According to a new analysis of children’s well-being that was released recently, about 21 percent of children in the United States will be living under the line of poverty in 2010, which would be the highest rate in 20 years.

Kenneth Land, project coordinator and professor of sociology and demography at Duke University, said that economic well-being of families has plummeted to near 1975 levels.

From Edition.cnn.com:

The Child and Youth Well-Being Index Project at Duke University bases its predictions on 28 indicators of well-being that encompass economic well-being, safe and risky behavior, social relationships, emotional and spiritual well-being, community engagement, educational attainment and health. Researchers predict that although the index is at a low for the decade this year, it will start edging up.

“There are lots of kids out there whose quality of life has already and will decline as a result of the impact of this recession,” Land said.

About 15.6 million children are estimated to be living in poverty this year, but study authors say this number will start going down.

This year, as many as 500,000 children may be homeless in the United States, according to the report.

The report, however, revealed that health insurance coverage for children will not significantly fall. This study was funded by the private philanthropy Foundation for Child Development.

Tags: children, community engagement, health, line of poverty, social relationships, Youth

Raising your child can be the most beautiful thing for you. But if you are a first-time parent, you need to be cautious of certain things so that there are no hurdles in upbringing the child.

Before we read any further, it is important for us to know that upbringing a child starts at home as parents are the first teachers of the child and have significant influence over growth and development of children.

From Healthandsuppliments.com:

Upbringing a child starts at home and you really need to have a lot of patience and information for ensuring success of your upbringing plans. The first step in this process is to talk to your baby. Even though the child may not be able to express his thoughts or answer your questions, he or she will know that you are some one special. In addition to that, try to add words in your talks whenever your child makes sounds. You can even read and sing to your baby. It is interesting to note here that children who listen to music in their early childhood days are known to develop a love for mathematics and music.

Furthermore, never leave your child away from you for long. Try to spend as much of quality time as possible by cuddling and holding him or her. This will bring a sense of care and security, something only your young child can feel. If you want to play with your baby, make sure that he is alert and relaxed and not feeling sleepy else he or she may not be able to pay attention and you may be left disappointed thinking that the activity is not liked.

By following these tips, you can make things simple and fun for you as well as the child.

Tags: child, children, parent, Raising Your Child, upbringing plans, upbringing the child

The relationship between parents and children is too sensitive to discuss. There is no specific method or technique that can be followed to become a good parent but having a friendly relation with your child can surely develop a healthy relationship between the two of you.

Generally, parents think that having a friendly relationship with the child can result in loss of respect in this relation. But they don’t analyze the fact that the gap between parents and children can create a negative impact on the personality of the child.

Children who don’t have good and friendly relations with their parents develop a communication gap that can be caused by negative attitude, low confidence, and not very socialized behavior.

It is worth nothing here that a child learns everything from his or her parents like how to express feelings, how to behave with others, how to love etc. A parent can make the child learn how to value themselves and others in a loving and friendly manner. A healthy relationship of the parents with their children can give a healthy view of life to kids, and if parents don’t give a significant importance to their relationship, it can spoil the life of children unconsciously.

Always remember that you will be closer to your child not only as a parent but also as a friend; they will trust and respect you more each day when you are a friend as well as parent. So mix up with your children and be friendly with them so that they can share everything with you without any hesitations and develop trust in you like a friend, this will surely help them to face the world bravely

Tags: child, children, parents and children, relationship

One thing that is often told by some parents to their children is that they (children) deliberately make things complicated though they are easy. Can you really expect your young children to be on the same platform as you are? If you are, you are completely wrong. Every one learns from his own mistakes and guidance of those he trusts. You may lift a weight or cut vegetables in a few seconds but your child may take it longer than you and he cannot be blamed for that. Try to encourage your child by saying something like, ‘When I was of your age, I found this thing difficult but you really did it to perfection.’ You should not be rude to your child just because you did not get the right treatment from your parents or some one else or for any other reason.

The most absurd thing that a parent can tell a child is that he must never have been born or he is the reason of bad luck. Jesus, how can you talk such bad things even before your child? If you are really making these statements, you really need to have a thought lift or preferably consult a psychiatrist.

In short, try to give love, security, affection, respect, time, and right attitude to your children to help them grow to the fullest. Do not be the first obstructing stone before them by raising a voice whenever they fail or decides to make their own decision.

Tags: child, children, parent, parents

One of the things that can hurt your child deeply is your habit of cracking jokes or be a part of jokes concerning any of his weaknesses. If your child has a problem like stuttering (stammering), autism, or Alzheimer’s disease or any other ailment, you cannot just avoid him or make fun of him or allow others to make fun of him. You need to be really strong in protecting your child from people near him otherwise you are unknowingly denting his confidence and losing his respect for you in the meanwhile.

One mistake that most female parents do is to threaten their child by saying that wait until your father returns. This will make the child traumatized and he will never be able to relish the joy of a father-child relationship. Moreover, passing the buck to your husband undermines your own authority and will mean that your own children will not obey your decision because they will come to know that you cannot do anything. Furthermore, it is totally absurd to ‘encourage’ the other parent by telling him half of the story to get the child beaten or scolded.

It is essential for a parent to realize that young minds are very sensitive and threatening them with statements like ‘I will leave you if you do not hurry up’ is not a good idea at all. Children fear for their safety and look up at their parents to offer them a complete sense of security and by making such statements; you are doing nothing but making them prone to depression, anxiety, insecurity, aggressive nature, and bad habits.

Tags: Alzheimer's disease, autism, child, children, father-child relationship, female parents, hurt your child, Raising a child, stammering, stuttering

The fact that children tend to get influenced by people and surroundings easily is often a cause of concern for all parents. This is the reason why dealing with them and ensuring that they are raised with proper manners and ethics are two of the biggest problems for every parent in this world.

It is commonly found that parents tend to say things that they never should have said when they see things going out of control. There is nothing wrong in influencing your children to act and think right but childhood and adolescence are stages when the young minds can make mistakes and you need to correct them and ensure that they are not repeated. Let us find why there is loss of respect and faith between parents and children.

It is very common with some parents to say to their children to act as per instructions or a witch or monster will come. This is totally wrong as terrifying your own child to get things done is an absurd idea in its entirety. You may make him traumatized and you will lose faith and respect of your child when he will find out that you were telling a lie. It is important to mote here that the authority and regulation of right decision should come from you and not from an imaginary or outside force.

You can help them make better decisions of life but the onus of making a decision must be left on them. Make them learn from mistakes and if they are committing or about to commit a big mistake, act to correct them immediately.

Tags: adolescence, child, childhood, children, parent, parents, young minds