The holiday season is once again upon us with its parties, twinkling lights and, of course, gifts. Ah, yes... the gifts! For parents, it is always a challenge to keep the gift-giving in check, and to remind children to appreciate all that they receive. It can be frustrating - especially if you find that the amount of money or effort spent on your child's gifts does not seem to equal the amount of appreciation expressed toward the givers or the gifts.
Last summer, my husband and I combined our preschoolers’ two bedrooms into a joint bedroom to make the unused room a fun-filled play centre. Although our children adored sharing a room (and I adored designing my dream playroom), my husband and I felt something missing after only a day. We quickly realized the source of our discontent: less one-on-one time with our children.
While TV commercials and retail ads proclaim the holidays as a time for peace and joy (and lots of gifts), many feel that it is the season for family obligations and unpleasant visits with contentious relatives. That feeling of discomfort is compounded for single dads, who many times face awkward gatherings with former in-laws or touchy ex-wives who request or require ‘family time’ with their children. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The holidays don’t have to be loaded with rough patches for single dads, and with a few key tips, you can show your children a happy holiday season.
You're all getting a bad rap. Helicopter parents do a lot of good things for their kids. You can act fast, swoop in to protect your child at a moment's notice and swoop away really fast (great skills for parenting a teenager). And that bird's-eye view of the big picture really comes in handy. Best of all, helicopter parents have met two great parenting qualifications: They show a lot of love to their children, and they spend plenty of time with them, often pulling the night shift. So, if helicopter parents are so great, why all the negative publicity? Here's why...
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