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As parents, we want our kids to learn while having fun in what they do. If they enjoy it, then we want them to do well in it. However, many parents of talented children simply don’t know much about the process of becoming professional soccer players. And another good number of parents are afraid that if their children are too focused on their professional soccer career, they will forget about the importance of their education. This is possible and definitely one of the very reasons why your child needs your help. Soccer is the biggest sport in the world; it is played and watched by more people than any other game. This makes it highly competitive and demanding. So how do you your child balance his education and other activities with playing soccer? It is not going to be easy, but it is not impossible, if your child loves the game, and really wants to become a professional soccer player, you can definitely help him. Eight Steps To Helping Your Child Become A Professional Soccer Player The paths to becoming a professional soccer player differ around the world. There is a great difference in the journey of a professional player in Europe and in the United States of America. This journey is not an easy one; it requires time, patience, persistence, and strengths both physically, mentally and emotionally. The first step you need to help your child is to educate yourself about the process of how one becomes a professional soccer player, what kind of stage does he need to participate in what level and at what age? 1. Share Your Child’s Dream This is the most important step you need to help your kid. First, you have to share his dream to become a professional soccer player. Sometimes parents are so possessive and want to make all the decisions for their children, even choose their dreams for them. This could be a huge problem, when it comes to these issues, you have to listen to your child and respect his choices and decisions. Of course, you have to advise him and give your suggestions and recommendations, but at the end of the day, the final decision is his to make. So when your son decides that he wants to become a professional soccer player, you have to accept and respect his decision and support him with his dream. 2. Give It Your Time Soccer is a very demanding sport. It takes a lot of time and practice to become a professional soccer player. If this is the road your kid chooses to take, then you have to invest your all to help him through, and one of the most important thing you can give him is your time. You have to be there, when he wins, when loses, when he breaks his ankle, when he is frustrated, he will need you every step of the way. 3. Encourage Your Child The easiest way you can help your child develop [...]

What would you do if your child walked up to you and said Mum, dad, I have something I would like to tell you, “I am an atheist”. What would be your first reaction? How would you handle this situation? How would you respond to this statement as a parent? Sometimes, things like this just happen, it doesn’t matter whether you are a good God-fearing Christian or a very pious Muslim, it is still very possible that your kids may not always share your beliefs. This will leave you stunned; it is like a punch to the gut. The basic core values and beliefs that you have held for so long have just been utterly rejected by one of the people you love the most in the whole wide world. This is a tough position to be in, especially with all the things you learned from the bible or the Quran. Religion dictates that those who reject faith will go to hell. This is a fact in all the major religions in the world, so what do you do with your child who does just that, this is going to be one tough ride for you. What Not To Do If your child has rejected your faith, do not reject your child. Do not kick your child out of your home, especially if they are dependent on you.  He is still your child. You are still responsible for him, for his upbringing, for loving and adoring and caring for him, no matter what his faith is. Avoid treating him differently than you did before; this includes being embarrassed by his choice. Your child’s decision to be an atheist is not personal. He didn’t make the choice to become an atheist easily, nor did he do it to spite you. He is simply searching for meaning and truth, just like you are and this is the best way he can find to explain the way the world around him works. It makes sense to him. Examine your own emotions closely. If you punish your child, are you doing so out of anger and as an animal-like reaction to pain, or out of love, and a desire to guide? It can be difficult to tell the two apart. Anger seeks vengeance for perceived wrongs. Love seeks correction for the betterment of the loved. Will a bent or a cane really correct a disbelief in God better than a conversation? Can abandonment restore faith? Are screams better than understanding and are threats of damnation and hellfire better than the promise that God loves him? Think carefully and remember that as a Muslim or a Christian, you are an ambassador for God. Your child will see his character in your every action, and if your actions aren’t coming from a place of love, they will push your child so far from God that they will never look back. This crucial moment may be the only chance you have to keep the door open for [...]

