Achievement Radio

Five Top Tips For Running A Home Business

Although losing your job can seem like the end of the world many people have been turning it to their advantage, it's given them the perfect excuse to start again. Some have taken this opportunity to try a new career, maybe go back to education; many have decided to start their own businesses and work from home.

Who hasn't sat in the office on Friday afternoon, spending more time dreaming about working for themselves rather than actually concentrating on what they were meant to be doing? If you've recently found yourself out of work, have spotted a genuine gap in the market you know you can fill, or you've just had enough of your boss, starting up your own business from home and being self employed doesn't have to be as difficult as it may first seem.

If you're starting your own business, it makes a lot of sense to run it from your home, you have no (additional) rent to pay, you don't have the expense of traveling (which in itself can amount up to a whole extra day per week) and you could find it easier to be on hand if needed by friends and family.

You've decided you want to work from home, what are you going to do all day? You'll need an idea; there are a few ways to come up with one, have you spotted a gap in the market you know you could fill? Do you have a hobby or something you normally do for fun you could actually get paid for? Maybe someone's already offering something you know you could do better? There are loads of ways you could start up a home business

Once you've got an idea for your home business, go and sell it. Make a list of all the people/organisations that might be interested in you and approach them, try to speak to them in person or at least over the phone (emails get ignored very easily and buried even easier). You can't afford to burn any bridges so try not to let any discouragement show, they may not be interested in your product or service at the moment but that might change next month or they may know someone else who could be interested. Be friendly, polite and positive and you'll be surprised by how far you get.

You'll also need to consider the more mundane tasks of running your own business from home, if you thought it would mean an end to all that admin and paper work you'd be wrong. You will need to notify your insurance company (especially if you're going to have additional equipment like computers around). Unless your new business is going to be particularly noisy, or involve large lorries rumbling down your road at unsocial hours, going to be producing strange smells, or have large amounts of people rolling through your front door all the time you shouldn't need to inform your local authority if you become self employed. All local authority websites will give you an exact list of criteria you'll need to check though and this will tell you if you need to notify them. Whilst you're doing all your setup admin, don't forget to let the tax man know you're trading from home, as soon as you're incurring any business expense or making any money he'll need to know.

Now you need to get some good exposure for your home business, the easiest step to get your business in the media is to write a press release, and send in a good image. A good press release has a good headline, includes facts and figures and preferably a quote, if you can get endorsement from a celebrity that would be even better. Send it to someone who writes about the kind of things your business is involved in and again follow up with them just to make sure it's a story they would be interested in and the kind of story they'll print.

One last bit of advice when starting your own business, follow the golden triangle, this is spending a third of your time on three things, one is business development (going out and generating new clients), the second is taking care of your existing customer, and the third part is admin, making sure you're registering the vat, keeping the books in order etc. that way you're business stays in order. If you are able to spend roughly a third of your time on each of these areas, you'll find your home business runs as smoothly as possible.

All that's left to do now is enjoy being your own boss!

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For more advice on starting a business from home, visit GuruOnline to watch an exclusive video by Enterprise Nation who are experts on helping people start up and run a home business. All the information is in easy to understand video format and completely free.

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Your Child the Quitter Part One

Copyright © 2009 James Holan

On May 30th of 2009 a nine year old boy accomplished more than some adults do in their entire life time. He achieved his Blackbelt in American Tae Kwon Do after five years of dedication and training. Most people will never in their lives accomplish something of this stature. A large portion of American children will never have accomplished more than an 'A+' on a test or the honor role at school.

Some people may think that accomplishing just the honor role or getting 'A's' is enough to create an outstanding adult but it is not. Simply obtaining good grades does not make a child understand the fundamentals of determination, dedication, and hard work. That is not to say a straight 'A' student will not accomplish great things but has anyone ever noticed that most straight 'A' students also achieve many other awards than just good grades.

When I was going through school I was in the AP (Advanced Placement) classes and I knew for sure that everyone in that room accomplished more than just their 'A' papers. I had friends that played instruments, participated in debate, were in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire USA, and in other extracurricular activities such as basketball, track, soccer, baseball and so forth. I myself was in Orchestra and, surprisingly, the children that always seemed to be in first chair were the AP children. At first I thought it was, I hate to say it, because we were smarter than they were but that was simply not the case.

