I stumbled upon this story about best buy gift card scam and i thought i want to share with my friends the story. Just as a precaution incase it will happen to us one day.
It was my birthday a couple of days ago. I’ve gotten well past the point where I make a big deal out of it. Still, it is nice that others recognize the day. It is pleasant that someone else lets you know that they are happy you were born. It’s also nice to get presents. So, it was my birthday and my wife got me a couple of presents, which was nice. She got me single cup coffee maker that brews coffee right into a travel cup, so I can kind of grab and go. She also got me a $100 Best Buy gift card, and that is where my adventure begins.
I used to love Best Buy. I went there often to buy CDs and other products because they had the best deals. They also had a tendency to have the largest selection. Since the advent of the Internet as a shopping venue, however, I find that Best Buy no longer has the best deals. I also don’t like having to deal with the crowds in there at Christmas time. The nearest Best Buy store to me is also quite a bit further away than other big box stores I could go to. But all that didn’t really matter today because I had a $100 gift card and I was going to go spend it on something I wanted, something fun. I was actually going to go shopping for myself. I got in my car and headed to Best Buy.
I arrived at Best Buy and grabbed a little hand held shopping basket. I wondered what there was that I would want for less than $100. I saw some digital cameras, but any that I wanted were more than $100. Besides, I already have a digital camera. I saw some digital camcorders, but they started at well over $200 and I don’t have the extra money to spend on something so frivolous at this moment. I saw a nice pair of binoculars for about seventy five dollars which I thought about because my telescope broke a while back, but I took a pass on it. I walked around the computer section for a while, trying to get a feel for the newest in that technology, but nothing caught my eye and there were certainly no deals that jumped out at me. I settled on the old stand by, CDs and movies. I went down the aisles looking at the Rock CDs, as those were what I was interested in. I picked out about five CDs, including Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, a couple of old CDs from the Cure that I had never replaced from when my house burned down, and some other CD that I can’t remember. I then went to the movie section to look for something that might interest me. I found a history documentary on Hitler and the occult and some other movie. I wanted to get as close to a hundred dollars as possible. When I had picked out what I felt was enough I proceeded to the cash register.
I waited patiently in line as the cashier finished with the customer in front of me. I said hi to the cashier and asked her how she was doing as I like to do when in that situation. She told me she was fine and we continued to make small talk as she rang up my merchandise. The total of my purchase was $91.51. I felt OK with that and handed the cashier my gift card. I told her I wanted the remaining balance in cash. She told me she couldn’t do that. I asked her why not and she informed me that they couldn’t give cash back for a gift card. I insisted that someone had given her cash for that card and that I should be able to recover the cash I wasn’t spending. The manager quickly became involved. She told me that they could not give change for a gift card unless it was less than five dollars. She told me that if I had the receipt from the gift card that I could get the change from it. Can you imagine? Does anyone give someone a gift card and then give them the receipt to? How ridiculous does that sound? I changed tactics and told her I didn’t get up that way very often and did not want to return to her store to spend what was left on the card. She told me that I could go back now and spend the remaining money. Now my ire was raised. I saw their game. People get these gift cards and then are forced to spend almost the entire amount at the store, and I’m sure that the store hopes the consumer will spend more than what’s on the card. I could feel my face getting red. I grabbed my merchandise and walked out the store.
I was a few steps out the door when an idea hit me. If they weren’t going to give me the $8.49 change for the card, which should not have been that unreasonable a request, then I wasn’t going to give them any money at all. I turned around and went back in. I didn’t need the junk I had bought. Besides, I could probably get it cheaper somewhere else. I would return it and get my money back.
I went to the return counter and told them I wanted to return everything I had just bought. I told them I wanted cash for the merchandise. They would not give it to me. They would only put them money back on the gift card. Again, a manager got involved. This manager had a badge that told me he was a “hiring manager”, whatever that meant. I told him what was happening and that I refused to spend any of my money at his store. He told me that he would have liked to have given me cash for change but that Best Buy had a contract with American Express and that the agreement stated that they would not give change for more than five dollars. I told him I didn’t care about his excuses and that I wanted the money back for the card. He told me I needed the receipt, that if it was bought with a credit card that money would be returned to the card, if it was bought with a check then a check would be sent to me, if it was bought with cash than I would receive cash. The other manager, who had come over to observe the proceedings, said she had told me the same thing. I explained to her that she hadn’t, that she didn’t say anything about a contract with American Express. She told me that she had told me about not being able to return money without the receipt. The point was moot. I was going to have to get the receipt from my wife, who had been thoughtful enough to buy me this gift card which was now turning into more problems than it was worth. This certainly wasn’t the best customer service I had ever experienced.
