EZ Kids

By now, we are all aware that Sarah Palin has been chosen by presidential hopeful John McCain as her running mate. While it seems that there is not much to know about Palin, there is one glaring mark on her right now and that is the presence of her pregnant teenage daughter which has captured the attention of most media and people as far as finding waterloo marks on aspiring political figures today.

At the moment she is the governor of Alaska and apparently she has gained further exposure as far as vying for the Vice President seat of the U.S. But many are divided on her current status, using her daughter as an excuse to question her standing as a responsible parent.

But the real question is on whether we should pass judgment on her. Sarah is a parent and just like us, it is not different from going to work although politics is more on the high side of things. Questioning the capacity of a parent on choosing between career and parenting should not be made as an excuse towards hitting the people running for public office. If people were mature and rational, for sure they would know that Sarah Palin knows how to handle her career and her role as a mother to her children.

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Once your child reaches his teens, chances are he or she will spend more time with his or her friends. Among the things to watch out include:

1. Late Night Outs
2. Frequently Absent from Home
3. Mannerisms
4. Extensive Time Spent on the Phone or Texting

The youth of today are indeed a different breed and while we as parents would be tagged as enjoying the same privilege, we still have to watch out for them and make sure that they grow up as rational as we have been. We have had our share of mischief but at the way that society is projected today, the youth may find itself having run-ins with the law and that is something you would want to avoid.

For one, it is a dent in the image you want your kids want to have especially when they grow up. To some, it may also tarnish their image as respected people in society. But there are things today you cannot avoid and the best you can do is turn to provisions to avoid these things from escalating to unmanageable levels.

Even if it means handling them with an iron hand, do it. Kids today are totally aware of how to take care of their future. Hard as it may be for them to understand, we just have to play our part as their parents.

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It is only normal to hear that most kids would ask for a pet at some point in time of their age. It normally comes from culture or from seeing other kids who have their own dogs or cats. But while that is a need that can really be passed up, perhaps this new discovery as far as health and potential snoring problems in kids can convince parents to refrain from buying kids these traditional pets.

Snoring is something you don’t expect to hear from kids. But these days, advanced studies and technology has helped us identify and sum up causes of heart diseases or respiratory problems. Kids may not sleep with these animals but normally the exposure that they get can be entirely dangerous. Worst, it can lead to complications and put your child in danger if you are not careful.

“These factors may enhance inflammatory processes and thereby alter upper airway anatomy early in life, causing an increased susceptibility for adult snoring,” the study conjectured.

The harsh, occasionally nerve-wracking sounds associated with snoring are caused the vibrating of the soft palate.

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When you hear of family breakups that lead to divorce, it will always be the father who will be blamed and perceived to be at fault. There have been instances where the mother is to blame but if you check out figures, you are bound to notice that fathers are tagged as the majority reason for family breakups.

Among the reasons we hear today would be:
1. A second party
2. Psychological Incapacity
3. Failure to Provide
4. Domestic Violence

The list can go on and if you look at it, perhaps fathers need more time to mature and some level of psychological help to get themselves out of this niche. There are exceptions where fathers just plainly need a longer time to mature. A lot of this happens especially among teen parenting where though they claim they are ready, mentally, they lack the proper seasoning to be acknowledged as full-pledged parents.

As a whole, fathers may not always consider parenting as their main role in the family. To them, it is always to provide. But you would be surprised at fathers who would make great parents if given the chance. Timing and proper growth into parenthood is just something lacking these days.

If there is one thing that kids hate seeing it is mom and dad fighting often. Due to misunderstandings, a normal family cannot see parents quarreling a lot due to work, time and finances. While that is a familiar site, one thing you have to worry about is the impact it will have on the siblings.

We have seen the sharp rise of juvenile delinquents and psychologically affected kids these days and most of them come from broken homes. Some are products of failed marriages which often lead to divorce. Once this happens, kids are forced to grow up with only one of their parents in sight although they can go with the other at times like weekends.

It is too much to ask for some parents to try and get along for the sake of the children. There are occasions that it has work. But along the line, there is bound to be a pop in the line which leads to arguments and totally giving up on the family relationship. The next thing you know, they are filing for divorce which will have bearing on what a simple child wants.

This is perhaps something kids have to deal with. Even though they don’t want to, some have adopted the understanding that this would be the best alternative rather than seeing their parents fighting often. There is no guarantee that being a single parent will likewise be good for the child. But one thing every parent must do is to make sure that misunderstandings with the partner should not be the case with their kids. They are not to blame for any of it and in fact should be the reason for you to mature and work hard to ensure them a better outlook in life.

The best thing a parent can give to their kids is quality education. That is a given. But while that is defined, the next problem would be how to get them into quality schools to which educational levels are bound to vary depending on the amount they have to pay.

Money is not the gauge for getting good education. But with escalating costs these days, tuition fees are not spared from holding annual increases. Minimal as they may seem to most people these days, each penny added to the old enrollment fees are a pinch in the arm. With that said, what does a parent do to be able to sustain the level of education that these people are supposed to inherit?

