http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/child-education.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/child-education.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Like everything else in life, child education is a tightrope walk between strictness and letting loose. Drifting off either way causes more problems than it solves. But of course what sounds clear and obvious in theory is much harder to actually apply practically.

The suggestions here are no rules to follow, they're mere guidelines and should animate own thoughts and ideas. After all, it's up to you what you think is best.

1. Discipline

During the first six month of its life, a baby won't yet be able to understand the connection between "bad behaviour" and punishment. What it really needs during that time is care and loving, to tighten the emotional bounds to its parents.

Nevertheless, even a baby that small is fully capable of repeating actions that lead to a pleasant result. So if any sob makes you appear immediately on the cradle, you'll find that you have a miniature dictator soon who keeps you up and running with joy.

Between seven and fourteen months, children normally start testing their limits. This results from a growth in both mobility and stubbornness, so what's being put on test are the parents' patience with keeping their little ones from exploring, often eating and probably destroying the reachable parts of the household and for how long they can get away with it.

Babies at that age start challenging their parents by stubborn disobedience, but that should not lead to punishment. Be firm and persistent in telling and showing them what they're not supposed to do, but don't be rude or harsh. Their concentration usually doesn't last, so distraction is a great weapon. They still need a lot of love, and your reward will be a happy time with a sometimes annoying, but mostly very cute baby.

Going towards an age of two years, the obstinacy takes often a negative direction: "No" is the preferred answer to all "propositions" ranging from eating and choice of toys to taking a bath and going to sleep.

Discipline can become considerably harder to apply, but is vital to steer the course of your child's further development. It has to learn that the authority and decision is with the parents. Still, love and forgiveness is of even importance. Especially the father's role as an authority for the child and support for his wife can make this period a lot easier.

With increasing mobility, skill and curiosity a child between two and three years can keep its mother constantly busy, taking every moment of silence as an indication of a new disaster involving eating things, messing around with things and getting stuck in things.

This can really add to the load of stress parents already have, and the explosive emotional or even physical reaction might ease the moment, but on the long term increases the problem. So be as relaxed as possible and make sure you've got all valuable pieces of household equipment properly secured. When children receive a bump or scratch that's no drama - turning it into one will just make you and your child over-freightened in the future. Still, with all calmness, don't miss to tell your child when it did wrong and discipline when it's overdoing it.

In the following years, the focus of education should be on the child's character and attitudes. The influence of trends, friends and media is strong, and the temptation to try new things is high. At the same time, the control parents have over their children's activities is reduced, and especially when it comes to trends parents often lack understanding for the things that are "in".

So even though your child becomes more independent, it's important that you have time together and show interest in its experiences, interests and problems. Offer to talk about things, but don't urge. Show understanding and always be there as someone your child can talk to without fear - remember the days when you were in that age, and your feelings at that time.

And, most important: Be a paradigm to your child. You cannot expect it to do something you don't have the power or courage to do yourself. Respect is nothing that can be taught, but has to be earned, even by parents.

2. Rules of thumb

- Be just!
Don't expect your child to behave according to rules you haven't set. Especially young children often can't distinguish between right and wrong. So even if something is clearly a stupid idea for you, it might seem a brilliant one to it.

- Be firm!
If you give in to your child's defiant reaction, maybe because you're just tired of the whole thing, you lose much more than that fight. You give away authority and respect.

- Forgive!
After a confrontation is settled, reassure your child of your love and show that you're not resentful.

- Don't ask for the impossible!
No matter what your means of education are like, you can't expect a child to behave like an adult. Children sometimes behave irresponsibly - that's built-in.

- Don't forget the love!
In the end, no matter how much trouble you might have with each other, don't forget to show that you love your child. And when it comes to decide how to educate, how to reward and how to discipline, listen to your heart what's the right thing to do.

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some interesting family related articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/violence-in-media.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/violence-in-media.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Now asking ourselves where this behaviour is originated, we quickly come to media as a scapegoat: TV violence, computer games and the Internet. Often we lack overview of what our children experience while dealing with these influences.