I really doubt that these people cared about what was going on here. I can’t help but believe that those workers simply saw me as some butt hole out to give them a hard time. I doubt very much that they could see this from my point of view. I figured it this way, that someone had given them money to buy the gift card and had given me the gift card to use like money at their store. They were going to get their $100 cash for the card no matter what, so they should be able to give me the change. If what I was told by the “hiring manager” is true, then American Express really should have no business telling Best Buy how to best serve their customers. Personally, if it were me, I’d find someone else to handle the gift cards or do it myself if some corporation like American Express was putting such stupid restrictions on my customer service. If I had only wanted to spend ten dollars at their store it seems to me that it would be ten dollars more than they would have had otherwise. What harm would it do Best Buy to give change for a gift card no matter how much or how little one spends when using it? It seems to me that too many people probably just accept these restrictions, don’t question them, and so like sheep we just spend the money at that store even when we can’t find anything we really need or want. We really have become materialistic zombies wondering about the aisles of the big box stores buying junk to try to fulfill our empty lives. I found myself, as I traveled home now light all that merchandise but still in possession of the $100 gift card, thinking that I really didn’t need the stuff I had bought and that the money could be better spent elsewhere. I found myself thinking that all I was doing was acquiring meaningless junk anyway. Certainly there was more to life than acquiring material goods. I began to wonder if this episode was going to bring me some kind of spiritual epiphany.
I got home and fortunately my wife had the receipt for the gift card. If she had thrown it away I guess I would have been stuck with the card and I would have been forced to spend the money at Best Buy. It seems to me that that policy is also a little unfair. I took my son with me when I returned to Best Buy. I gave the manager the card and the receipt. He then asked me if I had the credit card which had purchased the gift card. I told him no, that it had been a gift. My son noted “Hence the name gift card.” Quite an astute observation from a thirteen year old, even if it was beyond obvious. I told him he had said all I would need was the receipt and that had he told me I needed the card I would have brought it. I ended up having to call my wife to get the credit card number. I then explained to the “hiring manager” that I knew he didn’t care, but someone higher up at Best Buy should. I explained that they’d had $91.51 in their pocket and that money had been lost to them simply because they refused to give me $8.49 change. Not only that, I told him, but I had given Best Buy gift cards as gifts in the past and I would no longer do that. In addition, my wife, who also thought the policy of not giving back change was silly, would never again buy a Best Buy gift card. I also told him that I would write about this episode and people would read about it. And so I have. In the end, the money was put back on my wife’s credit card and she gave me $100 dollars cash I can spend anywhere. I don’t know where I’m going to spend it, maybe I’ll hunt down some deals on the Internet, maybe I’ll take my family out to dinner. I’m sure I’ll make good use of it. As for a spiritual epiphany, it never happened, at least not yet. But I do feel better now that the episode is over and I've kept my promise to write about it. In fact, I feel strangely more empowered with $100 cash in my pocket than I did with flaccid piece of plastic good at only one store in my wallet.
I got this story from : http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/22349
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Planning A Successful Family Reunion
A family reunion is a terrific way to keep in touch with your distant relatives. It can be a lot of fun to visit with family members that you haven't seen in years, and if you have kids of your own, it's a great opportunity to teach them about their heritage.
Planning a family reunion is a lot of work, however. Tracking everyone down, finding a time that works for everybody, choosing a location, and planning the food and activities is a tremendous undertaking. If you have a large family, you'll want to start laying your plans a year or two in advance.
One of the most difficult parts is choosing a time when nearly everyone can attend. People's lives are hectic and sometimes they can't easily escape their jobs. But with today's Internet technology, it's easy to communicate by group email and work out a convenient time for everybody.
You will need to choose a good location for your family reunion. The size of your family will be a big factor in where you hold your get-together. If someone has a large backyard or a big spread out in the country and is willing to host the event, this can be ideal. Another alternative is to hold it in a park where you can reserve a section for your group.
What's for Dinner?
