Most American children and teens are consuming fast food multiple times daily.

Working parents stock their pantries with pre-processed foods that are quick and easy enough for their kids to make.

Many of today’s children are microwaving their own meals by age eight.

Several bags of microwave popcorn, with extra butter or seasoning, are perceived to be meals by many “latch key” kids.

To minimize toddlers whining in the stores, many parents succumb to buying “kid popular” products laden with sugar and fats.

Children will usually choose products that come with cool prizes or ones with their favorite characters on the packaging.  Certainly, if they have eaten it at their friend’s house, parents will hear very loud whines if that junk food is not put in the shopping cart. Nutritional value is not the top priority at that moment, getting the kids out of the store is.

Breakfast often consists of cookie-flavored cereals or pop tarts washed down with artificially flavored milk or food colored drink.

Hot breakfast may be three or four packets of artificially flavored, pre-sweetened oatmeal in a bowl. (Notice the lack of portion control).

Let’s not mention the cold pizza and soda leftover from last night’s dinner.

Parents provide their children snack money to buy treats at school in vending machines and after school on the way home with their friends.

Has your child ever asked for snack money to buy carrots to eat at the ballgame?

Click here to learn about solutions to childhood obesity.

If you want to grow your business then please email me today using the Onyx Coale contact page, or connect with me at the Onyx Coale Facebook Fan Page so we may be a part of your team building and leadership ability.

To learn more about what sets Onyx Coale apart from all the others today and how you can start building your business email direct by using the Onyx Coale contact page, and your request will get to me.

By Onyx Coale

Nothing about respect is simple, but there are a few things you can do to show your child how important respecting others is:

• Be respectful to your child, too. Your kids will do as you do. Give them a polite parent to emulate.
• Do not yell or overreact. Losing your temper only teaches your kids that when you get frustrated or mad it is okay to act out.
• Teach them to use polite greetings and responses, such as “please” and “thank-you” or “yes, sir” and “no, sir.”
• Set clear boundaries for misbehavior. Letting your children know what will not be tolerated gives them a chance to show you respect.

• Praise your children for all of their good work.

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By Onyx Coale

Developing good sleep habits can be a challenge. Here are a few of the most common mistakes:

• Not using or sticking to a bedtime routine. Consistency is the key to a better bedtime routine, even one that is only fifteen minutes long.

• Not enforcing a cool down time before bed. Electronics and play stimulate your baby and kids. Unplugging them for an hour or more before bedtime tells their brains it is time to slow down.

• Letting your child stay up too late. Kids need a lot of sleep; that is when their bodies grow. An early bedtime is the best thing for them, and for you, because we all know that quiet time is like heaven.

• Taking away the crib too early. Do not get so excited for your baby to grow up. Just because they climb out of the crib does not mean they are ready for the security of four crib walls to be yanked from them the next day.

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by Onyx Coale

Your little one is now ready to crawl, walk, or run through the house. You have some serious work to do. Here are some tips to help childproof the house and keep your toddler safe!

• Scope it out at their level. Do not be afraid to get down and crawl around. Your child’s perspective of the world is much different from yours.

• What does your child like? Only you know if they like shiny things or colored objects. Make sure anything dangerous and super tempting to their senses is stowed away.

• Doors, drawers and gates, oh my! Make sure all of these things have childproof latches and are secured, because they are your new best buddies.

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By Onyx Coale

Lying is bad when it is intentional. However, in the world of a preschooler, lying may not be the “big bad wolf” we make it out to be.

Preschoolers tend to forget the truth. Their little brains get overwhelmed by imagination and fantasy, and then they all meld together into one big, spectacular story.

Your child might crave the attention, so make sure he/she knows that you are listening, but real lying is not acceptable.

The next time your son or daughter tells you about the 500 dragons that attacked him or her on the way to the bathroom causing them to draw a mustache on his or her face with lipstick and forgot to wash his or her hands … maybe, just maybe, you will laugh it off and embrace this outer child.

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By Onyx Coale

Childhood obesity is on the rise. Parents everywhere are concerned.

People ask me, “Onyx Coale, how do you look at a five year old or eight year old and assess whether they are at risk for becoming overweight or obese?”

Most of the time a child’s weight issues can be put back on track if you look at the food and exercises choices they make.

Also, pay attention to what you, as a parent, are allowing them to have and do. Children should not be put on restrictive diets or hardcore exercise programs.