Being a parent is very difficult. Parents are totally responsible for the safety, welfare, and education of a tiny infant who quickly becomes a growing, ever-changing, maturing child. Parents have to set their own rules, develop their own routines, and form their own expectations. When parents are married, differences of opinions have to be worked out with the greater good of the child held aloft. If it is difficult to be a parent, it is even more difficult to be a parent of a child with special needs. School work can be difficult, but it should not be torture for you or your kid. If your kid is struggling academically, maybe it is time to consider your kid is not just being difficult. Maybe there is something more going on than meets the eye. After all, who wants to do badly in school? Discovering a child’s special needs is often a confusing and painful process for parents. First of all, because learning difficulties can be subtle, multiple, and difficult to pinpoint, it can be hard for parents to know whether things are normal or not. Especially with a first child, parents may not know when to expect vocalizing, playing with sounds, and learning to speak. It is also difficult to distinguish between a healthy, very active toddler and a hyperactive toddler with ADHD. What is the difference between the child who is a little clumsy (which will be outgrown) and a child having significant motor skills problem? What are the indications of children being off course in their ability to listen and follow directions? It may take some time for parents to recognize and articulate concerns. How to Know If Your Child Has Learning Disabilities Many children have difficulty with reading, writing, or other learning-related tasks at some point, but this does not mean they have learning disabilities. A child with a learning disability often has several related signs that persist over time. The signs of learning disabilities vary from person to person. Common signs that a person may have learning disabilities include the following: Poor coordination Difficulty with concepts related to time Difficulty with reading and/or writing Problems with math skills Difficulty remembering things learned Trouble following directions Problem staying organized A child with a learning disability may also exhibit one or more of the following signs: Impetuous behavior Inappropriate responses in school or social situations Difficulty staying on task (easily distracted) Difficulty finding the right way to say something Inconsistent school performance An immature way of speaking Difficulty listening well Problems dealing with new things in life Problem understanding words or concepts These signs alone are not enough to determine that a person has a learning disability. A professional assessment is necessary to diagnose a learning disability. Children being taught in a second language that they are learning sometimes act in ways that are similar to the behaviors of someone with a learning disability. For this reason, learning disability assessment must take in to account whether a student [...]

Night terrors are common in children. From toddlers to grade schoolers, children between the ages of two and a half to six years old experience night terrors. Kids will often grow out of night terrors by about the age of twelve. Night terrors are a type of sleep disturbance, a child having a night terror may suddenly bolt upright in bed, cry, scream, moan, mumble, and thrash about with his eyes wide open without being truly awake. Because he is caught in a sort of a twilight zone between being asleep and awake, he is unaware of your presence and isn’t like to respond to anything you say or do. An episode can last anywhere from a few minutes to almost an hour, and when it is over your child may abruptly fall back to sleep with no memory of the incident. Night Terrors are Not Nightmares Night terrors are different from nightmares, in that if your child has a night terror, he won’t remember it; on the other hand, a nightmare leaves your child truly awake. Not only can he remember his dream and sometimes talk about it, but he may also seek out and feel comforted by your presence. Children also commonly have night terrors during the first third of the night, during deep non-dream sleep. Children have nightmares during dream sleep, which usually happens during the last third of the night. According to sleep expert Jodi A. Mindell, author of Sleeping through the Night, the easiest way to tell the difference between a night terror and a nightmare is to ask yourself who is more upset about it the next morning. “if your child is more agitated, he had a nightmare. If you are the one who is disturbed, he probably had a night terror,” says Mindell. In other words, the “terror” of a night terror lingers far longer in the parent who watched it than in the child who lived it. Causes of Night Terrors and Can They be Prevented? Night terrors are more common in boys than in girls and tend to run in families. The cause is unknown, but they can be triggered by stress, sleep deprivation, and fatigue. Sometimes they are accompanied by a fever. A child may sleepwalk or sleep talk during a night terror. There is no definitive way to prevent night terrors since no one knows exactly what causes them. What is known is that, on their own, night terrors don’t mean a child has a psychological problem or is even upset about something. As stated above, however, some factors make night terrors more likely. If your child has a fever or isn’t getting enough sleep, for example, solving any other sleep problem your child has, such as getting up in the middle of the night, making sure he has a regular bedtime and gets enough hours of sleep may help ward off night terrors Certain medications or caffeine can also contribute to night terrors. Children are also more likely [...]