Next on your checklist should be the food. Eating is always an important part of any family get-together, and you need to look at what your choices are to feed everyone.
Start by getting in touch with a representative of each family to collect their ideas and preferences, and then get general agreement on what you'll be eating.
Probably the easiest solution is to cater your family reunion. Of course, that can get very pricey and it might be impractical for some budgets.
A barbecue can be a pleasurable and low-cost way to feed the gang. Ask each family group to bring their own BBQ grill, and everyone can cook and eat together. And people can prepare the food that they enjoy the most. This is the ideal way to please everyone.
If you like, you can ask everyone to chip in some money to purchase drinks and snacks. Assign a side dish to each family and have a potluck.
Fun Family Reunion Activities
After everyone has caught up with each other's lives and eaten their fill, it's time to get everyone moving. Having some fun activities planned is essential to a successful family reunion.
Your plans should include some sports and games that are fun for all ages, such as softball or volleyball. Another great idea is to hold a family Olympics with prizes and ribbons. Team up different age groups to keep it fair.
You also want some activities targeted especially to the children to keep them from getting bored and unmanageable. If you have lots of room, consider renting an inflatable play structure for the day. Set up a coloring area, and bring lots of outdoor games for them to play such as croquet, badminton, and horseshoes. Organize a sack race and candy toss.
With careful planning, your family reunion will supply enough memories to last a lifetime, or at least until the next gathering!
*By Ashley King the editor of the Family Section at http://www.i-knowhowonline.com/ i-KnowHow | Information for Life, where you'll also find ideas and tips for hobbies, home and garden, personal finance, technology basics and much more.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
7 Things To Enjoy Doing With Your Family
When was the last time you had great fun with your family? Family is always the most valuable thing in life, so stand up and plan to have fun with your family.
Going to the zoo is definitely my number-one pick for family activities. Other than visiting animals, most zoos nowadays have rides that you can enjoy with your family. Bring your own snacks if you want to save some money. To add some fun, let your kids be the photographers for the day (buy a disposable camera if you don't want your kids to break your expensive digital one) and you might be surprised by how creative your kids can be.
Having a picnic at the park is also a good activity for your family. Even though you might not be really keen on outdoor activities, you can still enjoy your time by playing together after having your lunch. For example, you can play lawn games or bring a horseshoe game for your family. Afterward, you can enjoy your private time chatting with your sweetheart and let your children play on the playground themselves.
Visiting the nation's capital would be your choice if you want to go on a trip with your family. Learn more about the history by visiting historical sites. Immerse yourself into the world of history together with your family. History creates topics for you and your children.
A treasure hunt is a popular activity among children, so going hunting with your family is a nice choice. You can train your kids by asking them to be the person in charge who can hold the treasure map and make decisions. However, they still need your help for driving them around. It would be more fun if you can make some pit stops for ice cream or snowcones along the way.
Create a video clip with your kids. Make your family the characters in the clip. You may talk about your family life in the clip, about yours interests or even to create a drama. Accompany you kids to write a script and create a mini-movie together.
Doing some yard work together can also be a fun quality time for your family. Plant the flower and mow the lawn with your kids. After a day of hard work, you can all sit back and enjoy a barbecue at your beautifully cleaned backyard.
At bedtime read to your young kids and read with your elder kids. Try to maintain a good reading habit by reading with your kids. Not only can you relax from the busy work day, you can also improve your language ability, create topics with the kids and get your kids more creative by reading fiction. Think of your own list of things to do with your family. You will enjoy the laughter and joy with your family.
Going to the zoo is definitely my number-one pick for family activities. Other than visiting animals, most zoos nowadays have rides that you can enjoy with your family. Bring your own snacks if you want to save some money. To add some fun, let your kids be the photographers for the day (buy a disposable camera if you don't want your kids to break your expensive digital one) and you might be surprised by how creative your kids can be.
Having a picnic at the park is also a good activity for your family. Even though you might not be really keen on outdoor activities, you can still enjoy your time by playing together after having your lunch. For example, you can play lawn games or bring a horseshoe game for your family. Afterward, you can enjoy your private time chatting with your sweetheart and let your children play on the playground themselves.
Visiting the nation's capital would be your choice if you want to go on a trip with your family. Learn more about the history by visiting historical sites. Immerse yourself into the world of history together with your family. History creates topics for you and your children.
