Search Results for: blog preschoolers and monsters

Parents of Preschoolers Upset About Dora the Explorer

Although we limit television viewing in our household, I have to admit that there are some shows that make all of our lives easier. For example, if I have a sick preschooler or if I need to keep everyone out of the kitchen for 30 minutes they can do the trick (yes, I feel guilty enough already). Some of the shows that meet our approval include Blues Clues, Sesame Street, Cyber Chase, Between the Lions and Dora the Explorer. My kids have learned some things from watching the shows, and they enjoy them as well. I don’t know if you … Continue reading →

Preschoolers and Monsters

Sometime between the age of three-and-a-half and four-and-a-half, the monsters under the bed (and in the closet, behind the curtain, in the hamper, etc) start to appear. Your preschooler may suddenly be afraid to sleep alone in her own bed and may describe bad dreams or associate noises in the home with monsters. Why is this happening? Well, there are a number of reasons. The preschooler is now at an age where she is growing in a few developmental ways. Her imagination is really taking off. You may witness a lot of imaginative play that involves complete story lines with … Continue reading →

Just Say Boo!

Halloween can be a challenging time for young children. Dressing up and collecting candy is a blast, but having to deal with spooky sights and sounds is often more trick than treat. My daughter is no exception. She’s the kid who’ll open wide to cram four fun-sized chocolate bars in her mouth at one time, but slams her eyes shut when we get anywhere near a Halloween Express store. The cacophony of cackling witches and wailing zombies, not to mention the bloody limbs, exposed guts and skeletal remains of errant pirates are enough to make any kid cringe. Author Susan … Continue reading →

Is Your Preschooler Afraid of the Dark?

Mine is, apparently. Just when I was having illusions that co-sleeping would stop my daughter from experiencing the night time fears that I had as a child, I am once again proven wrong. My daughter is having a very hard time getting to sleep. Usually bed time involves a story, a song, and a back rub until she goes to sleep, which is usually pretty quickly. Lately, the process has taken an hour or more. Apparently there are monsters living by the side of the bed. I have tried my good mommy wisdom. We talked about the monsters. We talked … Continue reading →

Early Day Care Will Not Reduce Illness Later

One of the reasons many parents say that they put their children into daycare or early preschool is so the kids will be exposed to more germs and therefore get their illnesses over with before they reach school age, when absence from school may have more of an impact. I knew a mom once who firmly believed in the idea of exposing her kids early to illnesses. In fact, she ran a day care, and if a child came in sick, she would make sure that her children were playing with that child and sharing toys, in order to increase … Continue reading →

When Nightmares Attack

I’ve always had rather vivid dreams — or at least been very good at remembering my dreams. Sometimes, this is a good thing. A dream inspired my first published piece of fiction. Sometimes, this is a bad thing… like when I have a nightmare that makes me turn on all the lights, afraid to go back to sleep. According to the National Library of Medicine, nightmares are more common in childhood than in adulthood. (So are night terrors!) However, as much as fifty percent of adults (mainly women) still experience occasional nightmares. Tips to help prevent nightmares: Make a bedtime … Continue reading →

Room Decorating with a Preschooler

If your preschooler’s room is ready for a makeover, but you don’t know where to begin, then consult with an expert—-your child. Spend an afternoon with your preschooler placing bedroom items where he or she would like to see them. Work together to place the bed, dresser, toys and other belongings in areas that will work for both of you. By spending time with your preschooler, you can get a good sense of what she values when it comes to design. Perhaps she sees something that you do not. For example, having the bed face the closet can be scary … Continue reading →

Two Imperfect People

As spiritual people, we know that we are not perfect. We are merely human and make many mistakes along the way in our lives. Why then, do we tend to assume that our marriages have to be perfect? When you are young and in love you tend to believe that a happy marriage means that the couple spends hours staring into each other’s eyes, doing fun things together and always agreeing. This is probably because during courtship or dating, a couple tends to spend hours staring into each other’s eyes, doing fun things together and always agreeing. Call it the … Continue reading →

Four-Year-Old Mile Stones

As a parent, you probably want to make your that your child is right on track with developmental milestones. From speech and language to physical milestones, knowing what she should be doing can help identify any potential issues that require intervention, or just give you a reason to brag. While every child develops differently and at his own pace, here are the things that you child generally should be doing by the time she reaches the age of four. Socially, she should be able to interact and play with other children and even make friends on her own. If she … Continue reading →

De-cluttering with Young Children

I love to de-clutter our house. I get to a point where the stuff is just too overwhelming. This is especially true when it comes to toys. Toys have a way of sneaking up on your until every bin, box, shelf and even the floor is filled with toys. De-cluttering is tough in and of itself. But how can you get it done when you have young children at home? Here are some tips. Work around the kids schedules. De-cluttering doesn’t have to take one solid block of time. If you your kids nap for an hour, concentrate on one … Continue reading →