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Sometimes it happens that our child appears shy, reserved, perhaps even anti-social. It can be quite frustrating having to deal with this and if not handled with caution, it might damage your relationship with your child and cause them to withdraw further. It may be that your child is naturally shy and would prefer the comfortable fortress of solitude. They might see social interactions as awkward and burdensome and would rather avoid it. This might change as they grow older. On the contrary, your child might be battling more complex issues and might need help to get past them. There are different reasons why your child might clam up that are beyond ordinary shyness, it is important that you are able to identify the situation your child falls under. This article will focus on Selective Mutism. Shyness or Selective Mutism 1. How to tell the difference Is your child naturally bubbly at home or with close family? Does your child remain bubbly and open when out of this safe space or within a larger straighter circle? If they grow a bit quieter, that might be pretty normal. What isn’t normal is if they switch off completely and become unresponsive. This is a sign of selective mutism.  Selective mutism is easily misunderstood and often misdiagnosed, but if detected early it can be solved before it causes too much trouble. According to child psychologist Kristen Eastman, Psy.D, children who suffer from selective mutism are often mistaken to be deliberately defiant or shy and it is generally expected that they will grow out of it. This is hardly the case. Selective Mutism is rooted in anxiety and a sort of underlying fear of “doing-it-wrong”. You child would fear to speak among classmates, grown-ups or any circle where there are other persons besides immediate family. This will generally impede their ability to function, in school and outside. Children who are merely shy can be coaxed into action, children with selective mutism cannot. How To Recognize Selective Mutism A child with selective mutism can typically be identified by an inability to communicate in certain social settings like school but is comfortable interacting with immediate family or really close circles, like home. Although not gender specific, it has been observed that little girls are more susceptible to selective mutism than little boys. It is only most notable when your child ventures outside the confines of the home and into larger circles like pre-school. Children with selective mutism battle extreme anxiety at the thought of doing the simplest of things, like saying hello, asking a question or even letting an adult know if they are in pain or uncomfortable. They could rightly be described as frozen, characterized by the inability to neither initiate nor respond when approached. This makes it difficult for the people around them to cope with them or help. Other signs of Selective Mutism may vary from child to child and may be more or less extreme. In the extreme case, a child will only [...]

In this digital age, with so many available internet-based entertainment options, parents find it increasingly difficult to groom their kids into embracing reading. Young ones are most likely to be stirred towards video games, comic books, movies and other similar means of entertainment. This is quite despairing but there is hope for your child! The internet and digital revolution can actually be an opportunity to promote reading in your household. This article is meant to help you help your child get into reading and it doesn’t only have to be digitalized material. The smell of new books and the sound of turning pages is just too beautiful to give up on! Why Reading is Important for Your Child Encouraging children to read creates a world of opportunities for growth, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking, compassion, intellectual capacity and an invaluable understanding of worldly concepts. These valuables gathered by your child will not only be useful in their young age, it will serve them all the way through to adulthood and greatly impact all stages of their education as well as their careers and general day to day activities and interactions. Here are two things to consider: 1. Communication Skills Children build communication skills by engaging in reading activities. Gradually, a child will grow the ability to eloquently and clearly, with accurate descriptions, express their thoughts in words. This greatly helps their social interactions and will be seen to reflect in all activities including those at schools. You child becomes expressive and very confident. 2. Creativity What is even more exciting is how reading affects your child’s imagination and consequentially their creativity. Reading opens a world of possibilities. Through books, children gather information and experiences from people and places far removed from their everyday existence. This gives them a glimpse of the diversity of the world and the many different world views, lifestyles, people and forms of existence that make the world what is, stretching your child’s minds and helping them understand the idea that one is only limited by one’s imagination. Different Genres And How They Affect Your Child Different genres of books each have a part to play in molding your child, for instance, Mystery stirs your child’s problem-solving faculties, develops their analytical skills and intelligence, teaches the concept of cause and effect as well as conflict resolution. Being able to put together pieces of the puzzle, connect the dots and know what to look for definitely helps your child years after the last page of the book has been turned over. Adventure sparks curiosity and a love of exploration and discovery in your child’s heart and mind. It greatly colors your child’s life and allows them to create stories of everyday things, people, and events. What’s even more wonderful is that while your child is experiencing the thrill of an adventure in the depths of the Makazumba jungle or fighting a battle on the back of a white mammoth, they get to learn an endless list of new things [...]

Success Blueprint From The Millionaire Mom: Episode 1 The first episode from the Millionaire Moms, Which Made Einstein Rich And Famous in the world next door. Simply listen to it, understand it and follow it and you too should be able to benefit from it. Use it to teach your kids and they will benefit also. Easy to digest bits of information, geared to provide little nuggets of useful tidbits to apply in your life.  Don't just listen to it once, listen to it as many times as possible to make sure it sinks in. Please add your comments, feedback and suggestions below ... and collectively let us all learn and benefit from each other.