And there lies the root problem. Various scientist groups have tried to prove the influence of visual violence on children's behaviour. There has been proof and counter-proof - so what we can conclude from this is that the connection between observed violence and violent behaviour depends on more circumstances than can be applied in a experimental environment. (links)

An observation that we can make ourselves is that children tend to imitate behaviour. Aside from what's experienced in media, they're influenced by their parents, their friends and idols.

If we are realistic, we have to admit that as soon as our children start going to school, we lose overview on their experiences and are often astonished or shocked about the new ideas they're coming up with. Now here comes the parent's part. The fact that our children are going to school doesn't mean they're grown-up and their character is stabilized. Trend and group force are strong against the learned attitudes and behaviour patterns from childhood, so we need to stay in touch with our children and try to understand what's on their minds.

It's far too easy to say that a child's violent behaviour is caused by media. That's only an excuse, because this way parents don't have to blame themselves for neglecting their duty of education.

For sure there is a negative influence of visually explicit violence to a child's mind. But what influence it is, if our child is considering it "cool", following possibly their friends' attitude towards it, or if it's scared or even repelled, that's up to us to teach. Parents have to guide their children with their experiences, and that includes violence, no matter where experienced.

So take your time to share the experience, show real interest and add your opinion. Avoid prohibition as much as possible, because that will just make it much more interesting. For example, if you ban your child from seeing a popular, violent cartoon series, it will probably see it anyway - with a friend or when you're not there. But with simply banning it, you stripped yourself of the chance to influence the conclusions your child will draw - surely it won't consult you afterwards regarding the forbidden.

And, as with all other things, be a paradigm - if you present verbal or even physical violence in your family, then you don't have to be surprised if your child copies that behaviour.

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some interesting health related articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/building-your-parenting-self-confidence.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/building-your-parenting-self-confidence.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
- "self assurance" describes mostly the behaviour. Counterparts are insecure behaviour or shyness.

- "self confidence" is the mental and emotional state that causes the outer appearance.

- "charisma" is the effect that those have on others.

Self confidence doesn't mean being perfect or presenting oneself in a perfect way, but realizing and accepting own strengths and weaknesses, using strengths to reach aims and considering weaknesses as challenges, not insurmountable limits.

It can be observed that some children are by nature more actively exploring their environment than others. So possibly self confidence has a genetic foundation.

Still, all experiences that include social interaction, with parents, relatives, friends and classmates, influence the development of self esteem. Appreciation has a positive, rejection a negative effect. But unfortunately, it's not that easy.

False or fake appreciation can often be observed with parents and relatives. For example the adoration of even the smallest output of infant creativity, like crude drawings, and other approvals of a child's intelligence and appearance can lead to a situation of over-confidence. Undeserved rejection, on the other hand, like punishing or disregarding a child out of an own bad mood, will confuse it and create insecurity.

Over-confidence, or the belief in own abilities and performance that are not real, can lead to arrogance. This can either turn into insecurity, if the person later realizes the truth, or it turns into an inconsiderate behaviour, which also isn't making life easier. Insecurity or shyness are very common burdens and they tend to create a lot of problems. Aside from lacking social and personal success, the constant fear of the own inferiority creates barriers that are hard to overcome.

So what's the secret of how to give a child a healthy self-confidence?

- Be realistic with appreciation. If you feel you should commend your child for something, consider what would be the ability at its age and then evaluate the outcome. If it deserves appreciation, give it. If you have the feeling that your child is putting to much effort in getting your attention, try to get it back down to reality carefully. Love and appreciation shouldn't be goods that can be bought.

- Don't criticize or reject your child out of a bad mood. If you come home after a stressful day and your kid comes up with a picture, show some interest - it might mean a lot more to it than you think.

- Keep an eye on the influence your child is receiving from its friends. But if you have a bad feeling, try to talk to your child before you call the offender's parents and ask for a restraining order.

- Don't do things for your child if it's afraid of something. It might be hard sometimes, but how should it learn to be independent if it can always hide behind its parents? Later on, it will lack the confidence that comes from the experience of having to do things on its own.

- Always be there to give advice if required. There's a whole new world of complex social systems out there, and it's easy to get lost. Remember when you were a child probably you can learn a lot from that.