A treasure hunt is a popular activity among children, so going hunting with your family is a nice choice. You can train your kids by asking them to be the person in charge who can hold the treasure map and make decisions. However, they still need your help for driving them around. It would be more fun if you can make some pit stops for ice cream or snowcones along the way.
Create a video clip with your kids. Make your family the characters in the clip. You may talk about your family life in the clip, about yours interests or even to create a drama. Accompany you kids to write a script and create a mini-movie together.
Doing some yard work together can also be a fun quality time for your family. Plant the flower and mow the lawn with your kids. After a day of hard work, you can all sit back and enjoy a barbecue at your beautifully cleaned backyard.
At bedtime read to your young kids and read with your elder kids. Try to maintain a good reading habit by reading with your kids. Not only can you relax from the busy work day, you can also improve your language ability, create topics with the kids and get your kids more creative by reading fiction. Think of your own list of things to do with your family. You will enjoy the laughter and joy with your family.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Gender Selection : The Ultimate Choice

Children are a great blessing to their parents, and a gift to mankind. Being childless is a curse that many families bear in silence, especially around family gatherings and holidays. It is very important to appreciate all children for whom they are, regardless of their sex. Nevertheless, many couples regard the gender of their next child to be very important because they would like to balance the sexes of their children.
Did you know that to a great extent you can choose the sex of your next baby? There are certain techniques that may help you so that you will not be limited to having children of one sex. If you are concerned about the sex of your next child, this article will provide you with important information.
The following are common misconceptions about factors that influence the sex of your next child:
• Eating or avoiding certain foods will not make a difference.
• Having the female reach orgasm first has no influence.
• The depth of penetration at the time of ejaculation does not matter.
The following are factors that may in fact influence the sex of your next child:
• Position at the time of intercourse may slightly influence the sex outcome Couples who conceive during intercourse where the male enters his wife from the rear approach (“doggy” style) have a slight increase in bearing a son. In conceiving a daughter, the position of the couple at the time of intercourse does not seem to matter at all.
• The most successful results of gender selection over the last 20 years have been the obtained using albumen gradients for sperm selection of sex. Using this method you will have a child of the chosen sex 70% of the time. This relates to a 40% increase over the normal rate of having a boy or a girl.
Determine gender or gender selection
The sex chromosomes determine the gender of a child at the moment of fertilization. If the egg is fertilized by an X bearing sperm the child will be a daughter, and conversely if the egg is fertilized by a Y bearing sperm the child will be a son. The ratio of genders at birth is 51% males to 49% females. This ratio holds true for the human species, as proven by many studies.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A Live-in Nanny Or Live-in AuPair Could Be The Solution Your Family Needs

The Nanny is so far my favourite tv program. the only comedy that can make me laugh and i love nanny Fine! She's so stylish and supportive. But i'm not going to talk about her, i want to talk about a live in nanny or AuPair. Read this!
Childcare is not only expensive but can be hard to come-by. Often, childcare centres have waiting lists, and you could find yourself limited to the days you can choose from, which could limit your work choices. There is an alternative to enrolling your children into a childcare facility that could not only be convenient for you, but could ensure you have childcare and babysitting whenever you need it, and give you some freedom back to live life how you want to. An Au pair or Nanny could be the solution for you and your family.
Taking on a live-in Nanny or live-in AuPair is a growing trend across the globe, and where once upon a time, only the wealthy could afford one, it is now a more commonplace scenario for less wealthy families. With the cost of childcare ever increasing, and with more and more families needing to put their children into childcare to be able to gain a second income, sometimes there is no real advantage to paying hundreds of dollars per week per child, just to earn a few more hundred dollars for the family. You expend more energy and take on more stress and the benefits are not always clear if you are not able to make a decent income once the childcare costs are factored in.
When you have a live-in Nanny or AuPair, the cost is greatly reduced as you provide accommodation and food for your Nanny, and in return they offer childcare and even home help whenever you need it. You could include duties such as laundry and cleaning in the job description, and find yourself with even more time to enjoy your life and your family.
There is a growing trend now, where families take on short term nannies or AuPairs, who are travelling and would like to stay in your city for a period of a few weeks to a few months. You can meet and connect with these nannies online, and make the arrangements you need to, before they even arrive. Perhaps you only need vacation care for the summer holidays, or would like someone to stay with your children while you go away on business. There are many scenarios where taking on a short term live in AuPair or Nanny could be beneficial to you and your family, without the cost of it breaking the bank.