These 'other' children were intelligent, they even helped me with my math homework when I was having trouble, and they knew all the answers. So I always wondered why they never tried as hard as they could in Orchestra. As I progressed through school and joined other clubs like theater, debate, and poetry interpretation, the reason became clear.

These 'other' children were quitters; they were the children who had no reason to obtain high grades, no reason to audition for first chair in Orchestra or the lead in theater. These 'other' children were the children whose parents were never involved. The more I noticed that the more I became thankful for my own mother who constantly encouraged me to do my best. It was then I realized why the AP students were the AP students, it was not because of increased intelligence but increased involvement.

Their parents, like my own, wanted to encourage them to do their best and let them know that they were loved and cared for. This involvement made these children want to succeed, it taught them not to quit. Their parents were not going to quit on them, so they should not quit on themselves. These were the parents who helped at class functions, who set down to do homework with their children or teens after school, who asked questions, who knew their children's friends, these were the parents who, basically took an interest in their children's life.

By doing this they gave their children a reason to try hard and thus showed them the value of hard work and determination. Almost all of my friends from AP are now either finished with college or obtaining higher degree levels. Of course there are exceptions, there are always exceptions but the vast majority of them have gone on to be successful in life.

And the reason they are successful is because they were taught by their parents that if they failed, if they did not work hard, then there was someone to disappoint. As they grew older that someone became themselves. They did not want to disappoint themselves by failing and therefore they never became quitters. That is to say, they always finished everything the whole way through, even if they hated it.

For instance, if they enrolled in basketball and decides two games in they do not like it, they at least finished out the season because they knew they were part of a team and if they quit they affected the team. But how does this translate into adulthood? Why is it so important for people to not quit as children, to find out look for part two of "Your Child the Quitter."

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http://www.blackbeltshop.com Discount martial arts supplies
http://www.texaskaratedo.com MMA, Taekwondo, Gymnastics and tumbling in Irving and Grapevine TX.

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Your Child the Quitter Part One

Copyright © 2009 James Holan

On May 30th of 2009 a nine year old boy accomplished more than some adults do in their entire life time. He achieved his Blackbelt in American Tae Kwon Do after five years of dedication and training. Most people will never in their lives accomplish something of this stature. A large portion of American children will never have accomplished more than an 'A+' on a test or the honor role at school.

Some people may think that accomplishing just the honor role or getting 'A's' is enough to create an outstanding adult but it is not. Simply obtaining good grades does not make a child understand the fundamentals of determination, dedication, and hard work. That is not to say a straight 'A' student will not accomplish great things but has anyone ever noticed that most straight 'A' students also achieve many other awards than just good grades.

When I was going through school I was in the AP (Advanced Placement) classes and I knew for sure that everyone in that room accomplished more than just their 'A' papers. I had friends that played instruments, participated in debate, were in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire USA, and in other extracurricular activities such as basketball, track, soccer, baseball and so forth. I myself was in Orchestra and, surprisingly, the children that always seemed to be in first chair were the AP children. At first I thought it was, I hate to say it, because we were smarter than they were but that was simply not the case.

These 'other' children were intelligent, they even helped me with my math homework when I was having trouble, and they knew all the answers. So I always wondered why they never tried as hard as they could in Orchestra. As I progressed through school and joined other clubs like theater, debate, and poetry interpretation, the reason became clear.

These 'other' children were quitters; they were the children who had no reason to obtain high grades, no reason to audition for first chair in Orchestra or the lead in theater. These 'other' children were the children whose parents were never involved. The more I noticed that the more I became thankful for my own mother who constantly encouraged me to do my best. It was then I realized why the AP students were the AP students, it was not because of increased intelligence but increased involvement.

Their parents, like my own, wanted to encourage them to do their best and let them know that they were loved and cared for. This involvement made these children want to succeed, it taught them not to quit. Their parents were not going to quit on them, so they should not quit on themselves. These were the parents who helped at class functions, who set down to do homework with their children or teens after school, who asked questions, who knew their children's friends, these were the parents who, basically took an interest in their children's life.

By doing this they gave their children a reason to try hard and thus showed them the value of hard work and determination. Almost all of my friends from AP are now either finished with college or obtaining higher degree levels. Of course there are exceptions, there are always exceptions but the vast majority of them have gone on to be successful in life.