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some interesting travel related articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/marriage/compatibility-in-a-relationship.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/marriage/compatibility-in-a-relationship.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Two people meet, they fall in love - that happens, in a multitude of different ways, thousands of times all over the world. Then, if they're lucky and everything goes well, they decide that since they love each other so much, they want to stay together and share a home.

Now, for married as well as unmarried couples, they have to adjust to a new situation: Every-day-life decisions depend on two people's opinions, preferences and wishes instead of one before.

In single life, one's the only instance of decision on what party to go to, when to clean the place, what to wear, what to eat and where to go on holiday. For a divorced person, especially with children, a lot of responsibilities are added. A single parent has to be mother, father and breadwinner, has to take care of education, the children's need for love and all other problems occurring. These responsibilities, if mastered, as well as the comparably easy life of a single person, bring a lot of independence.

And this independence, being an advantage in the situations described above, can turn into a problem when it comes to living together. Suddenly, decisions need to be agreed upon by both parties, and compromises have to be made. Especially in the first time of living together, those incompatibilities can lead to the actions described above.

In the adjustment period, both need to be aware of those possible dangers and respect each other's difficulties in getting along with the new situation. Otherwise, the feeling of love and closeness that originated the wish to live together is bit by bit replaced with a feeling of rejection.

The natural reaction on being criticized, misunderstood or in any other way "attacked" is to defend oneself. If you're used to make decisions alone, without considering another, maybe diverging opinion, you might feel attacked when your partner doesn't share your line of thoughts or wishes. The worst, but unfortunately most common, because instinctively made, reaction is to "fight back".

For example: You want to go to a party. Your partner wants to go out for dinner. So your initial feeling is being "attacked": Why does your partner reject your proposal, what's wrong with it? So the instinctive reaction, from a feeling of frustration and defiance, is to "fight back": A sharp remark, pointed at the partner's proposal and aimed to hurt, seems to be the appropriate reply.

Even if no further fight is following that situation, the feeling remains and the bond between you is weakened. Now, no one would break up because of such a little fight. But it's damaging the bond between you, even just a little bit. And maybe in some years, when responsibilities like an own house and children tie you together, you'll find that the constant damage of these little incompatibilities have left you wondering what made you being together in the first place.

The hideous about this process is that it works so slowly. Human beings have an astonishing ability to get used to situations and, no matter how bad things might actually be, accept them sooner or later as normal. So out of pure habit, we tolerate the incompatibilities we have to build a wall between us instead of stopping, sitting down and sorting things out. When some years of low-level fighting (not bad enough to make you break up, but bad enough to slowly poison your relationship) have passed, it's nearly impossible to fix the damage done and to erase the barriers that have hardened over the time.

In order to avoid a situation where the only alternatives are professional advice or divorce, some guidelines can help keeping things from going that far to the bad side.

Control yourself. By observing your reactions and the resulting tension between you and your partner, you'll be able to easily isolate the kind of feeling that makes you react sharp and hurting. So once you know where your weakness lies, keep yourself from reacting immediately upon those triggers. Think twice, and consider if your ego (nothing else you're pleasing with a sharp reply) is worth hurting your beloved one. In most situations, a second of silence is enough to make you regret the answer you would have given. Don't get it wrong, it doesn't mean you always have to step back. There are situations when a confrontation is necessary - you just have to learn how to distinguish them.

Reflect on your words. Imagine the same situation, just with exchanged roles. Of course, you have to be so fair to admit if you would be hurt in your partner's place. Now that you imagined the impact your reaction would have on yourself, think twice again if it's worth it.

Stay cool. The worst things are said and done in anger. If you focus on what you want to achieve, there is mostly a better way than a violent verbal or even physical reaction. Or do you really think that your partner would give in to you shouting, and even be happy with that?

Be ready to share responsibility. Especially for single parents, it's difficult to get used to trusting someone else again. But without trust, your relationship won't last.

