Because
You Love Her...
•
Provide
her with a tobacco-free environment. You'll be sparing her the agony of ear and
chest infections in the least.
•
Keep
her safe on the move. A smaller child must be placed in a car seat in the back,
and kids must NEVER be allowed in the front seat - their bodies are too small to
be properly restrained by adult seatbelts and their low body weights propel them
headlong into the windscreen in times of collision.
•
Get
her a pet. Pets like cats and dogs are thought to reduce the incidence of
allergies, and teach caring skills. Can't manage the upkeep? Fish are easier to
look after, but make sure she is involved in all the chores she can reasonably
manage.
•
Get
involved with her school. Ask every evening about what happened at school. Make
sure you attend PTA meetings. Volunteer with class activities at least once each
term. Be around at homework time. Your child needs to see that you are
interested in (not obsessed with!) her education.
•
Place
a picture of her in a pretty frame on your desk at work, and on your bedside
table and let her see how important she is to you.
•
Make
sure her immunisation schedule is up to date. Be smart - ask your paediatrician
if he can have another doc administer injections; that way she won't mind going
to see her fave doc.
•
Give
her breakfast - kids need a morning meal to help concentration and
stamina.
•
Make
fitness rather than weight control a priority.
•
Eat
as a family - immensely useful in building up her self esteem and encouraging
her to eat healthily; greatly deterrent to her being tempted to take drugs, and
get into undesirable peer groups...
•
Childproof
your home. Look out for sharp and blind corners and poisonous cleaning agents,
and of course, make sure all medication is out of reach of little
hands.
•
Have
a first-aid box at the ready - with non-stingy medicines, of
course.
•
Stock
your fridge with flavoured milks and yoghurt rather than sodas. A new study
published in the 'Journal of Adolescent Health' shows a positive effect on
children's diets when kids choose flavoured milks and yoghurts instead of sodas
and sweetened drinks.
•
Involve
her in menu planning and food preparation - an easy-peasy way to get her to eat
healthy.
•
Pack
her a healthy lunch box. Make sure the food is easy to eat, presented
attractively, and enticing enough not to be exchanged for something less
healthy. Provide liquids too, but not aerated drinks.
•
Ask
open-ended questions to help foster creativity. Says Alice Sterling Honig,
Professor Emerita of Child and Family Studies at the College of Human Services
and Health Professions, Syracuse University, "Socratic questions encourage
children's creative thinking in solving problems - not just physical problems,
but also social and artistic problems.''
•
Supervise
Internet usage. Porn is not the only thing to be concerned about - also be on
the lookout for online paedophilic solicitation and racial connotations that
your child may be inadvertently exposed to.
•
Build
up a library of kids' movies for her; and schedule movie nights - perhaps on
Fridays - with the works: Popcorn, smoothies and darkened room. She will love
the fact that the programme is centred around her.
•
Get
her moving; help her rediscover the romance of a long ramble on a sunny morning
- through quaint streets, parks, even window-shopping will do at a
cinch.
•
Try
yoga. Many yoga institutes have classes to introduce kids early to this age-old
science. It's an easy way to ease childhood flatulence and growing
pains.
•
Make
sure she gets enough sleep. Lack of sleep impacts concentration, social skills
and happiness. Children need between eight to 12 hours of sleep every
night.
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