And the reason they are successful is because they were taught by their parents that if they failed, if they did not work hard, then there was someone to disappoint. As they grew older that someone became themselves. They did not want to disappoint themselves by failing and therefore they never became quitters. That is to say, they always finished everything the whole way through, even if they hated it.

For instance, if they enrolled in basketball and decides two games in they do not like it, they at least finished out the season because they knew they were part of a team and if they quit they affected the team. But how does this translate into adulthood? Why is it so important for people to not quit as children, to find out look for part two of "Your Child the Quitter."

---

http://www.blackbeltshop.com Discount martial arts supplies
http://www.texaskaratedo.com MMA, Taekwondo, Gymnastics and tumbling in Irving and Grapevine TX.

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Your Child the Quitter Part Two

Copyright © 2009 James Holan

So how does quitting as a child translate into being a quitter as an adult? If you quit your job you affect your co-workers, you make it harder for them. Even if you hate your job you have to finish your "season" whether it is just waiting for the two-week notice to kick in or waiting six months because that is the earliest the company can find a replacement.

On another note it can even affect how they deal with marriage or their own children. Now-a-days it is so easy to get divorced or to walk out on children or evade child support. Most of the time people who do things like that are quitters. They would rather quit their marriage than work at it, they would rather leave their children than hunker down and own up to their responsibilities because they never had to.

So, with this in mind how do you keep your child from becoming a quitter?

First, become involved at a young age. Most children are very helpful and always want to please their mother and father. It is what they live for before the age of about eleven. If a parent takes an interest in their child when they are young, rewarding them for everything they accomplish, whether it is reading a book, getting a good grade on a test, winning a game, or receiving a merit badge, they need to be rewarded so they associate something positive with accomplishing something good. This will make them want to continue to accomplish things in the future.

Second, get them involved in something. Whether it is a sport, an instrument, or even a ridiculous Japanese card game, put them in something they can set goals in. A good example is the Martial Arts. At the beginning of the article I mentioned a child achieving his Blackbelt after five years of training. He was able to set a goal and follow it all the way up to the Blackbelt level, by doing this he learned a lot of things determination, hard work, focus, and dedication. All of these things will eventually translate into his adult life and even into other things he does as a child and later a teenager.

And finally, third, never stop being involved. Even when your child acts like they hate you, like they do not want you there, or like you are only a burden to them, stay involved. Never give up on your child. By giving up on them you show that they can give up too, that they can quit. Whether you believe it or not, your child always wants you their even if it is subconscious. They want you to see them at their game, they want you to see them get awards, they want you to see them at their play or playing their instrument. Even if it means standing in the back pretending you are trying to hide the fact you are their, they will appreciate it. It might not seem like it when they are telling you your are an embarrassment and not cool, but later when they are twenty-five out of college or have a good job they will remember that their mom or dad was always there, always proud and that you will always be there and will always be proud.

With this knowledge your child will become an adult who will always see thing through because they knew you were once the adult and you always saw them through.

In the end, all parents need to remember is that the only way to make sure your child does not become a quitter is to never quit on them or make them think their accomplishments are not something to be proud of. In short, it is up to you to make sure your child is not a quitter because you are there rule model and if you quit then that tells them it's okay to be a quitter.

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http://www.taekwondosupplies.com Discount martial arts and Taekwondo supplies

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How to Love Your Children Unconditionally

It is important to note that you build and create your children’s self-esteem and self image. The words and actions you choose in interacting with them will have long lasting effects on them for the rest of their lives. This may seem like a no brainer, but the problem that arises is what parents say when they are angry, tired, stressed, and when their child is not listening or obeying. The way you treat your children and the words you use with them matter. Even the things you think about your children matter too, so try to think positive things about them, otherwise they will feel and most likely become the very things you are thinking about. This is called the self-fulfilling prophecy because although the original thought or prophecy may have been false, a child may start to believe it as true, so then their behaviors and reactions ultimately live up to what was expected of him or her. You have a great influence over the way your children feel about themselves.

“Conditioning” is what happens when an individual is exposed to certain things, and then in turn acts or feels a certain way because of what they were repeatedly exposed to. For example, if your parents threatened or said they didn’t love you, or said that they hated you, called you names or put you down when they were angry, you may unconsciously find yourself doing this when you are upset. Perhaps you grew up and vowed never to say those things to your kids or to other people, but do you say them to yourself?