Be realistic. When you move together with another person, that means that your way of life will radically change. Your indepence will be replaced by interdependence: You'll be less on your own, but mostly with our partner. You'll spend less time with our friends and more time together. In result, you'll have to compromise on what you're going to do with your time - the more your interests diverge, the tougher it'll be to find acceptable compromises.

Consider this carefully, and if you think that you're not ready for it, tell your partner - before it's too late.

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some useful beauty & fashion articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/going-out-to-a-restaurant-with-kids.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/going-out-to-a-restaurant-with-kids.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
The root problem here is again boredom. So before you decide to eat out, observe your child's mood. If it's having a bad day and is getting on your nerves already, better cancel the whole thing. It wouldn't be worth it anyway.

Consider an expedition to the jungles of Africa. Would you go with just picking your jacket and car keys? This is something similar, going out with kids requires preparation.

Bringing toys is generally a good idea. Some "family-friendly" restaurants supply toys, but you don't know what they've been through already, so having your own stuff gives you some of a security if you're very concerned with hygiene.

Since the "playground" in a restaurant is rather limited, avoid bringing toys that require mobility, like remote-controlled cars or balls. Coloring books, crayons and paper, story books or dolls / action figures can also be used while seated. But be careful with pencils and especially crayons, they require a certain amount of observation, otherwise you end up with eaten painting equipment and modern art on the white tablecloth.

It can also be a good idea to buy some cheap toys and prepare a "surprise bag". That will keep the child excited - they learn the connection between "restaurant" and "new toys" astonishingly quickly. And you can connect the gift with some blackmailing if you threaten to withhold the bag in case of bad behaviour.

Going to a restaurant should be something special. Making it an event for both you and your child keeps the latter excited and interested. So also don't insist too much when older children show resistance to go out. If they absolutely don't want to, don't force them. That'll spare you some nasty experiences.

If it's not McDonald's where you're going, make sure to have a table reserved. Especially on crowded days it's a good idea to be early so you don't have to wait for your food too long.

In case your child is choosy with food, better bring some of his/her favourite so you can provide at least a snack if the ordered meal is not accepted. Whatever comes, as much as possible make it a joyful experience. A spilled water or some scattered food won't hurt anyone, so take it easy. It's just a kid!

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some interesting family related articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/vacations/saving-money-on-a-holiday.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/vacations/saving-money-on-a-holiday.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Fortunately, there are a lot of family-friendly offers that help keeping things in budget. Still, there are some aspects where you can cut on costs.

An expense that is often not recognized is the food. When on holiday, you often either lack the opportunity to cook or you're not in the mood to continue that annoying household routine. Dining out is fine and surely an essential part of the recreation - after all, you want to enjoy your stay. But that doesn't mean that every little snack has to be bought ready-made somewhere. If you can't bring food, maybe because you're going by plane and your luggage weight is limited, it might pay to look for a supermarket at your destination. And a sandwich, for example, does well as a replacement for a whole round of hot dogs as an afternoon snack.

If you're staying in a hotel, you can try and ask at the reception if they can empty the minibar at your rooms. Anyway, you should definitely avoid touching something in there, as the price is normally astronomic. And this way, you can make use of it as a fridge to keep some supplies there.

When you're booking the trip and you're not too fixed on a certain location that you want to go to, you can consider going to a travelling agent. Make a budget limit, and ask them what they can do with it. You might also want to check out several agents so you can choose the best offer. Instead of going to a hotel, renting a holiday house can be seriously cheaper. If you have a befriended family, maybe even with kids, too, then you can think about sharing a larger house. The atmosphere is more personal than in a hotel, and mostly you'll find a cooking site - if you don't mind gastronomical activities during your free time. If your family is insisting on a hotel, tell them what nice things you can do on your trip with all the money saved.

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some interesting travel related articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/society/marriage/couple-relationship.html http://www.articletrader.com/society/marriage/couple-relationship.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Surely one reason is the more liberated attitude towards marriage and divorce in our modern society. But there must be different reasons why couples are not getting along in the first place - before divorce becomes an option.

In most cases, it all starts with two people who are madly in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together. Often (here goes liberation again) they've been living together for a while, and they passed already the initial conflicts that arise from two people who suddenly share a living space.