Like every other parent, you probably think your child is special too. Not to say they are not, but there are certain things that are natural of a child. Habits, as lying or whining and being difficult, will be traits you will find in your child, varying in degrees according to the age or growth stage of your child. Do not be surprised or alarmed if you find out your dear child has been deceiving you far more frequently than you would ever think. If you observe your baby’s behavior, even at an infant stage, you will find that deception is a constant part of their daily routine. Little babies will do all in their power to earn the undivided attention of their parent, that is what all the seemingly uncalled-for wailing is about. During the toddler stages, your child can be observed to do things such as fake crying, pretending that they had eaten their food, or that they are injured or straight out lie about not eating the candy. If There Are Rules, There Will Be Deception So long as there are rules for your kid to follow, there will be moments of deception. This is because as soon as your child is old enough to understand and abide by the rules, they will break the rules at some points. Quite frequently sometimes, and to keep themselves from getting in trouble, they may tell lies. This may be as early as to three years. At this point it easy to know when they are lying. When the hit 5, they might be able to lie to you successfully. This information is to establish that lying is a normal part of growing up and although you must discourage the habit, you shouldn’t be too worried about it at that stage. You Might Be Teaching Your Kid To Lie The environment that your child spends time in, such as the home, may determine how much they lie. Your child may lie a lot and unnecessarily because they think it is okay and no trouble at all to lie. As parents, we find that we do lie to our kids sometimes or make them lie on our behalf. An example is when the child asks difficult questions that we feel the answer will be inappropriate or damaging to them and when we ask them to tell the person on the phone that we are busy when we are not. The former is understandable, given that the child discovers that answer as they grow older and more suited to. The latter might send to your child the picture that it is okay to lie. It will be wise to avoid lying to your child or making them lie on your behalf unless it is absolutely necessary. Considering the fact that it is highly likely to be impossible to keep your child from lying, you may be able to avoid creating situations where they would have to lie to keep them from developing [...]

Most people are aware that consuming a lot of sugar isn’t good for their health, but what many people do not understand is how dangerous being addicted to sugar can be. Research has shown that sugar is directly linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in children. Sugar is so addictive that it is rare that you give a child a cookie and they are satisfied with just one, so soon after the first, they sure will ask for another. This creates unhealthy habits that follow them all the way into adulthood. As a parent, nothing gives you greater joy than to see your children happy, so the reasoning behind parents giving their children candy, cakes, and ice cream is not farfetched. Children and adolescents naturally have a craving for sugar. Most parents know how sugar affects the body and that eating processed sugar is bad and to a great extent, addictive but many parents are of the belief that since the child is young it’s no big deal. It is not uncommon for a parent to hand out rewards to their kids in form of cookies and ice cream, I have no problem with the reward process, but I believe we shouldn’t be boosting the self-esteem of our kids and damaging their health at the same time. How to Tell if Your Child is Addicted to Sugar Every parent has witnessed the scene that follows after giving a child something with high sugar content; they usually get hyperactive and jump around the house, and in the process, make a big mess. Then they fall asleep or become very moody, which you mistaken for fatigue from all the running and jumping, so you send them to bed. Trust me it’s hard to pinpoint the characteristics of a child addicted to sugar. When you are looking at a child’s behavior to see if they are addicted to sugar, many factors come into play. Chances are that they: Have difficulty with focusing and paying attention They are constantly hungry Stay up late Experience frequent mood swings and at regular intervals eat large amounts of sugar. Ways Sugar Addiction Negatively Affects Your Child 1. A cough Most children who have recurrent episodes of what looks like a cough, even after they go to bed seemingly healthy, might have taken too much sugar. These children wake up during the night with a cough and trouble breathing. This may be as a result of the combination of dairy and sugar which takes longer to digest and is highly acidic. This means that food comes back up through the esophagus and touches the vocal cord which in turn causes a laryngospasm. 2. Weak immune system Micro biome in the body is made up of trillions of good bacteria that help with digestion of food, protect it from germs and disease and also produce vitamins. But when children consume too much sugar, it may alter the balance between good and bad bacteria and therefore weaken [...]