Are you always at war with your kid when it comes to getting him a haircut? Does it seem like he has tender nerve endings on each strand of hair when you comb or cut it? Does he act like you always cut his skin when you are merely trimming his nails? Or like you are drawing blood when you are only getting day’s dirt out of his toe nails? Well, you are not the only one parenting a sensitive child. There is something about haircuts and grooming which can trigger anxiety and resistance in some children, followed by frustration and exasperation in their parents. It is especially hard to understand when, as an adult, you may love your time at the hair dresser or think manicures are a total treat. Pampering, who doesn’t like that? Probably your child. So, what is going on? Why doesn’t it work to say, “You are fine, this does not hurt. I am being as gentle as I can be. We have done this a million times!” Although totally understandable, this response just heightens the frustration on both sides. On one hand, you know your child needs compassion and understanding. On the other, the whole process can exhaust both of you. Why Does Your Child React the Way he Does? Your child doesn’t need to have a sensory processing disorder to dislike haircuts. Ninety percent of boys will experience the ‘haircut freak out’ and it can be due to a number of reasons. The environment in which the haircut is taking place can play a big part. Is it noisy? Is it new? Is it the smell? In a perfect world, wearing the cape will eliminate the itchy sensation of hair falling on him, if he sits still, it will be over so much quicker, and if he needs the clippers, it is a safer and quicker way to cut. However, the cape is foreign, watching scissors being waved around his head in the mirrors is scary and the clippers sound like a mac truck in his ears. A major challenge for many children is that for most grooming activities, they need to sit still. As if that is not bad enough, if they don’t sit still, they actually could get an injury. Have you ever said, “If you don’t sit still I might hurt you?” Now your child is thinking: I must sit still. I might get hurt. This potentially nice little quiet time is now filled with a screaming squirming child, and it is taking ten times as long to finish. Not a good beginning. Haircuts, in particular, bring a host of challenges for your child. A salon in itself carries a plethora of new noises and smells. Sensitive ears and noises can be so overwhelmed. The strong distinctive smells may not only be offensive to your child’s nose but could also trigger a headache or nausea. And don’t forget the noises, from loud hair driers to the buzzing of razors to [...]

So, your child decided never to eat meat again? Well, it is not that much of a big deal; it doesn’t matter if he is doing it for ethical, environmental, health or cultural reasons. If you are a family of vegetarians then that is even better. There is no cause for worry; a vegetarian diet can provide a nutritious alternative to a diet that includes meat. However, special care needs to be taken with children on all vegetarian diets, especially vegan diets. Strict vegan diets are generally not recommended for very young children. There are different types of vegetarians and you need to figure out under which one of these your vegetarian child falls. Types of Vegetarians The different types of vegetarians are determined by the types of foods a person does not eat. Vegetarians can be classified into the following groups: Lacto-ovo Vegetarians: This kind of vegetarians exclude red meat, offal, fish, and poultry. They obtain protein from dairy products such as eggs, beans, legumes, pulses, and nuts. Lacto-Vegetarians: Lacto vegetarians don’t eat red meat, offal, fish, poultry, and eggs. They obtain protein from dairy products, pulses, nuts and soy products like tofu. Vegans: Vegan vegetarians give up red meat, offal, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. They obtain their protein from beans, legumes, pulses, nuts and soy products like tofu. The type of vegetarians diet most commonly associated with significant nutritional problems in children is the vegan diet. So, if this is who your child is, then you have to be very careful and make sure that he gets the nutrients and proteins he needs for his growth and development. What to do to Help If you are not a family of vegetarians, it could be a challenge to adjust to your child’s needs as a family. It is new and different but he is your child and he has the rights to make decisions about his life and that extends to what kind of food he eats and what kind of food he avoids. Here are a few things you can do to help: 1. Listen When your child decides to be a vegetarian, you need to listen to them and try to understand why. Maybe they are inspired by a recent school unit on the environment; it could be that they have ecological concerns about large food industry’s destruction of the rainforest and the need to share the earth’s resources responsibly. However, while you listen to their reasons, you need to stay alert and beware that your child is not choosing to be a Vegan for the wrong reason, such as using it as a cover for excessive or unhealthy caloric restriction and eating disorders.  Otherwise, you need to respect and stand by their decision. 2. Make a General Team Strategy A good vegetarian effort takes teamwork. Meal-planning, grocery shopping, and cooking are all affected. In fact, if you have been a family of omnivores all along, it may be wise to take baby steps into [...]