And there lies already the first possible brick in the wall that will divide them later on. By tendency, men are untidier than women. Unwashed dishes are not really a problem, so are unwashed clothes. And since the friends don't really mind those things either, a rather sketchy clearance will do before receiving visitors.

Again by tendency, women prefer things to be clean, tidy and organized. The reputation is altered by the apartment's or house's state of cleanliness when it comes to visitors, so untidy husbands can be a real nuisance. Especially, when they refuse to share the work-to-be-done in the household or even disregard it.

Behind this are two aspects. First, male role behaviour (you might go as far to say, arrogance): I am a man, I will not do housework. Second, many men simply don't give so much importance to those things. That may be influenced by the time spent at home - even though many women are working, they gradually spend more time at home than men, especially if there are children to be taken care of. So of course, the sensitivity towards unwashed socks is higher.

Still, sometimes the degree of female sensitivity on untidyness can reach annoying levels if it's exaggerated. Nagging behaviour and a constant avalanche of complaints, especially about small and objectively unimportant issues, create a stressed atmosphere and can lead to relationship-damaging and most of all unnecessary arguments.

Conclusion: Guys, be more thoughtful with household chores. Try to get used to helping maintain a certain state of cleanliness� it's not that hard. And girls, don't also be over-sensitive with your partner's domestic imperfection.

Transferring from easy-going single life to married life will raise a lot of responsibilities that have quite some influence on the way of living. Before, there was only one person to negotiate the course of action with - oneself. Now, two opinions have to be heared and compromises have to be made. That can be quite tough, especially when the respective interests are far from each other. Decisions range from the kind of new car to buy (sporty vs. station wagon), the place to visit on holiday (beach vs. culture) to small things like the color of the necktie.

Depending on who's dominant in the marriage, one partner will feel overruled. Or there will be a constant source of arguments if both won't give in. Either way, it leads to a bad mood and a strained relationship.

Conclusion: Don't just show, but really take interest in what your partner really likes doing. Be open-minded, and overcome social role patterns. Maybe you'll find more common interests among each other. On the other side, be fair if your partner really doesn't like something. Offer deals (Icehockey against classic concert), or make compromises. Get used to the thought that marriage will cost you a lot of your personal freedom. Preferrably, get used to that thought BEFORE you decide to get married.

Now you were really enjoying the time together, and it could go on like this for years and suddenly (well, not that suddenly, but sometimes rather unexpected), there are three of you there. Children can have a serious impact on the plans you made for the next years. Commonly, men are completely and blissfully ignorant when it comes to dealing with babies. This is surely based in social role patterns - and maybe many are just lacking the talent. So the mother often gets stuck with the work. Full-time job might not be an option for a while, so it requires a healthy self-confidence to accept the lack of personal acknowlegdement through working success.

But there is also the other side of the medal: In the case of working couples, the husband's responsibility is increased regarding the family's financial situation. Career decisions and risks are not easily taken anymore, and the budget is usually tighter with a third mouth to feed. At that point, nagging about money and arguments about long working hours can cause the husband to develop a feeling of estrangement towards his family out of the anger from lack of understanding.

Since this can be a volcanic source of arguments, better make sure you realize the work that's coming up to you before having a child. Guys, be helpful. Don't come home after a stressy working day and expect to relax. Depending on the number and temperament of your offspring, your wife probably had an even more stressy day. Help her out where possible - if you can't go with children, at least take over some of the household stuff. Dishes are easier to wash than babies, and they don't fight back. Girls, show understanding if your husband, though trying hard, has got difficulties when it comes to such profane things like changing diapers. They probably didn't have practice with their little siblings when they were young, and they didn't share a similar affection towards dolls.

Arguments cannot be avoided. Still, try to maintain a civilized way of dealing with each other. It's better to swallow your pride and a sharp reply than hurting your partner's feelings. Be open to criticism. That's the hardest part of all, but what do you expect when you share your intimate life with someone? Fight the first impulse to defend yourself when criticized and keep your mouth shut. Admit your mistakes. And avoid being resentful. You won't like it being done to you either.

