]]> http://planetkidonline.com/2011/04/13/smart-toys-for-smart-kids/feed/ 0 http://planetkidonline.com/2010/01/18/put-your-kids-to-bed-monday-mention/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=put-your-kids-to-bed-monday-mention http://planetkidonline.com/2010/01/18/put-your-kids-to-bed-monday-mention/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:00:11 +0000 Jacki Donaldson http://planetkidonline.com/?p=3188

There’s a writer out there named Po Bronson who wrote a book called, “NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children,” and I’m thinking I need it — you might, too. It apparently reveals some surprising mistakes good parents make, and I’m all about being a good momma who makes minimal mistakes.

Ladies Home Journal shared some of Bronson’s wisdom in the October 2009 issue — check out this good stuff: Bronson says kids nowadays are getting a whole hour less sleep per night than their parents got (think too many activities, TVs, computers in bedrooms), which really can have serious academic consequences. Seems every 15 minutes less sleep is correlated with a drop in grade point average. That means A students get 15 more minutes of sleep than B students, who get 15 more minutes than C students. A sixth-grader who is robbed of one hour’s sleep performs like a fourth-grader. Compelling, isn’t it?

Got any fixes for common parenting mistakes? Please share!

Photo: cotaro70s, Flickr

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If you have kids, then you’ve got a tough job. If caring for kiddos were your only responsibility, maybe life wouldn’t be so crazy. But you’ve probably got a job, a house, a yard, a pet, laundry, dishes, bills, a few hobbies and a bunch more on your plate. Let’s face it: You need a break.

I love breaks. I love silence, sitting at home all alone, a candle burning on my kitchen counter. I love a pedicure, walking through the mall all by myself, grocery shopping without constant requests for junk food, exercising without kids in tow. In my book, “me time” is priceless. If you’re with me, then you ought to head on over to PlanetKid where your kids can stay and play and you can simply drive away. Take an hour, or two, or three and treat yourself like a Queen (or King). The staff at PlanetKid is trained to entertain and educate, so you can rest assured, your little ones will be in capable and loving hands.

Don’t delay — plan your personal retreat right now. Download an enrollment form here and make a reservation here — or don’t make any plans at all. PlanetKid specializes in Drop-In Child Care, so you can just show up when you want to show up (hours of operation are listed here). Clearly, the last thing you need is stress when choosing care for your kids, so do as much — or as little — as you’d like. Just know PlanetKid is ready when you are.

Photo by: half alive♦ on flickr

We’re dealing with some kid challenges at our house — stuff like talking back, fighting and whining. You know the drill. And if you’re like me, you’re constantly trying to fix the problems of the day. Good news: You don’t need to.

Dr. James Dobson, founder and president of Focus on the Family and author of “Bringing Up Boys” — the book that delivered me this good news — says: “The mechanisms that set kids aflame will cool down. That’s why I recommend that you not look too quickly for the person your child will become. It’s also why I believe parents should seek to ‘just get them through it’ rather than trying to fix everything that bugs them as parents.”

I’m not sure it will make me feel any better to just let things go and wait for the tides to change. But I like how this man thinks, and he reminds me that my kids are normal. Whew.

What do you think: Is it better to find a fix for misbehavior or to just wait it out?

Want your own “Bringing Up Boys” book? Buy it here.