The point is, although children are resilient, when they grow up in a home where they are verbally abused and put down, there will be profound negative effects. Sometimes this comes in the form of self-hate, which can then turn into hate and anger towards others. Remember the saying. You can’t love anyone else until you love yourself. Great wisdom exists in these words.

Be mindful of what you say to your children! If you give them unconditional love and acceptance, they will grow and flourish, learning to love themselves and to be able to have faith and trust in others around them--especially you. By supporting your children in this way they will learn that they can trust in you and they will more likely come to you when they have a problem. All kids struggle with issues with peers at one time or another. It is important that you be there for your child in a supportive and nonjudgmental manner. Don’t you remember what it was like to be a child or teen and how you felt at times like nobody in the world understood you--especially your parents? Didn’t you hate that feeling? Some of the things that children struggle with may seem very trivial, but to them it is their whole world, and their feelings need to be respected. The reason why we are able to help the children and teens we work with is because we really listen and care about what they are saying. If you build this type of relationship with your child, it will be easier to talk with him or her about crucial areas that need to be discussed, such as drugs and sex.

Unfortunately most of what children know about sex is by what the media tells them (i.e. television, magazines, internet), by what their friends tell them, and by their own experiences. It may seem easy enough to just say no sex until you’re married, and while this is a great idea and hope to have for your child, the reality is that many children become sexually active well before marriage. But the truth is, the more you talk with them--really talk with them--about the ins and outs of sex, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, attachment and heartache, they may be less likely to engage in it. Or if they do, they will make better choices about it. This also doesn’t mean just sitting down with them one time and talking about it, you need to check in with them from time to time and ask them about their friends and pressures at school or what they have been hearing.

Once again, try not to judge. This may be very difficult as you may not like what you hear, but it’s better that you know what your children are being exposed to than being left in the dark. This way you can help guide them and give them the support they need to make the right choices. Do not confuse this with having the sole role of friend to your child, because although you do need to be your child’s friend, your role as parent needs to come first. This is also true for discussions about drugs. You need to talk with your children about drugs, and please don’t wait until it is too late. Teach them while they are young, talk to them about what happens to people when they become addicted to drugs, and talk to them about peer pressure. Give them tools and ideas for how to say no. And be aware of what your children are doing, pay attention to their moods and behavior, and if you learn they are doing drugs, get help. Put your foot down, set limits. It is not okay for your child or teen to be using drugs or alcohol--period. And with this be careful what you are modeling for them. If you don’t want them to drink and smoke, it would be wise not to partake in these activities either. Otherwise you will be what your children will correctly call a hypocrite--and nobody wants to listen to a hypocrite. The sad thing is that your words don’t mean much if your actions are saying something else. What you teach your children now will help them to be healthy functioning adults when they grow up.

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Dr. Robert Puff and Elizabeth Lozano, M.A. have a private practice in Newport Beach providing therapy for individuals and families as well as business consulting. Having appeared on numerous media interviews and radio talk shows, they have numerous writings and recordings available on the topics of parenting, stress and anger management as e-books and unabridged audio recordings at their website: http://www.doctorpuff.com/

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Why does your baby fight sleep?

In my experience, the most common reason for a baby fighting sleep at nap time and bedtime is overtiredness.

Babies who sleep poorly in the day often need a lot of parental help to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.

This is because they have become over stimulated through being awake for too long during the day, or due to poor quality naps (typically 30 minutes or less) when out and about.

Time and again people ask me for advice about their baby's night sleep and when I ask about day time naps they say "she won't nap for more than 15 minutes in the day" or, "he stopped napping before his first birthday".

The trouble with this is that these babies are awake for too long a period for their age. As a result they become chronically fatigued, find it harder to fall asleep, and/or stay asleep. Sleep problems then start to arise because parents assist their babies to sleep.

Of course, some babies really do need less sleep than others and can tolerate longer periods of time awake. But if your baby is finding it hard to settle to sleep, doesn't nap well in the day, and/or is waking regularly throughout the night, I suggest you look first at the amount of day sleep she is having and the length of time she is staying awake.

By keeping an eye on your baby and noticing her tired signs you will quickly learn how long she is able to stay awake and remain content. As soon as she starts to fuss, become frustrated, rub her eyes, or show other signs of tiredness, it's time for her to sleep.

