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Parenting

•   Searching for Baby Names
  

  There’s no right or wrong way to go about picking a name for your baby. Your friends and family are entitled to their opinions, of course, but once the little one is actually introduced into the world with whatever moniker you’ve selected, they’ll get used to the name...or attempt to give the child a nickname that they find more palatable. As you wonder where to begin with finding the right name for your child, here are a few hints to point you in the right direction.

•   Four Great Reasons to Take a Parenting Class
  

  Every parent wants their child to grow and mature in positive ways. Each family seeks to build a deep sense of connection that will continue throughout the years. Parenting classes can help. We all need a little help along the way in life. In some cases, we need focused efforts in problem solving; at times, direct intervention may be necessary. Parenting classes, offered in a variety of settings in Bellingham, are structured to meet those diverse needs.

•   The Big D: Kids and Divorce
  

  Divorce is part of our society. Many adults today endured the divorce of parents during their childhood and carry those experiences into their own families. Few of us enter marriage thinking that it will end in divorce, but this can still become a reality for many couples. With the understanding that we live in a culture of divorcing parents, we must ask how we can help children best navigate the associated complexities.

•   Helping Kids Cope with Death
  

  We live in a society that often avoids, if not denies, death. But it is a fact of life for all of us, including children. Death isn’t an easy reality for any of us. Children deserve special consideration and care when death visits. When well-supported children can avoid being overwhelmed, they can move toward growth and maturity in adulthood. How can parents best help children prepare for and deal with the reality of death?

•   Get Involved with Adoption and Foster Care
  

  When my oldest niece was about five years old, she cried to her mom, "How come I couldn't be adopted like the other kids?" At that time, there were six cousins on that side of our family; four of them had joined the family through adoption. We laughed at the story, but also found a sense of gratification in seeing our families grow in unusual ways. During National Adoption Month, consider how your family can support children in need.

•   Making Memories for Your Children
  

  Shared memories define a family. Stories that produce laughter or tug at the heart can draw families together over the years and across distances. This summer, my wife and I went on our annual camping trip to Orcas Island, and our youngest son and his family joined us for one night. It was gratifying to see how important it was to share "our" tradition with his family as they begin to build their own memories.

•   So Many Activities, Not Enough Time
  

  School is coming, bringing a radical change in schedules for most families. An optimal goal is to help your child experience a full, yet balanced life. Hobbies, sports, clubs, arts, and enrichment opportunities all add depth and vitality to a person’s life. In today’s world of multiple choices, the problem is that our kids can go at breakneck speed from one event to the next with little time for rest or reflection.

•   Tips for Back to School
  

  The first day of a new school year looms near for Bellingham Kids. Whether your child is starting kindergarten or off to high school, there are things you can do in the preceding weeks to help guarantee a strong start for your child this year. Getting the right amount of sleep, establishing a new morning routine, limiting TV and computer time, and having a positive attitude will all help prepare your child for success in the new year.

•   Preparing for Family Moving Day
  

  For obvious reasons, summer is the most popular times of the year to move, whether you’re moving to a new house across town or to a new state across the country. Not only does the warmer weather make the moving process a little easier—who wants to load furniture in and out of moving vans in rain or snow?—but it makes sense for families who want to move during the summer break from school.

•   Parental Reality Check
  

  Bob Dylan was right, as usual, when he sang, “The times, they are a changin’.” These words may have dynamic significance for parenting in today’s situation. The current economic realities may heighten the need to reassess the values and practices that guided parenting decisions and family directions in recent years. I think that there are cautions that today’s parents can take to help prepare their children for a future world that is very difficult to predict.

•   Alternative Traditions to the Tooth Fairy
  

  Losing a baby tooth is a sure sign that kids are growing up. And the most common way to celebrate this event is with a visit from the Tooth Fairy. The Tooth Fairy as we know it started making appearances in American plays, books, and cartoons in the early part of the 20th century. If you’d rather not perpetuate the myth of the Tooth Fairy in your household, check out a few alternative ways to mark this milestone in your child’s life.

•   Family Guidelines for Watching TV
  

  The kids are on a break from school. It’s raining outside. They’re tired of coloring or puzzles, and you’ve got a kitchen to clean. When you need to keep the kids distracted, it’s easy to resort to allowing an hour (or more) in front of the television. But remember: everything in moderation! If you’re trying to establish some TV-watching guidelines for your family, here are a few suggestions to keep everyone accountable.

•   Taking a Flight with the Kids
  

  If you’re a grown-up who travels often, flying on an airplane might be as commonplace as a ride on a WTA bus. But when you’re a kid, there’s still something exciting about flying. Maybe your kids are even going to take their first airplane ride this holiday season. While they might be chomping at the bit to get on the plane, you’re probably dreading the long lines and other unpredictable pitfalls of traveling by air.