If you think that is enough, wait until you need to get them to college. It takes a fortune to get your teenager to top schools such as Harvard. Parents at times have to figure to do something about it and chances are, a lot of big sacrifices will be made such as getting secondary to third jobs to balance the weighing scale of everyday living and investments for your kids’ education.

This seems to be a problem for most parents these days and while the task seems improbable to conquer, these are included in life’s goals. It is not purely for personal satisfaction but rather leaving something worthy that money cannot buy. Degrees, diplomas and education are perhaps it. And the real fulfillment sets in when you see them marching down the aisle with their diploma in tow.

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Notice in families that most of the time, it is the youngest child that is the favorite and most over-protected offspring in the mix. Why is this so?

It has been a tradition that has been passed for some years now. The youngest will always be the spoiled one and the hardest to let go. One reason here is that he or she will always be the baby of the family no matter what age he or she may be. She is the last descendant of a clan and apparently she is the baby of the family.

Now it may seem unfair for most, especially if you are in a large family. The youngest may seem to be the one with the least drive to be responsible and be on their own not because they don’t want to but because they are closely monitored by their parents. As much as possible, parents don’t want them to get their hands dirty or see them suffering. It would be safe to say that parents do not want their youngest child having a hard time. They will do as much as they can to please them.

So where does this lead the youngest children as far as personal development is concerned? Well some have become rebellious while others have had a different outlook in life. They are most likely to have an easier time to evolve and live life according to how it should be.

Normally they would have a hard time trying to discover their true selves. But as far as life is concerned, just look around and you will see why the baby of the family will always be their baby forever.

No disrespect meant to the various traditions that each country or region would have as far as the scope of their governing laws are concerned but when you put the life of a child on the line and make it complicated because of one stupid law, that is bound to draw the ire of any parent from anywhere in the world.

Take India for instance. We are all aware of the age of test tube and surrogate reproduction. While it is apparent that the real father and mother would be the sperm and the eggs donated by a man and a woman the absence of a surrogate law deprives Indian babies of a normal life. In short, innocent offsprings are put in a bind just because of legal complications.

Manji Yamada was born last month after eggs from an Indian donor were fertilised using the Japanese man’s sperm and implanted in the womb of the surrogate Indian mother.

Her biological father split from his wife after the fertilisation process, and his former spouse no longer wants the baby.

In the absence of a surrogacy law in India, the child — who is an Indian citizen — will have to be adopted by her Japanese father Ikufumi Yamada, 45.

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If you think that is enough, it only gets worse. Under Indian laws, a single father cannot adopt a baby girl. So imagine this case, even the biological father cannot adopt his own flesh and blood.

Just like most governing systems, there is bound to be a loophole. But as far as placing parenting and kids in the fray, this is too much. What proof can still be needed when in fact that this child and father are obviously biologically related? So much for democracy! They seem to make this issue from good to bad.

The maturity level of a parent plays an important role in determining how well couples can bring up a child. We have been hearing of a lot of teenaged parents in the world today and you will notice that there are some things that they have to get used to despite being guided by full-pledged parents as their own mom and dad.

Teenage parents are usually torn when it comes to what they want and living up to the responsibility of being a good parent. You may call it as a period of adjustment for the since traditionally, they should be enjoying the prime of their teenage life. In fact, some teenagers do not really understand what they are up against when they become parents either by accident or choice. Of the two, it seems teenage parents occur due to the former and immature decisions.

These days, rarely would you see teenage parents last long. We see those evidently parting ways since as they say; they are not yet ready to face parenthood. They realize this only a couple of years later, rash decisions which they only admit once they fail to live up to the billing of good parents.

In the end, only one of the parents will remain standing. It is normally the mother who will always get the sole rights assuming to the offspring and as trends show to us. Unless of course you are psychologically unstable (like Britney Spears perhaps?), most of the time, women will get full rights to a child even if you go through the courts. A father normally can have rights after the child turns 7 years old to which he can already make decisions and choices on his or her own.

Teenage parenting does seem complicated. But the thought alone in the early going should be carefully evaluated. Parenting is a serious responsibility. It is not as easy as most people would think.

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Raising a child is the duty of a mother and a father. But at these times, we see the swelling number of children who have to live with only one parent. The normal one we see are the mother and a child who have been abandoned by their father although there are rare cases of a child being left under the wing of their dad. Whichever case it may be, parenting a child alone is quite hard. Having to provide for another mouth and then nurturing them to stay healthy, you have t wonder how single parents do it.

The responsibility that they impose on themselves is something to behold. Some may call being a single parent a mistake on their part that they have to live with. But whether it is a mistake or not, the child you bear is someone who should not be blamed nor made to suffer. They are the supposed fruit of your loin and while they have little options as far as living is concerned, it would be best to look at them as trophies and inspirations rather than excess baggage.

It is not easy being a single parent. Needs such as food and clothing are not easy to provide, especially during these hard times when a single parent has to consider how they will live and cover daily expenses to be able to survive. Some parents even go to the extent of passing up their own needs such as clothing or some things needed to generate money just to bring a smile in the face of a child. For what is worth, that smile is worth more than anything that money can buy.

Single parents will have a hard time during their state but it does not mean that they will forever be single. For sure someone will come to help them out along the way. But binding them with your child is the next challenge.

That is another entry we will take up next.