By using an online facility to connect with someone who would like to come and stay with you, is not only a very cheap alternative to paying an expensive agency to find someone for you, but you meet these people yourself online, can converse with them and get to know them before making a decision about whether this person is right for your family dynamic. With many AuPairs to choose from, from all over the world, there has never been an easier way to find the right person for the job, and for your family.
Taking on a short or long term live-in Nanny or live-in AuPair could just be the solution you are looking for to meet your childcare needs without it costing you a fortune. Take the time to have a look online and be amazed with the difference it can make to your life!
source from : http://www.populararticles.com/
Saturday, October 9, 2010
A Gift Basket for Faraway Family Members

I know very well what it's like to have family who live far away. When I was growing up, my grandparents and aunts/uncles and cousins lived across the ocean. When I had my own kids, their grandparents and aunts/ uncles lived on the other side of the country. Now that my sister has 2 small children, the youngest of whom I've never met, this being far away has hit me again. How can we show far away family, especially when children are involved, that we want to be close and stay connected?
We could design a gift basket for family members who live far away, just to say we care. We would put into it several mementos that make the distance between us seem smaller.
If we have young children, we could send grandparents a digital picture frame. In case you're wondering what a digital picture frame is; it is a device about the size and shape of a picture frame that has a LCD screen. The screen displays multiple photos in a slide show format, and it connects to the Internet via the phone line to download new pictures and information to display. You use your computer to upload photos to a website and every day the frame uses the phone line to connect to the website and download any new photos. This is an ideal way to send digital photos of the family to grandparents who lack a computer and/or the skills to use one.
We could also include a DVD, or a video depending on the equipment we and they have, of some recent activity; perhaps our child scoring a goal at soccer or performing in a recital, or even just a family picnic or something like that. Photos are great, certainly better than nothing, but they just don't show you what the child is really like as well as video does. They don't give you as much of a feeling of being there as a movie does. We could also include a tape (either audiotape or videotape) of our child giving the recipient a special message.
Of course we could always send regular photos too. One idea to make a photo special is to cut out the shape of the children (the important part) and have it glued onto a plastic block so that it stands upright by itself. Another idea is to frame the photo in a magnetic frame that is suitable for the holiday so that it is easy to put on the fridge. I have one on my fridge right now that is a heart frame for Valentines Day. You can often get these at places like Target. We could include a picture the child has drawn or painted, or even a small thing the child has made himself if the child likes to do crafts.
Of course, most of these ideas are not just for children and grandparents, although I know that the time when you feel the farthest away from your family is when either you are a child away from grandparents, or you are away from a small child, especially a grandchild. These ideas can be applied to any faraway family members. When family members move away is when they most need to know that we're thinking of them. A gift basket would be a great way to reassure them of this.
Source: Free Articles
Friday, October 1, 2010
Best time to visit Disney World

It's not just about the crowds...
In choosing your time to visit Walt Disney World, you want to balance four factors:
•crowds
•weather
•park hours
•and special events.
Some choice times for Disney World vacations are mentioned at the bottom of this page. But first let's consider these four factors. You might change your mind about the best time to visit!
For starters:
Extended Park Hours & Special Events
Yes, the busiest times of year are crowded, but they also have benefits: extended hours, plus special parades etc.
During summer, the Magic Kingdom theme park is often open until 11 p.m. or later; during Christmas and New Year's, it will probably be open until midnight, and Epcot until 10 p.m.
Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney's Hollywood Studios are a lot of fun after dark, and you'll often find a special night parade, fireworks, and/or shows that only happen when the park is open late. For ex., during a visit we made in June, day-time crowds were intense but night-time in MK was delightful: no wait for rides, fireworks at 10, and at 11 pm, an extra Spectral Parade. Peak periods do have their benefits.
As for special events, many people would consider Disney Christmas -- with spectacular lights and festivities-- a "best time to visit", despite the crowds. Star Wars Weekends in June and the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival in spring (with free Flower Power concerts) are other fun times.
The calendars for individual theme parks at the Walt Disney World site show park hours. For special events by month, try this calendar at AllEarsNet.com.
