 We live in a world that glorifies parenthood. Nearly every commercial on television or in magazines – seems to show cute little babies with perfectly happy and content moms and dads who seem to be living ‘the dream.’  Around the age of two (sometimes earlier), something strange begins to quickly develop with your children. That ‘something’ comes in the form of surprising wave of willfulness and stubbornness that rapidly becomes part of their personality.  Often, the dreams of having a large family can be squashed by the constant sounds of sibling bickering. Seems like you can’t go anywhere with your family, or walk in a room where the kids are congregated together without immediately having to arm yourself with a referee shirt and whistle.  It’s no secret that we live in a Barbie idolizing society. Little girls are targeted at an early age to understand that in the scope of femininity, appearances matter. A lot.  For a lot of families, the number one reason NOT to have a gun in the home is because they also have children in the home. Having a gun obviously leads to the risk of unintentional use that could cause a fatal injury to a family member.  In the end, life is not all fun and games. When children learn how to win, and how to lose at a young age – athletics are a beneficial subsidy to life.  Unfortunately, young boys do not seem to care whether they are on the couch, in the middle of the mall or at school. If the mood strikes them, they will reach down in their pants and ‘play’ with their privates.  How do you explain to your young children why some of their friends don’t celebrate Christmas, Easter, or Halloween etc? What is the best way to explain to your child why a kid in their class cannot put his or hands together in prayer, or doesn’t celebrate his or her own birthday?  Parents today are constantly complaining that they do not have enough time in the course of a day to take care of everything that needs to be done. They are running their children to school and back – and sign them up for other activities which quickly fill up both their time and YOUR schedule.  The studies, national trends and my own experience suggest that there is nothing wrong with only having only one child. Other examples and your own heart might suggest otherwise.  The most important thing about talking to your teen about suicide is letting them know that nothing, and you mean nothing – in this world, is so bad that suicide is the answer.  Today, parenting is all about NOT damaging the fragile psyches of our children. About learning from the mistakes our parents made, about positive discipline, and finding the most non-violent and non-hostile ways to deal with our out of control children.  Perhaps one of the most annoying things about ‘other peoples’ children’ is witnessing what can be referred to as ‘learned helplessness.’  Kids love to make ‘art.’ As soon as your child can hold a paintbrush, crayon or pencil – they will turn into a mini Picasso, making what they feel are masterpieces, worthy of adorning every wall in your home.  Much of how you deal with helping a child cope when a friend moves away depends on the child’s age. For instance, if your child is young and is losing a best friend to a relocation, most experts recommend waiting until the time is near to discuss the move.  Truth is that children can be and often are by nature aggressive individuals. If you ever watched a room full of kindergartners let loose to play freely with toys with no adult supervision you would witness varying levels of aggressive behavior.  What parents need to realize is that NOT all discipline is created equal, and that whatever you choose – and whatever belief you have about discipline for your child it needs to be delivered in a positive, loved based way.  As children get older and realize through commonsense, the sheer impossibility of these things, it can be a painful part of growing up and letting go of childish whims. This is precisely why the siblings killed the tooth fairy, or ‘shot’ Rudolph or ‘innocently’ destroy any of these fairy tales for their younger siblings.  At some point, it becomes inevitable – your child will be invited to a sleepover. They will come home red faced and excited that they were invited to a schoolmate’s house for a birthday party, to spend the night. 'Can I go, Can I go?'  All you can do is the best you know how, be willing to change course at a moments notice and realize that every phase your child is going through is only a temporary stop on the journey.
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