Well, whether she is two or nine years old right now, the time will come when she will have to go on her first date. Maybe even sooner than you think, you probably won’t see it coming, because the average dating age is now lower than it used to be. Twelve and a half for girls and thirteen and a half for boys, and so because your daughter’s first date may be an unexpected event for you, it is important to carefully consider your parenting role in this situation. Note, this is part of growing up, and like it or not, it is eventually going to happen, so it is better for you to be prepared and accept the fact that you will have to share your little girl with some stranger, except you can decide whether he is a stranger or you can accept him as a part of your daughter’s life and therefore a part of the family. There is nothing to fear, in fact, if you do your work well, everything will go exactly according to your plan, your daughter will be happy, and you will be comfortable knowing that she is in good hands, safe, sound and happy. Here are a few ways to play your role as a parent: 1. Set Appropriate Boundaries Though you are excited for your daughter for liking someone who likes her back, you still have to be a parent, and that means looking out for her. If you feel your daughter is too young to start dating, set a rule about her dating age. It is recommended that girls go on one-on-one dates around the age of sixteen. Consider allowing her to go on group dates with friends or low-key dates chaperoned by parents. While she is still young, if your daughter is old enough to go on a bona fide one-on-one date alone, discuss whether or not she will have a curfew and what a reasonable time for her to be home is. Ask her to let you know where she and her date are going so that you don’t have to wonder where she is. Discuss all these things with her ahead of time, and keep your boundaries consistent. 2. Be Excited for Her This is an exhilarating moment in your daughter’s life. She is experiencing feelings of liking someone romantically that is being reciprocated. This is a new phase for her and she needs you to hold her hand through it. It is a true turning point in growing up, and she will likely be happy about it when she tells you.  Don’t freak out or react in a negative way. Even if her announcement makes you angry, anxious or sad about how fast she is growing up. Instead, tell her that you are happy she has found someone she likes that much, and that you are looking forward to meeting this special person. 3. Meet Her Date This is good because it will help you feel [...]

Math is a fun subject, the numbers, the symbols, and signs are all interesting when you are good at figuring out how to make sense out of it all. However, it is a completely different story if you can’t even tell the difference between algebra and arithmetic. Math is a nightmare for those who cannot do it; it is frustrating, boring and downright depressing. This is probably why your kid hates the subject. It is a challenge, and like adults, kids don’t like failing either. So when you keep on failing on the same subject, it is difficult to develop a person for that subject. The good news, however, is that since they are kids and still young, there is the possibility of changing their mindsets, so to try and to do that, you first need to understand the problem. Why Does Your Kid Hate Math Well, it is probably because he is not good at it. He is frustrated and defeated and when he sits down to a problem he doesn’t understand why it feels overwhelming and impossible. It is not because he is not able to or that he is way less smart than the kid next door who is acing all his tests. No, not all. It is because he didn’t get enough time to master the previous level. It is important that your child fully understands and masters every step at every level before moving to another level. When this is not done, he gets lost when the problem gets a little complicated. Math is a step by step practical subject; missing one step puts the rest of the work in shambles. Here are a few reasons to consider: 1. The Scientific Point of View Mel Levine made the critical point that when a young child gives up on arithmetic, it is a sign, not that he is not trying hard enough, but rather that he is trying too hard and expanding too much energy. The child with a numerical processing deficit is just such a case. But what exactly does it mean, in physiological terms, to say that such a child is “working too hard”? There is some research that bears out the idea that a highly challenging mental task will burn extra amounts of glucose. But the findings have been mixed. While the brain consumes an inordinate amount of glucose relative to its size, it appears that the amount of additional glucose consumed when working on a hard problem barely registers. Except when one especially pertinent factor is involved and that factor is stress. The more stressful a task, the more glucose is consumed. A child with poor numerical processing finds math stressful in the same way that a child with poor balance finds learning how to ride a bike stressful. In the case of math, we are dealing with a working memory issue but not simply a working memory issue. Anxiety introduces a further dimension into the mix, quite apart from the processing [...]