Two partners should be equal in marriage, so no one will rule over the other. That means a lot of compromises and probably a reduction of former pleasant spare-time activities. Be prepared for that, and keep in mind that what might be great fun for you is a waste of time for your partner.

Remind yourself of the love you feel for each other, and show it. There's no law against being sweet even if you've been married for some years. And if you're having a hard time, clear your mind, and remember why in the first place you got married.

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some interesting health related articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/road-trip-with-kids.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/road-trip-with-kids.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
So again, the key here is entertainment. It's more difficult because you have a very limited space in your car and often a very long time to go.

The "surprise bags" described above do a good job also here. In case of a long ride, you can prepare several smaller bags and scatter them in intervals of several hours, thus keeping the excitement going. Be careful with loose plastic boxes and toys, though, they can become missiles heading forward in case of an accident.

Why are kids asking the "How-long?" - question? Well, first of all, because they're bored and annoyed. But it's also hard for children to understand a distance of 500 miles or a period of 10 hours. So when you're planning your trip, just make a simple map for your children, displaying your home, the target and important points in between. Add some pencils or crayons and point out when you're passing the marking points. This way, your kids have an overview of where you are and adding drawings will keep them busy. Later on, you can put the maps in your holiday album for souvenir. Keep in mind to make a map for each child.

If your child doesn't mind sleeping in the car, you can consider travelling during the night. That can buy you some peace during the ride, at the cost that you're tired when you arrive at your destination. If you have a spaciuos car, like a van, you can use some pillows and blankets to turn it into a cozy place.

Entertainment electronics can make your trip a lot easier. A game boy can keep a child occupied for a very long time, and you can even get a small, portable tv / vcr combination for a reasonable price. You can bring your kids' favourite videos and they'll probably be fine for the entire trip. When it comes to music, you should consider that you'll have to listen to it also, so make sure you can stand the constant repetition of child songs. Otherwise, a walkman might do the job.

A major problem with playing in the car is the very limited space. Toys easily fall down and slide under seats, so you have to stop in order to pick it up again. A tray like the ones used in fast-food-restaurants may help there: it supplies a solid, even surface that can be used as a foundation for eating or as a playground. Childrens' imagination is still vivid, so a plain plastic tray can turn easily into a setting for the favourite action hero's next adventure. If you have a family, you should get rid of the idea of having a car to impress and rather trade it for something spacious and comfortable. It might be hard at first, but later on you'll be thankful for the extra space that helps getting through even a long trip without too much disturbance.

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some useful beauty & fashion articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/plane-trip-with-kids.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/parenting/plane-trip-with-kids.html Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
The big difference towards a car is that when you're on a plane, you can't just stop and let your children run around a bit, and you even have to share it with a lot of other people (who probably want to have a rest). So how to keep the little ones calm?

Entertainment electronics cut in again. Modern airlines provide a small tv in the back of the seat even for economy class, or at least one hanging from the ceiling, which might be difficult for your kids to see if they're not sitting on the corridor side. If you don't have that kind of luxury, a camcorder with headphones will do the trick. Modern camcorders have a little flatscreen, so you can use it as a mobile tv/vcr combination. For older children, a laptop with a DVD-player can do the job as well. But keep in mind to charge the batteries before!

Airplane food is generally not very tasty. The free drinks, though, are acceptable, and if you're in with a baby or toddler, the cabin crew will surely help you warming up some milk. Still, you should bring some snacks in case your kid's don't like the food.

Even for adults, the pain in the ear from the pressurizing during liftoff and landing can be quite annoying, so how much more for children. If they're too young for chewing gum, a drink (best with a straw) also helps.

Be careful with your choice of toys. The playground size is very limited, and things easily get lost under the seat, or worse, under someone else's seat. You normally have a tray built in there, so you can set it as a limit. The temperature in airplanes tends to be slightly too cold, especially when your flight is ongoing for some time already and you haven't moved much. So it's useful to dress your kids in layers, that makes it easier to adjust. For yourself, avoid white clothes and have a spare shirt in your handluggage when you're dealing with babies.

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Brigitte Meier is an occassional author for E-nterests.com. Find some interesting family related articles here too.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>