Parent involvement begins at home. Here are some ways to strengthen family life and help your children be more successful in school.

• Eat together as a family whenever possible. A Reader’s Digest survey showed that children whose families eat together at least four times a week score higher on academic tests than student whose families eat together less often.
  
• Play board games that build learning skills and are fun as well. For example, Scrabble, Clue, and Monopoly improve vocabulary, concentration, math, and strategy skills. Children need these skills for school.
  
• Schedule a family reading time to strengthen reading, writing, and speaking skills. You can be in separate rooms or in the same room. Whether you read silently or aloud, it’s a fact that reading improves achievement.
  
• Limit the amount of time your children watch TV. Encourage them to choose programs ahead of time so you can approve their selections. Then they can plan their schedules to include both homework and TV. Select quality programs to watch together as a family, and talk about them afterward.
  
• Talk with your children about everything under the sun. They’ll appreciate the attention, and your conversations will help strengthen their language skills.
  
• Listen to what your children say, try to answer their questions and encourage them to share their ideas and feelings~without judging their thoughts.
  Set reasonable limits. Your children will be more likely to accept limits at school if they have limits.
  
• Spend an hour or two each week enjoying a family outing. Try a nature walk or trips to the zoo, museum, or library. Involve the family in helping the environment by picking up cans.

Why Do Babies Cry?

A newborn (birth to 6 months) cries to let you know he needs something. He/she does not cry to bug you. He/she is too young to be bad on purpose.

Things to check with a crying baby:

• Check the diaper. It may be wet.
• Check for diaper rash or any open diaper pin.
• Feed him/her, if he/she is hungry.
• Feel his/her skin to see if he/she is too hot or too cold. If so, change his/her clothes. He/she may be over-or underdressed.
• Check to see if he/she is teething.
• Check for bites from insects or pets. Talk to a doctor or nurse. Allergies or an illness can make a bay cry.

Actions to soothe the baby:

• Burp him/her.
• Rock him/her.
• Wash his/her face with a cool cloth.
• Run a fan or play soft music.
• Sing to him/her.

Tips for you:

• Sometimes a caregiver or parents get upset with a crying baby.
• Try to relax. Try to stay patient.
• Call and talk to a friend, relative, or neighbor.
• Ask someone you trust to watch the baby so you can get away for a while.
• If someone is not available, put the baby safely in his/her crib.

Step By Step

• When you talk to your baby and coo back to him/her, the two of you are playing his/her first listening game. In this way, the baby builds a repertoire of sounds that eventually becomes language.
• To get a toddler to listen to you, address him/her by name and talk about things that interest him/her.
• By age two, your child will probably be picking up language at a great rate. Talking and listening now become important to negotiating new social experiences.

Scholastic Parent & Child ~ October 1998

Ten Ways To Be a Better Dad

1. Respect your children’s mother.
   A father and mother who respect each other, and let their children know it, provide a secure environment for their child(ren).
   
2. Spend time with your children.
   Treasuring children often means sacrificing. There is no greater love than a father giving of himself sacrificially for the betterment of his children.
   
3. Earn the right to be heard.
   Talk about anything, as often as possible. Show your children that you are interested in their ideas, their views and their issues. Children want to be led, but fathers must first earn the right to lead them.
   
4. Discipline with a gentle spirit.
   All children need discipline, not as a punishment, but as a way to correct wrongdoing and develop character in them. Fathers should be calm and judicious, not hard-nosed or harsh.
   
5. Be a role model.
   A girl who spends time with her father when she is young will grow up knowing how she should be treated and what she should expect from boys when she is older. A father can best teach his son the value of self-restraint and hard work. Modeling, being a living example, is worth more to your children than anything you could ever tell them.
   
6. Be a teacher.
   The responsibility for teaching children rests primarily with parent. A father who teaches his children about why things are right and wrong, and encourages them to strive for excellence, is one who will be rewarded as his children make good choices.
   
7. Eat together as a family.
   Sharing a meal together (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) provides structure to an often-hectic schedule. This is a time for fathers to listen, as well as a time to provide advice and counsel.
   
8. Read to your children.
   Learning comes first by seeing, then by hearing and reading. Reading to your child encourages literacy as well, a crucial step in the lifelong process of self-improvement.
   
9. Show affection.
   As children grow, so too does their need for acceptance and sense of belonging. Such a need is met when a father offers a hug or kind word and expresses his appreciation and love for his children. It is the daily effort to let your children know that you love them.
   
10. Realize that a father’s job is never done.
    While there will come a time when you’ll no longer coach or go to PTA meetings, your support will always play a vital role in your child’s life. A good father realizes that, while he allows his children the freedom to direct their own lives, he doesn’t abandon them, his encouragement and discernment will leave a legacy to his children and his children ’s children.