Your baby is an individual and only she can show you how long she is happy to be awake without becoming overstimulated. Some approximate 'contented awake' times are:

0 - 3 weeks (15 - 30 minutes)

3 - 12 weeks (30 - 90 minutes)

3 - 7 months (1 - 2 hours)

7 - 12 months (2 - 3 hours)

1 - 2 years (3 - 5 hours)

2 - 3 years (5 - 8 hours)

All babies are different and these awake times are just a guideline. Interestingly, babies seem to have their shortest, 'contented awake' time in the morning and these then increase as the day goes along. So the longest period of 'contented awake' time is at the end of the day.

For example a seven month old baby may need a nap 1 hour and 45 minutes after waking in the morning. She is likely to then have a further two naps in the day and may be contentedly awake for three hours before her final sleep.

If your baby is staying awake for a longer period of time than is right for her age, she is very likely fighting sleep due to overtiredness. Alternatively, she may fall asleep at the end of the day straight away due to exhaustion (I call this a "dead" sleep). But she will probably then wake regularly through the night because she was over stimulated before bedtime.

Another reason why your baby may fight sleep is that she isn't given enough time to wind down before she is put down for a sleep. Your seven month old may be playing happily. She's been awake for about two hours and she starts to fuss. First she becomes frustrated with her toys, then she starts to rub her eyes with the back of her hand.

You know she's tired so you pick her up and put her in her cot. She shouts, screams even. In and out you go, trying to settle her, until she is beyond tired. Eventually, you get her up, concluding that she wasn't ready for a nap after all. This is a scenario I often hear about.

When you put your baby down for a nap, it's really important you do it as soon as she's tired because the window of opportunity here is quite small. Taking just ten minutes to finish what you're doing before taking your baby for a nap could mean she ends up overtired and will need a lot more help from you to fall asleep.

As soon as you see your baby is tired, take her to where she sleeps and then spend some time preparing her for her nap. The older your baby, the more time this will be. For example, a 2 year old may have been awake for 4 hours and will need maybe 20 minutes of calming down before a nap. A 4 month old baby may just need a five minute cuddle in a dark room until he is relaxed and ready for sleep. The aim is to help your baby become drowsy and ready to sleep.

At the end of the day, the preparation for bedtime will be longer, probably involving a bath and some music so your baby knows it's night time.

A tired (not over tired) baby, who has been prepared for sleep through a calming routine, will find it much easier to fall asleep without your help for naps. If your baby has napped well in the day and is tired and drowsy before bedtime she will be able to settle herself to sleep without too much intervention from you. Which is essential if you want your baby to sleep through the night without your help.

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Lucy Fitzgerald is co-founder of Sleepytot, where they're passionate about helping babies and toddlers learn to sleep through the night. Visit Sleepytot to access lots of friendly baby sleep advice and claim your FREE baby sleep guide.

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5 Reasons to Remember Why Being a Teenager is Rubbish

We fondly look back on our youth with a wistful longing to grab back those days of carefree attitudes and lack of responsibility. Long before work takes over our lives and our own children begin taking centre attention, those years of first independence and fun seem in retrospect to be an ideal time of life.

How peculiar that we omit from memory the various parts which make 13-19 an awkward, unsure and for many, a very lonely time of life. The Acne, the shyness around those of the opposite sex and the confusion about what is cool and what our peers think of us. All in all, it is simply rose tinted glasses which makes those formative years seem so romantic.

So as a reminder to all those longing to turn back the clock, here is (albeit a tongue in cheek) look back at why those years are in fact rubbish.

1)Spots. Facing facts, they easily destroyed a much anticipated Saturday night social between going to bed on the Friday and waking up to "crater moon" in the morning. You wipe away the sleep in the morning and BANG - zit central. There really isn't any chance that you'll be making a superb impression on that boy/girl at the party. (Never would it cross your mind that it across town he or she is going through the same "crisis")

2)Growth Spurts. Some people have to go through terrible growing pains, some have it worse and don't grow at all! It's a raffle which for some reason, always picked the same few winners. Speed forward those years and you'll realise now that those early spurts of growth would have left them with the harshest that stretch marks could have had to offer. There are no winners here!

3)Parents. Now we are them, or planning to be them, we know we're not as controlling / embarrassing / annoying as our own were - but then who are you kidding! You have to realise that all become as uncool as our own parents were.

