GenParenting

Parenting resources for all who love and care for children

Author: Joyce Iwasaki, Early Parenting

Culturally Diverse Parenting

Culturally Diverse Parenting

Amy and Joe are madly in love with their baby daughter. They are full of dreams and aspirations for their daughter who they plan to raise in a traditional, two parent household. Joe is a 5th generation Californian with ancestors from Ireland and Germany. Amy is a third generation Japanese-American. Amy and Joe want their little girl to appreciate both of their cultures.  Raising their daughter to enjoy a rich cross-cultural heritage can be enhanced when considering the following: [Read more…]

Do You Align Your Parenting Skills with Your Partner and Caregivers?

Do You Align Your Parenting Skills with Your Partner and Caregivers?

Whenever there are conflicts, parents, the extended family, and caregivers must agree to work together for positive resolutions. This can be difficult when different parenting skills and beliefs exist. It is important for parents to agree that they are on the same team. They must examine their beliefs, values, and strategies on how they want to respond to their children’s needs. Additionally, they must share their parenting strategies and expectations with the extended family members and caregivers to ensure that the parenting of their children is as consistent as possible. [Read more…]

Family Members Must Accommodate for a Special Needs Child

Family Members Must Accommodate for a Special Needs Child

Most parents, who have children with special needs, struggle with how to respond to the other children in their family. Some parents overly accommodate for the special needs child and ignore the needs of their other children. Other parents reward the other siblings by indulging in their material needs because they do not have time for quality activities. Typically, when parents cannot find the time to care for all of their children, the other children may respond by:

  • Acting out aggressively with anger and frustration
  • Shutting down and hiding their emotions
  • Becoming overly kind and not taking care of their own personal needs

[Read more…]

How to Reduce Bullying at School

How to Reduce Bullying at School

Each day our children are exposed to incidents of teasing, criticizing, and belittling. How children respond to these subtle, but destructive statements, can make a huge difference in their daily experiences at school. For example, one child may tease another at lunch about what he is eating. It may be that the child has food allergies and cannot eat certain foods. In another situation, a child may be eating foods that are unique to a culture. Regardless of the reason, children must learn to respect the individual differences of their classmates. Most schools focus on teaching children how to get along with others. Many schools grade children on their behavior with their classmates and their teacher. In California, schools have established strict guidelines on how students are to report bullying incidents to their teacher and school personnel. [Read more…]

Preschoolers and Natural Disasters

Preschoolers and Natural Disasters

California and several other states have struggled with significant natural disasters during the last two months. Preschoolers can become very fearful when hearing about these disasters. A parents’ responsibility to preschoolers is to assure them that their parents are going to work towards keeping them safe and secure. Parents in the midst of disasters typically try to reassure their children and move them to safety. Ideally, parents can provide their children with daily routines that establish a secure and stable environment.

Help Others

During and after disasters, parents can help their preschoolers learn how to support others less fortunate. Strategies parents can use to help their preschoolers give back to others include:

  1. Children can give their extra toys, clothes, and art supplies to a collection bin for survivors who have lost everything.
  2. Children can learn how to collect for a cause when trick or treating or as part of a Thanksgiving Drive.
  3. Preschoolers can attend a service day at a local school where students organize supplies for families who have lost basic needs.
  4. Preschoolers can meet families who have lost their homes by sharing a meal in their home or a picnic in the park with a new friend.
  5. If a family has an extra vacation home or space on their property, they can offer that home or space as a respite to a family in need.
  6. If a family lives between two houses, one house can be rented cheaply to a family who has lost their home.
  7. Your child’s preschool or church can sponsor a fundraising event to buy new backpacks filled with school supplies, craft projects, and gift cards for necessities that can be given to the school’s children who have lost their homes.
  8. Schools can highlight the culture of giving by organizing culturally sensitive assemblies with local agencies and churches. The preschoolers can participate by helping with the distribution of donated gifts to the school’s families in need.
  9. The children can create cards and write messages of appreciation and gratitude to families receiving gifts and the first responders.
  10. Preschoolers can increase their empathy for each other by teaching them how to help a child that has fallen off a swing or hurts himself while playing on the playground.

[Read more…]