advice
It takes a village to raise a family; advice and tips to make the most of yours.
Parent Guide:
Looking after a child is costly. Research has shown that the average cost of raising a child up to the age of 18, excluding the likes of housing and council tax, was £75,436 for a couple as of 2019. This rose to £102,627 for a single parent — and costs continue to rise. Therefore, it’s essential that you keep your products in as best condition as possible to get full use and life out of them.
By Fay McFarlane6 years ago in Families
Should You File For Divorce During COVID-19 Pandemic?
It is safe to say that with COVID-19 pandemic, families are living in fear. This type of fear, stress and anxiety are universal emotions nowadays in every family. But, what should you do when your tensions become a marital argument, or your previous spousal case has made the lock down even worse? How can you deal with the divorce situation during this pandemic?
By Alex M Ferguson6 years ago in Families
Finding Hope
Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. This is my first story on here. Finding Hope It was just another cool summer day when the heat of what I had done came back to burn me. She said she needed to take time away to figure out what her plan was and that she would come back after three weeks. It has been about two months now since she left and the house we lived in has never been the same. The sound of silence plagues me like cancer that has ravaged the entire body.
By Jeremy Bergmann6 years ago in Families
Finding balance in lockdown
finding balance in lockdown Finding your balance in life in lockdown is extremely difficult however isn't impossible. I have several children and finding time to create balance between working/ writing, caring for my four beautiful children and keeping up with the house and also finding a way to take time out so I don't burn out has been very difficult. At least for a lot of people here in Western Australia, school is back in full swing, and for myself it means three out of four of my children are actually back in school, which makes finding the balance so much easier. However there was a time they were all home for five or so weeks. Balance went out the window. In fact in that time, I had no balance and I was extremely drained physically and emotionally. And this is the case, especially for parents but is also the case for everyone whom is still in lock down and has been for months now and who will continue to be for weeks and possibly for months to come.
By Louise Dickson6 years ago in Families
Sue Valley
The reason I chose this photo is because it reminds me of the lost Indigenous women, one where she is on a dark path, on the dark path it is cold and there may not be light at her end. Until she meets someone who can help her, the one who tells her to look into the horizon of the sunset, because there is someone standing there, willing to lead her to her natural path. On a natural innate path that will show her that there is a meaningful purpose to life to bring her back to her belief in her own traditions, her mother tongue, once on the path, she just cannot walk away. Before they told her the natural values of Life she had to pay it forward with no money involved, what she had to do is help others and they would have to do the same to continue to help others find their paths, next thing you know it blossoms to be the generous cycle of a naturing Indigenous woman. Then it turns to the next generation. As it's going from generations to generations of so many stories of how people can help other people who have or still on the dark path and need help. Even if they don't want help, there are other ways to help them,by helping them don't just give up on what they need, and what I mean when I say that is don't give them money or anything that involves their past addictive toxic behaviors.. Once you let them get away with enabling them, they are going to go back on the dark path and the further they go, the longer it will take for them to heal and the longer it takes, and the harder it is.