•   Practical Tips to Help Kids Reach Goals
  

  In "Goal Setting: Good for the Whole Family," I presented a background to encourage parents to join with their kid(s) in using goal setting and the variety of benefits it can provide for family and individual growth. This piece will build upon that work by offering tips to remember in developing a goal setting strategy with and for your children. Some foundational questions should be addressed by each family member before creating a plan.

•   Goal Setting: Good for the Whole Family
  

  Goal setting can be an important aspect of defining a family and setting a course for growing children. Kids’ ability to develop and meet goals is important on a variety of levels. The following information will help parents clarify hopes and expectations related to goal setting with kids. Before jumping into the activity of goal setting with your kid(s), reflect on the following foundational supports.

•   Helping Kids in Changing Economic Times
  

  The daily news of high gas prices, lay-offs, unstable housing markets and other factors continue to remind us that we are in new economic territory. Beyond these big scale shifts, many families deal with illness, death and divorce in personal ways that can drastically alter family life style. These changes impact everybody, including children. How does a family deal with financial shifts and in some cases crises?

•   Protecting Your Child's Safety on the 'Net
  

  If you’re reading the words on this website, you’re obviously an Internet-savvy adult. And depending on their age, your kids might also be well-versed in surfing the web. The Internet provides some great resources for kids, but there are potential risks that come with letting your child go online too. Before letting them log on, here are some precautions to take to keep your child safe when using the Internet.

•   Wedding Etiquette for Kids (And Adults)
  

  A wedding is a special day for two people to declare their love in front of their friends and family, and to celebrate that love with a big party. Children can be a fun part of weddings, but there are a lot of points to consider, both for the Happy Couple and for parents. In honor of wedding season, here are some tips to think about when including kids in wedding festivities.

•   Building Lifelong Relationships
  

  Our two sons are now in their mid-twenties and settling into their adult lives. We find ourselves enjoying the new adventures of grandparenting. We are finding great joy in walking alongside our sons during this new life phase. Even when they were children, one of our long-term parenting goals was to establish and enjoy healthy and lifelong relationships with our sons that would continue in their adulthood.

•   Tips for Taking Your Kids to Shows
  

  On the list of reasons why Bellingham is a great place to raise a family, I place exposure to the arts toward the top. Not only are there some great local programs that can get kids involved in theatre and music, but there are also plenty of theatres and venues which showcase the performing arts. But before buying your tickets, here are some things to be prepared for when you start taking your kids to shows.

•   Answering the Tough Questions
  

  My 7 year old grandson always seems to save the tough questions for me when no one else is around to help. It’s great to know that our grandchildren are comfortable asking us about anything, but before answering, we like to make sure that our responses are acceptable to their parents, our children. If you spend time alone with your grandchild, consider having a heart-to-heart with your child to find out how they'd like you to handle the tough questions.

•   What Every Child Needs
  

  “What is it my child really needs?” Parents might ask themselves this question on a daily basis. Above all else, children need provisions that money can’t buy. The time, attention, and efforts you devote to your child are priceless and can have a tremendous impact on their emotional well-being. Jim Schmotzer offers a list of the most important gifts parents can give a child to help them develop into a mature and loving adult.

•   Reducing the Stress of Sibling Rivalry
  

  All it takes to establish sibling rivalry is to have more than one child. Almost every child wants to feel special, be first, get the most and generally have their own way. The tension this creates can lead to harsh words, attempts at one-up-man-ship, arguments and, in some situations, physical fighting, leaving most parents desperately seeking a "cease-fire" on the home front. To ease some of this sibling drama, I suggest a tool that can help parents in the quest for family peace.

•   Eight Rules for Safety
  

  Some safety rules that the Bellingham Police Department recommends sharing with your children.

•   Help Your Child to Give During the Holiday Season
  

  Have you found yourself sitting by the tree Christmas morning, watching your child tear through their mountain of gifts, and you hear them say “What! That’s it?” I have and it made me squirm in my slippers. As a parent I want to teach my children the important lessons of life: treating people with respect, sticking up for the underdog, wearing clean underwear and, in this case, being gracious when given a gift.

•   Finding (and Keeping) a Babysitter
  

  There are lots of different reasons to need a babysitter, for various lengths of time and hours per week. As seasoned in-home babysitter, I’m happy to give you a few tips on where to find and how to keep the right babysitter for your kids.

•   Meeting Friends With Babies In Bellingham
  

  It’s like buying a new car and suddenly seeing the same make and model at every traffic light. Being a new mom in Bellingham means abruptly realizing that this place is lousy with babies. Before my pregnancy, I categorized our fair city primarily as a mecca for sporty twenty- and thirty-somethings who rode their bikes to bars and bought hipster shirts at Goodwill.