A paper route business is not an easy task but undoubtedly has a lot of benefits when you venture into it. So if your kid comes to you for your assistance or show interest in starting a paper route delivery service, then encourage them and help them start one. This is because there are so many benefits that they will gain from the activity such as being able to handle money that isn’t theirs. If your child’s newspaper company policy includes that your child make collections, then they will be great with money. Through this, they will learn to be responsible with money that isn’t theirs and be more assertive when dealing with others. Did you ever know that getting into the paper route business is a great form of exercise for your kid? Riding a bicycle almost every morning will be giving him a great workout while he earns money. Furthermore, if he or she does very well, they are sure to receive praises and this can boost self-confidence because of the appreciation they receive. The job demands punctuality, and so your kid will develop the habit of being punctual and respecting time as the success of his job depends on it. Another great advantage of the paper route business is that your kid gets freedom. He or she does not have to dress up to do it, they can also do their routes as quickly and in the manner they want. There are lots of successful people today that started with delivering newspapers. Billionaire John C. Bogle was founder and former CEO of the Vanguard Corp and creator of Index Fund. He was born in 1929 and started delivering newspapers at the age of nine. It is at a young age that we teach our kids lessons and principles in life and help shape the view of the world. Allowing your kid to start a paper route business will instill in him or her value of hard work and responsibility. These are lessons you just don’t teach by word of mouth. Disney’s father owned a newspaper distributorship in Kansas City and Disney was one of the boys who delivered the paper. He received no pay, as his father saw it as an opportunity to help him learn responsibility. Sometimes, kids learn skills that broaden their mindset and help them to be innovative. Small business are the backbone of most economies. For example, in the U.S almost half of its private sector workforce is 49.2% and these are employed by small business. Some of these important innovations have come from scrappy entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs who started Apple from his basement or Mark Zurkerberg who started Facebook while at school. You never know what your kid’s paper routing job might be preparing him for but it sure is going to be something good. So inspire them by playing the role of a supportive parent and instead of teaching them just how to do a chore which of cause is [...]

Entrepreneurship is not for the fainthearted. It requires a lot of positivity and strength to keep going regardless of whatever happens. However, as humans, we get stretched and sometimes get to the point of giving up and it takes quite a lot to get back on our feet. Kids have very high tendency to give up, because they know very little and would most likely not consider the consequences of giving up, especially at a critical time. This is why you have to help them. There are several ways in which you can help your child overcome his/her fears and not give up. Below are a few tips to guide you: 1. Constructive feedback We all need to be encouraged to do better at whatever we do, and kids are just the same. Rather than scolding or attacking them on errors made, you could consistently give constructive and specific, but not brutally critical advice. Whatever you do, try not to make them feel less of themselves. The feedback should be able to point out their flaws, how to improve and to also make them feel good about themselves. This will assure them that they can do better, and there will be lesser chances of giving up because there's at least one person cheering them on. 2. Healthy competitions Competition in the business world today keeps increasing, and if one isn't careful, you might find yourself in unhealthy competitionZ that focus on only your flaws and failures. Introduce your child to healthy competitions that will drive them to be top at their game and also help them improve. Healthy competitions won't make them feel less of themselves even if they lose. This will encourage them to strive to do more, even when all hope seems lost. 3. Learn through mistakes Children should be taught to see the other side of mistakes, to pick lessons every time there's a flop. Teach them to find solutions when there's a challenge and help them see lessons in doing that. This will help expand their mind and make them understand that failure in one doesn't mean failure in all. In the course of your child's business, there will be times they wants to throw in the towel, and you need to do everything within your power to avoid it. Teaching kids how not to give up and to remain strong will not only help them now as kids but will be a great forte for them in the future.

The most certain way to guarantee that your kids don't face the problem of having to struggle to get a job is by making entrepreneurs while they're still young. With the rate of unemployment increasing by the day, one of the only sure ways to deal with this is by teaching kids how to be entrepreneurs. Obviously, very few kids would see the sense of them starting up a business while they're young because to them, as far as they are concerned, business is for adults. But as a wise parent or guardian, you must understand the importance of getting them to start while they're young. You're not only securing a future for them but you're also saving yourself some finances in the long run. So inasmuch as you might need to invest money right now, in the long run, this business might yield enough profit to probably take care of the child's needs. Also, you're also teaching your kid how to be self-independent from a very young age. The Amazon business is one of the best businesses you can start up for your kids. What you'll need to start an amazon business: A budget (To be more realistic, start from $2,000 upwards) A somewhat creative mind Two hours per day to work on this  Internet connection  A legal company (LTD UK or LLC USA) A bank account  A graphic designer Private label supplier to work with Freight forward contact for oversea shipments A mindset of mastery (believe and you shall achieve) Your kids will obviously need your support when it comes to a lot of this, but with time, they'll probably get used to most of it. The Process: 1. Find a suitable product you want to sell Before you start your business, you clearly need to select the product that you'd want to sell and before you select that product, you need to do enough of background research. This research is to make sure that you pick the right product that is most likely to be successful on Amazon. Any product you eventually pick must have the following qualities: Ability to create recurring demand Exclusivity Falling within a specific price range Non-Perishable Small Size and lightweight Note: Avoid big brands!   2. Find the ideal supplier for your product First off, you want to make sure that whichever supplier you choose, is valid and can guarantee you quality products. It is always better to search for local procurement options. The near vicinity of the supplier and your warehouse is going to solve a lot on logistics cost. You can also choose to import your product from outside the country. Importing from somewhere like China will save you a lot on the cost price but will definitely incur logistic cost.     3. Packaging After identifying the products and supplier, the next thing you should do is to find your competitors on Amazon and see how they package this same products. You aim is to see how you can beat [...]