Weather
Expect plenty of heat and humidity during summer, which sounds horrendous with small kids and long line-ups... But for many rides, line-ups are under shade or in air-conditioned areas; plus, you can take coping measures. Ride a "wet ride", to cool down. Leave the park in the afternoon, then return for night-time.
Summertime often brings thunderstorms; the rain rarely lasts long, and cools things down. Bring plastic ponchos, or buy the Mickey poncho on the spot. Hurricanes are rarely a problem, because Orlando's inland.
Crowds- Busiest (and Least Busy) Times
Also affecting best times to visit is visitor volume: i.e. when are the parks least crowded and most crowded? For example, the end of April, after Spring Break, has moderate attendance; January and early February, and fall months, have low attendance.
Resort Prices: also in the mix about "When to Visit Disney World" are the seasonal prices for Walt Disney World Resorts. Count up five different "Seasons": Value, Regular, Summer, Peak, and Holiday Season. Sample dates: Value Season, January 1 to February 13, August 3 to October 1, November 30 to December 18; Regular Season, March 30 to May 21, October 2 to November 29; Summer Season, May 22 to August 2; Peak Season, February 14 to March 29, and Holiday Season, December 19 to December 31.* (These are sample dates only; and there are variations even within the seasons. See details.)
Best bets for When to Visit Disney World
Disney-philes have praised the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas as a top time to visit, with the parks decorated for Christmas, but not much crowds. Seems like too many people are in on the secret, though; Mousesavers' authors have reported heavy crowds. Be aware, too, that the Magic Kingdom closes early some nights, and weather may be too cool for the water parks. Still, this remains a recommended time for enjoying the park decorations before peak season.
Other recommended times:
•January, after school starts back after the holidays
•late April, after spring break, until Memorial Day; and you can enjoy free concerts, with name bands from the sixties and seventies, during Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival
•late August: many schools in the southeast are back in session, and crowds are typically less. Also, resort prices drop somewhat. Watch out, though, for earlier park closings!
source : About.com: Family Vacations
Monday, November 26, 2007
tag-me-not
This morning I was tagged by Chris to write 7 random or weird facts about myself and then tag 7 more bloggers to do the same. So here goes.....
Here are the rules:
Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
7 Random/weird things about me:
1. i really hate it when people couldnt come at the specific time agreed on..can spoil my mood all day.
2. dont like to wear pink color when i was young but now i love it.
3. love to go to planting nursery than go shopping in supermarket.
4. can lose weight very fast but couldnt gain any weight even eat a lot
5. can get angry very fast but also very forgiven
6. doesnt like to take bath unless that place have hot shower
7. i love to watch cooking program, collect recipes but lazy to cook.
I tag these bloggers :i also manage to tag 3 only....
eTomyam
Steven Wilson
kento
Happy tagging
Here are the rules:
Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
7 Random/weird things about me:
1. i really hate it when people couldnt come at the specific time agreed on..can spoil my mood all day.
2. dont like to wear pink color when i was young but now i love it.
3. love to go to planting nursery than go shopping in supermarket.
4. can lose weight very fast but couldnt gain any weight even eat a lot
5. can get angry very fast but also very forgiven
6. doesnt like to take bath unless that place have hot shower
7. i love to watch cooking program, collect recipes but lazy to cook.
I tag these bloggers :i also manage to tag 3 only....
eTomyam
Steven Wilson
kento
Happy tagging
Friday, November 16, 2007
Tips for Busy Moms and Dads

Parenting is as much a learning business for us as traveling through childhood is for our children. Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs that nature has provided us with. Being a parent means not only being sensitive to each child and each situation; it also calls on us to stretch our imagination as we respond to the constant challenges our children present us with. Children can be demanding, difficult and defiant! No advice can possibly make you get it right every time, but a few points kept in mind would take you a long way in dealing with daily discipline.
The miracle of touch.
Out of the five senses touch is considered to have healing qualities. Whether it takes the form of hugs, horseplay or simply holding hands on the way to school, loving physical contact provides a simple and almost unconscious way of showing you care.
Keep the fun alive.
With all the commitments at home and work, most parents forget the word "fun" aspect of parenting. Young children love jokes and being silly. The familiarity of special words, pet names and silly voices always manage to brighten a child's day.
Flexibility helps!
