What Can Be Done About Nightmares?

Most children awake with nightmares and then are worried about going back to sleep. Nightmares happen during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep. This is a stage that occurs late in the night during the last 1/3 of sleep time.

Nightmares do not occur in adults as often as they do in children. This is because children are taking in new experiences and information much more quickly. Adults are more likely to experience bad dreams or just waking up in the middle of the night.

Nightmares are a normal thing for children to go through. They are a reflection of the many difficult things that kids have to go through. Most of the time nightmares reflect a child’s developing fears of things like spiders or dinosaurs, starting a new school or trying to understand a new problem in life.

There are many things that can cause kids to have nightmares which are outside the realm of normal. Violence on TV, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), sickness (such as flu), Medicinal side effects and a stressful family life.

Children normally start having nightmares from about 6 months of age. Younger children might nightmare about things such as going to preschool and being separated from their parents for such a long time. Older children might nightmare over more serious things like death or real dangers.

When a child awakens from a nightmare they are normally completely aware of their surroundings and conscious. It is likely that they will be very confused and scared. This can be very stressful for you, as parents, and the child.

As with anything, there is a tipping point when you should be worried and when to just ride out the storm. If your child shows any of these signs then Helene Goldnadel suggests you to consider talking to your family doctor or psychologist:

• If there is a large amount of stress in your family
• Your child drools, jerks or stiffens up. This could be seizures.
• Your child's anxiety seems to be increasing.
• If your child goes through a traumatic experience and is still having nightmares plus post traumatic stress symptoms.
• The nightmares start to interfere with daily life and cause a disruption of sleep consistently.
• The nightmares seem to be increasingly terrible and happening more frequently.

There are many homeopathic and prescription medications that can help your child deal with his/her nightmares. Check with your family doctor or naturopath to find out what solution might be best for your specific situation.

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Turning Around the Behavior of Troubled, Defiant Kids

Child behavior programs can be very helpful in terms of changing inappropriate behaviors. If you feel like you've had it up to here with your child's attitude or behavior, then read this article in its entirety because there is a good solution.

If you've tried discipline and other means of trying to change behavior in your kid or teenager, then you might feel that nothing will ever change. If taking away privileges or penalizing your adolescent doesn't work and in some cases, makes him even more rebellious, then you have an issue that you need to attend to immediately. This is not the time to bury your head in the sand and hope that things will get better. Living with an explosive, defiant kids ruins your family life, slowly destroys your marriage and negatively influences younger children in the home. If you don't get a handle on your child's behavior, one day, the authorities will be involved. On top of this, your child is headed straight for an unhappy adult life that is fraught with difficulties and discouragement.

Helene Goldnadel thinks although you can take your child to a counselor or put him in a variety of professional child behavior programs, the most effective way to change behavior starts at home. Since the problem is how you and your child relate to each other, learning how to change it is an opportunity for bonding and is a great way to gain respect from your child as you help him begin the process of transforming his behavior. While taking him to a counselor might be easier, some kids will be unwilling to go, unwilling to do the work or will fail to open up to therapist, not to mention the costs of long term counseling.

Before we look at the benefits of at-home change behavior programs, let's look at what you can reasonably expect from buying and going through such a program. First of all, set your expectations: your child's behavior will not change over night. Although it took years for your child to develop the attitude he shows right now, using the right strategies, you can turn his behavior around in about 3-6 months. Some techniques will work right away and will surprise you with their effectiveness, while others will require more effort and firmness on your part. The steps you use will be simple, although not always easy. You will need to learn new parenting skills. You will learn to treat your child and respond to his defiance, disrespect and anger in a new way that will serve his best interests and motivate him to change.

That said, it's important that you stop yourself from feeling guilty about the need to research child behavior programs for your child. It's not your fault that your child acts like he does. However, now that you realize the long term penalties of allowing this behavior to continue, it is up to you to take the steps necessary to help your child change behavior for good. Once you start using the techniques in the best child behavior programs and your child or teen starts doing better, he will feel better about himself which will make him want to continue doing good things and treating others with respect so he can feel even better about himself and his relationships with others. The bigger truth is: We all want to be helpful and contributing members of our families and society, even kids who are currently disrespectful and rebellious.

Your child needs to discover his full potential and grow up to become a happy, productive adult. Do the work and change behavior now before it is too late. Don't give up on your child. Take action and put your faith in your child's ability to change.

Read also: Family Activities to Reverse Child Obesity by Helene Goldnadel

How Your Child Can Benefit From Counseling?

What is counseling and why is it important?

Child therapy or counseling is a specialized field of psychology that focuses on working with children. It helps children who are discontented, have gone through a traumatic event, have a troubled family life, grief, are going through educational stress, anxiety, and other issues. We have to understand that having mental issues is not an aspect of just adulthood, children can have issues as well. A lot of times children cannot express themselves efficiently and when they express themselves in non-verbal ways it becomes difficult for parents to pick up on their cues as they lack the lack the appropriate knowledge. Working on these problems with a therapist helps break down these problems and helps children and their parents have a better understanding of these issues and cope with them. Therapy is important because it gives them a secure environment where they can express their thoughts, feelings and emotions without being judged.