4)Cars. You've got a poster of a Lamborghini on your wall, but your driving in a clapped out ford. Your never going to pick up girls in that - especially when the pretty girls all now have older boyfriends with more money and much less embarrassing cars. Ah well, beats the bus!

5)Sex. You want it, you dream about it, you talk about it - you ain't getting it. Actually, come to think of it, there isn't that much difference to adulthood on that one!

So whilst we long for the grass is greener view of youth, let's remember the old adage that you are as young as you feel - only now we've got the added attraction of experience.

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Want to put that experience to use - Why not think about skin needling using a Dr Roller . Helping you regenerate the skins natural ability to keeping healthy and young looking.

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A Healthy Diet for Teenagers : Is This An Exercise In Futility?

Really, a healthy diet for teenagers, how's that work?

I know, I know, you may be skeptical of how you could possibly pull off getting your teenagers to eat healthy. They're never home and they don't listen, right? Well, don't despair, you can do what you can do, make your best effort, and hope that it will have some impact on them. I'm sure it will.

So what's a parent to do with their teens to keep them eating healthy? Teenagers have a lot of growing to do and truly need an abundance of vitamins, minerals and other good stuff. My kids are still small, so they don't have all the choices that older kids do. Teens are exposed to so much junk, it can be a real challenge.

I think the greatest advice is to do your best to eat regularly with your teen. I do understand how difficult this could be for working parents and busy teens who may also be working. The value to eating together, though, is so much more than just providing a healthy diet for teenagers. Having a meal together is a great time to talk about their lives. And yes, even though I'm old now, I do recall that teens don't want to talk to their parents about much. But you gotta try to keep those lines of communication open, right?

In the March 2009 issue of Family Circle, a great article said, "Teens who eat regularly with their families have better diet and are more likely to get high grades and experience overall psychological well-being. They're also less likely to abuse substances and suffer from anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating." So it's so worth the effort to coordinate schedules.

A healthy diet for teenagers is similar to that of an adult or kid's healthy diet. It's just that it is so much MORE. When they get into those big-time growth spurts, it's amazing how many calories they can burn through. I can only imagine, as my kids are little, and I'm sometimes astounded at how much those little munchkins can put away. You want to make those calories count as much as possible, not just be empty waste like candy bars and soda. Keeping a good supply of healthy foods available at home is a great way for the whole family to eat better.

One specific concern is calcium intake. Calcium is a very important component in a healthy diet for teenagers. Getting enough calcium may not be that difficult but if your teen drinks much soda, they can be offsetting that calcium consumption. Soft drinks contain phosphorus which can cause calcium loss.

I'd recommend on-the-go items you can toss to them as they run out the door. Apples, of course, are perfect. Ziploc bags, while not great for the environment, are super for packaging a healthy snack. Nuts or dried fruits are excellent choices.

I think in the end providing a healthy diet for teenagers is much the same as for the rest of us. Making the effort is half the battle. Instilling good habits early will help. Do what you can. One other suggestion I really liked was to make one night their night to cook. Plan it ahead so you have the ingredients needed. When I moved out on my own, I really didn't know how to prepare my own meals. So there was about a year where I mostly ate Hardee's and cereal. Perhaps this could have been avoided had I been more involved in meals at home. Probably not, but it's worth a shot!

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Jennifer is a caring, real-world weight loss coach, specializing in assisting busy women with quick and easy weight loss. If you have tried every diet gimmick and exercise program with little to no lasting success, check out the $176 gift certificate at http://www.quick-weight-loss-success.com

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What to Do When Your Teenager is Stood Up

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go:

It can happen ... to both your son and your daughter alike ...

Your child gets ready for a “big date” and ends up being “stood up.” The other teen who your child has scheduled a date ends up not showing or cutting out without any notice your own teenage child. Odds are that at some point in your own life you have experienced such a dreadful turn of events.

If you face a point in time when your teenager has a planned date that doesn't pan out because the other teen does not show or what have you, there are some steps that you can take to make the situation more easily managed by your child.

First of all, you really can be a bit proactive in regard to this potential problem. When it comes time for your child to start dating, you may want to share with your teen some of the good and some of the bad experiences you had in your own dating career. This can include letting your child know about any occasion when your own planned date failed to appear.

