • Kids will take the newest, most well-designed gadget and find a way to break it.

We may not be able to predict all the circumstances our descendants will face in one hundred years, but we can be sure kids will still be kids, and good parents and teachers will be sorely needed.

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Teen Cartoons

Why is it so hard to find a good babysitter?

Cartoon of two teen girls

 

It can be quite difficult to find a good babysitter. You want someone who is good with kids, but doesn’t act like one of the kids. At least, you don’t want to wonder if the babysitter needs a babysitter to watch her and the kids!

You want someone who takes initiative and maybe has some activities for the kids. But you don’t want someone who leaves a mess. You don’t want to vacuum glitter for the next forty days and forty nights!

You want someone who will be in charge, but you don’t want someone who will act like a prison guard. At the same time, you don’t want someone so mousey that the kids take over and your home becomes a scene from Lord of the Flies.

How can you find a good babysitter? Here are some tips that worked for our family.

  • If you attend a church, religious institution or a social club, ask around. A church usually has a youth group. It doesn’t hurt to ask the youth pastor and get to know an available student.
  • Form a co-op with friends that have kids your age. You can either use the network to find qualified babysitters or parents can take turns watching everyone’s kids while the other couples go out.

While this may make things more difficult, please use background checks. Careforhire.com has good tips on how to conduct a background check and what are appropriate and inappropriate ways to do it.

Best of luck!

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writing

Things rarely go according to plan

photo of beach figurines buried in snow

As I write this, it is late March, 2014. Spring has been with us for five days, but it doesn’t feel anything like spring in Indiana. Yesterday, it snowed. Let me tell you, friends, it’s been quite a winter for Hoosiers. Maybe you balk because you’re from Minnesota or Siberia. But We aren’t use to  extended  single-digit temperatures and relentless snow storms!

These beach figurines have been freezing all w...
These beach figurines have been freezing all winter. They’re ready for the thaw! #winter via speartoons

Things rarely go according to plan. We know what a typical winter is for the area we live in. But how many times do we see an “average winter?” Usually it’s above normal or below normal temperatures. When we have the average winter, we start to wonder if there is something wrong. Could it really be that perfect? Could it really be so average that it’s unusual?

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