Does my child need therapy?

These are a few signs discussed by Helene Goldnadel that your child needs professional help -

• They seem withdrawn from family and friends
• There are notable changes in their sleep pattern and/or eating habits
• Misbehaving in school and not being able to focus on studies
• Is a victim of bullying or bullies other children
• They constantly indulge in negative thinking or demonstrate negative behavior
• They seem anxious all the time
• They talk about death or suicide frequently
• Has low confidence or low self-esteem issues
• They engage in self-harm
• They suffer from separation anxiety
• They are unable to focus their attention on studies and their grades drop without any reason.
• Seems disinterested in activities that they once loved
• If there are easily irritable, has mood swings, lethargic and/or express unmerited anger
• If they have behavioral problems

Let's take a look at a few ways by Helene Goldnadel a life coach by which your child can benefit from visiting a child psychologist -

• Therapy does not just provide an immediate solution, it provides long-term benefits as well. A therapist will help your child establish lifelong abilities like being self-aware, watching out for warning signals, seeking help, developing coping mechanisms, and so on.
• A good counseling psychologist will help your child build positive thoughts and a positive outlook to life which in turn elevates their mood and helps them be happy.
• Therapy helps children learn new and efficient ways to solve their problems and come up with solutions.
• A therapist will teach your child to build healthy relationships with family members and friends.
• Counseling can help prevent uncalled for behavior as they grow up because therapy helps them makes informed choices in the future by instilling self-control and patience as well.
• Therapy helps a child build better communication skills by encouraging them to speak about their feelings and share their thoughts.

Sometimes certain odd behaviors and issues that a child displays can be temporary and harmless, which makes waiting it out a good option. But if your child is suffering from any of the above-mentioned signs and if their issues are not addressed it and impede their development. As a parent, you will always get a sense of when your child needs help and it is your duty to get the professional help that your child needs.

Child Development - Does Your Child Measure Up?

Researching normative or normal stages of child development can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned child care veteran or parent. It is not uncommon to find child development literature infused with phrases like "normal behavior", "delayed functioning", "critical periods" or "patterns of attachment" - phrases that leave some parents feeling guilty, confused and concerned about their child's developmental progression.

Although these terms can be useful indicators of whether or not a child is developing to his or her potential, it is all too easy to get caught up in precise time-lines. As a result, we forget that these terms and their corresponding milestones are merely designed as guidelines- helpful hints that we as parents can periodically refer to in our quest to mold smart, well-rounded children. As such, they have a certain degree of flexibility, and should not be used to rigidly establish whether or not Jimmy measures up to his playmates.

Instead, when all things are considered, a child's development is based on more than just academically approved criteria. Family structure, cultural values, social norms, socioeconomic status, and the child's unique traits and characteristics all play a part. A stubborn child for instance may not make toilette training easy but it does not mean he is not developmentally capable. Likewise, a child who does not receive adequate food and nourishment may show signs of delayed physical and intellectual functioning, while the same child will thrive in a home with a full fridge and balanced meals. By combining these criteria, a more accurate developmental estimation can be made.

If you have concerns about your child's development do not hesitate to speak to your doctor - there are things that you can do in the early years of your child's life to promote healthy development.

Also read: Good Eating Habit For a Child by Helene Goldnadel

Preschool to Facilitate Child Development

When a child comes into your life, whether you're a parent, aunt, uncle or grandparent, your role in their development and education is crucial. However, there are several other individuals who you will inevitably entrust with the furthering of their social and academic growth. This process begins with the parent's selection of a high standard and high performance preschool in your area. Nowadays there are several avenues to discover the most highly recommended freestanding facility or elementary affiliated program for the young boy or girl in your life.

For your child, the criteria should always include sensitive and educated instructors, the quality of effective teaching tools, and a diverse learning environment to further your child's emotional and social development in preparation for kindergarten. For you, the parent or daytime caregiver, the most highly qualified location closest to your home or office may even outdo the lessons you have taught the child for the first few years of their life. Enrolling your child in a reputable preschool should feel like you are extending your support system to help your son or daughter continue to grow along with a healthy social and challenging academic path to a bright future. Every stage counts, especially those first five years. Research is revealing more about how a child's dietary (developmental), psychological (emotional coping and processing), or cognitive (mental/reasoning) abilities gain their foundation in their first five years of life.

As Helene Goldnadel says that the process of each child's well-rounded education experience begins at home and extends to the classroom, so when the parents select a positive, structured and supportive preschool environment the rest is up to your child's adherence to the program. The program includes: building a routine, fostering cooperation, reading to them, working with numbers, and fostering creativity. By having such a diverse learning environment, children are able to find their niche and develop a stronger sense of self as a result. They are also able to feel more confident about further academic development with kindergarten in the future. While in preschool they get to spend several hours learning with their teachers and working with the other children, which will only help them prepare for a strong academic future.

In summation, preschools are a great opportunity to provide your son or daughter with extra opportunity to learn and grow with other children in an academic environment. It provides them with the consistency they need to reinforce the structure and support they receive at home.

Also read: Child Development Psychology Explained by Helene Goldnadel