Second, when your child ends up being left at the stoop by a date, do not swoop down on your child immediately. Your teenager is going to feel bad on a number of levels. Included in these emotions will be a sense of embarrassment. Therefore, in the immediate aftermath of such an occurrence, give you teen some space. But, in doing so, let your teenager know that you are around, know that you are available to talk when your child feels up to it.

Third, do not make light of the situation. Do not make a statement like “win some, lose some” or anything else to that effect. While an adult might – might – be able to make light of being “stood up” by a prospective date, a teenager typically has not reached point in his or her life that he or she will feel like joking about the situation in its immediate aftermath.

Finally, do not immediately encourage your teenager to go out and find someone else to go out on a date with after a situation like that described in this blog post. Yet another statement you do not want to make is something to the effect that “there are other fish in the sea.” Yes, this is the case. But, immediately after a date that was planned not transpiring, this is yet another thing that your teenager is not going to want to hear.

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3 Keys to Being a Successful Parent!

There are many things that come to mind when you think of rearing and raising a child to adulthood. As parents we all desire for our children to become successful contributing members of society. The other side of this coin is that many parents do not succeed at this task for various reasons and the lack of money is no the main culprit.

The following principles have nothing to do with the "freedom of choice" your child will exercise as he or she becomes of age, but what these keys will do is allow your child to be secure in their decision making and that is ultimately what will allow them to become their own person and not just a rendition of you.

The three keys to being a successful parent come down to:

1) Validation

2) Accountability

3) Appreciation

Validation is at the top of the list because all children want to know that they are here because their parents purposed to make their birth a reality. This key is reinforced by the actions you take concerning their presence in your life. You must make the time needed to show your child that they are important to you. When they excel at anything in life (you) be the first to celebrate with them regardless of how simple the task may be. When they do well at school make sure to take the time off work and attend the ceremonies at school. Show them that college is important by consistently saving some amount of money for them and let them know that you have been saving since their birth. Validation is more about showing through action how important your child is over anything else you can imagine.

Accountability is in the middle of the list because this is the "boundary teacher." All children welcome boundaries because it gives them a measuring point to know where not to go in their decision making. As a parent you must fully explain the rules, regulations, and guidelines along with the consequences for each violation if not followed. The areas that most parents seem to go wrong in is making sure your child understands by having them repeat back to you exactly what was said and what is expected.

Why must you do this, you ask? This step is crucially important because you will be utterly surprised at how the information that you so poignantly stated, gets lost in translation in a child's mind based on a symptom I refer to as "I thought you meant this, when you made that statement...When handing out the consequence actions or punishment this step will be priceless. You should always follow through with the consequence action or punishment to show consistency for respecting the rules you have laid down. When their faces change and angry shows up, just remind them that is was their poor choices that put them in that particular predicament. This step helps them to fully understand why they should fix their facial expressions quickly and to make sure that they are not attempting to get mad at the wrong person.

Now it's time for the great tension breaker of the big hug or some form of affection while reinforcing that you love them and are not mad at them, just disappointed in the particular choice that was made. Rest assured that this "touchy feely part" will allow them the ability to learn the necessary lessons, without thinking that your love for them is in jeopardy.

Once the consequence actions or punishment has been paid in full, I recommend that you sit down with them and have a quick debriefing, lessons learn type of talk. Make it into a, "what other choices could you have explored with that particular situation?" conversation. This will allow them the ability to do a mental redo, on the action that they took, only this time with a successful outcome, which will empower them for the next choice they make.

Appreciation is my last successful parenting key and it's probably not what you are thinking about when it comes to true appreciation? Parents are often quick to dismiss the acts of appreciation your child will present to you; be it the funny card they drew in school or how they tried to help you wash the car or dishes. You need to be ever mindful that their lack of proficiency in these tasks should never overshadow their need in wanting to share these tasks with you. You should show your appreciation by encouraging these tasks whenever the opportunity presents itself. The key is to focus on their heart, the true motive, of these acts while showing them your appreciation. This key will solidify, within your child, a lesson of true service for others in a light hearted joyful sense.

When you master the 3 successful parenting keys you are guaranteed a child that society will thank you for giving to the world.

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Anthony is an accomplished writer, author, painter, sculptor, artist, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker; he encourages his readers to look within to extract all the necessary answers to life's many questions. Anthony K. Wilson, Sr. is the owner of http://create-sun.com

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