Parents sometimes expect too much of children. They ten to forget that children have a vantage point that is above three feet lower that an adult's! bending down to get a child's eye view of a situation can save most upsets, accidents and mishaps.
Good manners go a long way.
Little children do not always know or remember "the right thing" to say in every situation. They should be encouraged to use the terms such as please, sorry, thank you where appropriate. It's amazing the difference the right words can make. They can often help from the right attitude too.
Children need limits.
Being cool helps but children also need to learn the difference between what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior and understand that behavior has consequences whether pleasant or unpleasant. Idle threats should be avoided at all times and always mean what you say.
Being in charge does not mean being a tyrant!
Parents often forget that children are individuals and tend to mould them into ideal persons that they want their children to be. Although there are times when "because i said so" is appropriate, more often than not it is better to give a reason for what you have said. Even adults make mistakes and children have reasonable ideas. In such situations parents should apologize in the same way we expect our children to apologize us.
Check your "dont's" No one likes a lot of negativity.
It sounds like nagging. Too many "dont's" can hinder a child's natural instinct to explore. Unless it is a life and death situation of something that will harm the child in some way, avoid using this word. Always check whether you are using it for your convenience or for child's safety. Good behavior should be rewarded with praise, encouragement or a hug rather than with sweet treats or money.
Children should be children!
Parents often make the mistake of expecting children to be mini adults and be have the way they want them to behave. Children are naturally clumsy, forgetful, and accident prone. Therefore they should never be punished for pure childishness. Bad behaviors should be dealt with justly and the punishment appropriate to the crime. Naughtiness is sometimes prompted by boredom or a feeling of neglect. At such times the solution will involve providing a stimulating activity for the child or giving him attention.
Being "in control" is not really "controlling".
Children do not need to be "Controlled" but when they deliberately misbehave parents should be "in control" of the situation. They should effectively manage and guide their behavior. Often the expression on your face or the tone of your voice will be enough to deter all but the most determined little ones. Yet there are times when just a stem face or a word would not do. Then appropriate and tangible action is required.
"Spare the rod" but do not spoil the child.
Children's behavior sometimes calls for sterner measures than just a small punishment by way of forbidding what he likes to do or sending him to the room. Deliberate, repeated defiance and purposely hurting another child are situations that need to be dealt with immediately. A well timed smack can be most effective way of correcting this type of behavior. A controlled smack (on the hand, leg or the bottom) will help your child associate this unacceptable behavior with unpleasant consequences and deter him from repeating it. make sure he understand what he did wrong and encourage him to say sorry. However, by your words and actions let your child know that although his behavior may have been unacceptable, he is always loved.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Know About Different Types of Educational Software

Children’s educational software comes in several types. These are especially designed for teaching users the basics of subjects, from reading and math to geography. Educational software is more intended to educate kids and is easy to use for ages of even three. Depending on the aim, educational software might be planned as a classroom help or could be used for home purpose. The most accepted educational software is normally known as edutainment, meaning it is a game in which users play and learn at the same time.
Classroom educational software typically educates about the subject matter according to a set of courses tracks students’ growth as they complete sections or levels. As a teaching help, it permits children that might not otherwise have access to a computer to learn while improving basic computer skills, such as mouse and keyboard use, at an early age.
There is as well a huge range of titles and kinds of educational software intended for use at home act as an addition to classroom learning, and even for the reason of comfortable education. Educational software surrounding almost every subject educated in school is broadly available for home use. Similar to classroom plans, many educational software titles considered for home use orbit a child's progress and alter the subject accordingly. There are titles, which severely teach by proven examples and then quiz children on material, and then there are the even more in style edutainment titles, which slot in the subject matter into a game.
Educational software stated gaining fame and recognition day by day as an option learning technique in the mid-nineties, and developers have also turn up with more new concepts to gather consumer demands for excellence and interactive educational software. Once intended for use with a home or for the classroom computer, educational software is now even on hand for moveable learning systems. While there are considerably fewer titles on hand for portable learning systems such as the Leapster, there are yet numerous titles varying in age suitability and subject matter that making learning active possible.
To get the most out of educational software, spend in titles that have adaptable learning levels to develop with your child and check user reviews for titles, which are both amusing and have replay values.
This article is written by Jagan who is a Copywriter of Occupational therapist. He written many articles in various topics.For more information visit:
Physical therapist. contact his at pacificpediatric@gmail.com.
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