By Melanie Paul6 years ago in Families
Don’t Take Nothing For Granted
Tomorrow July 19th will mark 34 years of me existing here on earth. Some may have different perspectives about it. For older people to them 34 years old you’re still young and new to certain things in life. To my generation it’s an accomplishment to even make it past the age of 18 years old. I have seen a lot and experienced a lot in my 34 years of life. One thing I am certain of; if nothing else is life waits on no one. Enjoy every moment from the biggest accomplishments to the smallest stolen moments with your loved ones. Most would be planning a party, but not me at least not this year. This year I just want to relax and enjoy my day with my Mother who Blessed me with life and my kids and Day 1’s. Before the pandemic we had a big road trip planned 30 of us cousins of mixed 3 generations to visit other relatives and just enjoy the experience riding state to state. There’s a reason for everything we are certainly postponing it not canceling. For me it would’ve been my first vacation ever with my kids. In my 17 years of being in the working world I have never taken off work let alone taken a vacation with my 3 kids. Sad I know but it’s a reality for a lot of people. I’ve never made enough money from working to be able to miss work, because if I didn’t work I didn’t get paid. Not every job offers paid time off. I seen this quote on social media “ They want women to work like they don’t have kids and raise kids like they don’t have to work.” If you’ve been able to do it God Bless you and don’t ever take it for granted because not everybody can do it, but I’m not setting limits like it’s impossible. It’s all about the given opportunities and resources. For me as a single parent of 3 kids ages 13,7 and 4 years old. The hours you work are critical either you have to leave for work and not be able to take them to school or take them to school and not be able to pick them up. Not all schools offer decent after school care or they want to charge an arm and a leg for it. Some schools offer scholarships and some don’t. Then you have the jobs that has mandatory OT or you have to work weekends and holidays. As you can see the struggle is real as a single parent because you have so many things you have to consider and factor in. You are certainly blessed if you have help. For the ones that don’t have a support system I really admire your strength to persevere. Currently since the pandemic I’ve been off from work, because I am a shuttle driver in San Francisco and the city and most corporate business are closed or working from home. In these 5 months I’ve been home I’ve helped my kids get through there last couple of months of school via social distance learning. It surely was not easy getting them to adapt to the change. My son debated with me everyday on why he couldn’t play Fortnite on his ps4,because he figured he was on early vacation since he wasn’t at school physically. My daughter struggled a bit to finish she’s certainly and in the classroom learner. Not being able to have the on- demand resources and student to teacher dialogue when having trouble was a problem for her. My baby had just started Pre-school so she went from the whole experience of making new friends and leaving the nest for a couple hours to having zoom meetings to still have that social connection. Fortunately she’s back in school with a smaller class down from 24 students to have but only 8 actually attend. I've cleaned my house several times throwing out old stuff and donating old but good clothes. Anyways I said all of that to say this don’t take nothing for granted. Don’t take life for granted, dont take your kids/ family/ friends, don’t take people for granted, don’t take time with your family for granted, don’t take your job for granted, don’t take opportunities for granted, nothing at all no matter how big or small you may think it is. If this pandemic hasn’t done anything else, I can say for sure it made me appreciate people and other things that much more. You never realize how much something means until it’s gone. You never really realized how much going somewhere or having this or having that or being able to do this or that meant until you are restricted to not being able to have or do something. Enjoy the small things in life for once.
By Poetry Lover6 years ago in Families
5 Ways to Keep Your Family Safe
Safety is a key priority for parents, but it can also feel like there are a million things to constantly monitor. We often consider safety in the sense of protecting our children from immediate danger; however, a considerable influence of safety is also developing strategies for the future. As you look to secure and protect your children, consider these 5 strategies to help you ensure their long-term safety.
By Kari Oakley6 years ago in Families
Children And Technology
The Corona Virus pandemic has caused major disruptions in day to day life. Virtually everything has been affected – Homelife; Schooling, Work; Entertainment; Communication; Business, etc. A major effect of this is that all over the world, even the most ardent technology skeptics have been forced to acquaint and/or re-acquaint themselves with new ways of doing things.
By Imabong Faminu6 years ago in Families
The Lonely Child
"Nobody likes me." "I don't have any friends." "I am lonely and sad." "I'm Bored." "What's wrong with me?" Nothing touches the heartstrings of a parent or teacher more than seeing the left-out child. We wish there was something we could do to ensure the child will be, if not the most popular, at least included in the games on the playground.
By Judy Helm Wright6 years ago in Families
As Seen On TV
We’ve all heard the commercial... So much stuff, not enough space... It echos in my head. I hold on to things. They are my memories. Just like the pictures I take, almost every object I own have a distinct memory attached to it. Sometimes it is just the place and time it was purchased. Or who was with me when I bought it. Some things have been handed down or have been gifts. I still have this stupid little plastic “trophy” that I received in 4th grade. I came in second place in a reading contest. Everyone knew they wouldn’t beat the person who won first, but I was gonna try! I tried so hard that I even cheated. Yep! I keep a trophy I won by cheating. Well, I won second place fair and square but after I secured my place, I passed my numbers with reading the first and last chapters along with the back covers of about a hundred books. I could have read them but I had family responsibilities beyond my years. So, I hold on to this stupid plastic Monkey trophy from 4th grade that holds more memories than anyone should have guessed.
By Amanda Flynn Oster6 years ago in Families