However, you can make a difference by making sure they pick an apple instead of potato chips at snack time. Offer healthy choices for meals and encourage your kids to go outside and play, instead of sitting in front of the television.

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By Onyx Coale

Discipline is always the tough part of parenthood. Here are five tips that have stood the test of time:

• Decide what your priorities are as a parent. In other words, the famous ‘pick your battles’ advice.

• Expect that your child will disagree or resist, but stick to your word.

• Consistency will always matter. Getting your child to understand boundaries may take time, a long time in fact, but make sure you are consistent and clear.

• Make sure it is the right time and place for discipline. Long lessons or talking through a tantrum might not be effective in the middle of grocery store or a party: know when to pick up, go home and let the dust settle.

• Remind yourself that YOU are the role model, “Monkey see, monkey do.” So model the behavior you expect from your children.

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What makes a good parent and Educational Issues

We have been going off on a rant today. Sometimes, however, it’s important to shake up parents so you can see the big picture. We are entering a time of extreme polarity in our country. One of the things that goes into what makes a good parent is to focus on what really benefits your family. The education of your children needs to one of the highest priorities. This might seem like an obvious statement but the action step to achieve a level of competence in school isn’t as easy as you might think.

What makes a good parent now means you must set goals for you child to achieve in school. Just as society is polarizing so is the success rate in school. In school, we are seeing a skyrocketing dropout rate and pregnancy on the one end and intense achievement on the other. You, as a parent, are going to have to decide which way your student will go. How are you going to achieve excellence with your child?

What makes a good parent is to learn strategies on how to make sure your child achieves.

Steps to your child’s success in elementary school:

1. Your child should read with you and by themselves everyday.

2. Television should be limited to the weekend

3. Video games should be eliminated or at least limited to the weekend.

4. You should be talking with your child’s teacher what they recommend for speeding up their math achievements.

5. Apply those strategies regularly.

Steps to your child’s middle and high school success:

1. GPA, minimum 3.25, recommended is 3.5 or higher if going to college

2. Regular contact with your child’s teacher and guidance counselor to monitor how they are doing so problems don’t get too far along.

3. Take SAT multiple times.

4. Volunteering at different places, minimum 100 hours.

If you haven’t been watching the news, college tuitions will be going up regularly for now on because of the skyrocketing government debt. So if you want scholarship or grant money your child will have to be in the top 10% of their class. What makes a good parent is not talking about being a good leader to your children. It is living it.

Good luck,

Dr. Bocknek

Dr. Robert Bocknek is the problem solving expert for marriage, parents and families at www.takebackthehome.com and www.keyboard-culture-parenting.com. He can be reached at bocknek@takebackthehome.com. He is author of the “Take Back the Home course” and the “Learning how to Learn course” which can be seen at www.takebackthehome.com.

What makes a good parent, social problems and education

Continuing on with some political venting, I would like to move on to a different angle.

What makes a good parent, in regards to social problems and education, is being responsible in teaching your children about living within a budget, the value of the dollar, and that real values come from within and can’t be bought at the store. Real values and happiness come from parents teaching values that empower. Those values include ethics, responsibility and reasonable expectations based on contribution.

When I was looking at those students march at the Berkeley campus yesterday I couldn’t help but feeling that these kids had no connection between social problems and education as it related to their tuition. These kids were just upset that they would have to actually pay for the amazing education that they wanted. What makes a good parent is, when seeing their kids march, to teach them that the state is in financial trouble and that if they want to be part of that state they have to pay their part. What makes a good parent is to teach their kids that its good to want great things but that great things come with a price tag. America was built on excellence, but great things are earned, great things are created, great things are gotten through hard work. Great things are not an entitlement to be given just because you want it. Continue reading What makes a Good Parent, Social Problems and Education

Yesterday, I was reading about the near riots on the Berkeley Campus. It had me reminiscing to my youth of the turbulent times of the early 70s. Although my editor told me to stay away from politics I wanted to make a few comments about the reality of social problems and education of today.

Winston Churchill once wrote “If you aren’t liberal as a youth, you have no heart, but if you aren’t a conservative as an adult, you have no brain. We are coming into the time where our country will reach a period of reasonably rational thought or a period of seeing the greatest country, maybe of all time, fall into the dark ages. Continue reading Social Problems and Education