It is common for parents to be concerned about their children’s nutrition with an allergy to cow’s milk since it is a source of calcium, vitamin D, and fat. These are important nutrients for growth and development, and to keep boons strong. However, many children thrive without consuming cow’s milk. A milk allergy is an abnormal response of the body to the proteins found in cow's milk. Milk allergy is most common among infants and young children. Milk and milk products are found in many foods. Obvious forms of milk are cream, cheese, butter, ice cream, and yogurt. Milk and milk products may also be hidden sources in commonly eaten foods. To avoid foods that contain milk products, it is advisable to read food labels. Dairy allergies are some of the most common food allergies for babies and children. As we grow older, our production of enzyme lactase decreases, meaning we don’t process lactose and lactose-base dairy products as well as we used to. This happens to all of us as we age and is one of the top reasons why plant-based dieters oppose consuming dairy. But sometimes children stop producing lactase at an earlier rate, resulting in dairy intolerance and allergies. Cows’ milk is one of the eight foods responsible for most food allergies in children. It is also a common ingredient in many goods. From stomach cramps to sickness and diarrhea, there are many similarities between milk intolerance and milk allergy symptoms. What is more, the names of these conditions are often used interchangeably and not always correctly. Knowing how to recognize them can help get a quicker diagnosis for your baby, and lead to an effective dietary management program, either through you own diet if you are breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding, consuming milk can pass allergenic proteins through your breast milk. If this is suspected, you many need to avoid milk products. In other cases, cow’s milk proteins are not passed through. Always consult your doctor or a dietitian before altering your diet while breastfeeding. Removing milk from your diet won’t be recommended unless absolutely necessary. Allergies and Intolerance Children can either be allergic or intolerant to milk. Because some of the symptoms of milk allergy and milk intolerance are similar, they can be difficult to diagnose. The truth is that people use these terms interchangeably, but in reality, they have different meanings. Allergies usually refer to full blown anaphylactic attacks. These are kinds of episodes that require immediate medical care and hospitalization. Symptoms of anaphylactic attack in children include but are not limited to: Hives or skin rash that starts around the mouth/face but can spread to the whole body Itchy skin or eczema Wheezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing Severe vomiting or diarrhea Swollen eyes, hands, and throat Colic, in babies Dairy intolerance might not be as life-threatening as anaphylactic attacks, but they are just as painful and scary. Usually, symptoms begin with a few minutes to a few hours after your child consumes dairy [...]

The term “hearing loss” is used when audio-metric tests demonstrate a child is not responding to sounds which are established as normal hearing levels. Hearing loss does not necessarily mean a complete inability to hear. There are degrees of hearing loss, referred to as: mild, moderate, severe and profound. Sometimes mild hearing loss may go unnoticed, while severe and profound hearing loss makes it impossible for a child to develop speech and language skills without help. Children learn how to speak by hearing and imitating the sounds of the people around them. The sooner your child has access to sound, the better. If your baby has a hearing problem, using a hearing device early on and other communication options can help avoid speech delays and problems. There are many types of hearing problems in children. Many of these problems result in hearing loss. This loss may be only temporary but it can also be permanent. It is important that parents and other caretakers recognize the signs of hearing loss. The sooner you recognize a hearing problem, the better it will be for your child. Parents have many questions and must make difficult decisions when their child is diagnosed with hearing loss. Children are not simply small adults, they are different in many respects, and their hearing loss must be evaluated and treated differently than would be the case for adults with similar hearing profiles. Parents who are knowledgeable about hearing, hearing loss and related issues are usually better advocates for their children. Approximately six out of every one thousand children born have some degree of hearing loss. Children may also acquire hearing loss after birth from illness, trauma and genetic factors. An undiagnosed hearing loss can have an impact on the child’s language development, educational achievement, and emotional stability. At least two in every one thousand children will experience hearing loss severe enough to prohibit their ability to develop speech and language unless specific therapeutic intervention is provided. However, when children with hearing loss are identified at an early age, fit with appropriate and beneficial amplification which they use consistently, and are trained to use their residual hearing to the maximal level for understanding speech, they can acquire age-appropriate speech and language skills (listening, speaking, and comprehension) which enable them to function effectively in the hearing world. What Causes Hearing Loss? Hearing loss can be present at birth, or it may develop sooner or later in life. It may be hereditary, or it may be caused by problems during pregnancy or delivery. Many things can cause hearing loss in a child. Hearing loss at birth is called Congenital Hearing Loss. Hearing loss that happens after birth is called Acquired Hearing Loss. Congenital Hearing Loss can be caused by genetic factors, but it also can be caused by other things, like an infection during pregnancy, prematurity, injury at birth, and other health conditions. Acquired Hearing Loss can result from many things, including frequent ear infections, viral and bacterial infections like meningitis [...]