Preparing Yourself for When Your Kid Goes to College

August 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Doctor Doctor

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College is even more necessary to find a good job, and even more expensive. While the financial aspect is certainly something to consider, your child’s attitude is equally important to make college worth their time and your money. Here are a few things you should consider when thinking about how to put your kid through college.

 

Prepare financially. Everyone talks about opening a trust for their baby for their college fund, but few actually do it. If you have money when your kids are small, it is incredibly wise to find an investment. Don’t want to do it yourself? Hire an online trading broker who can invest your money wisely without you having to stress out about it. Even if your kids are older, investing your money is always a good idea.

 

Prepare mentally. Prepare your child to appreciate the benefits of a college degree. One of the best ways you can do this is by instilling a love of learning in your kid that will make them excited about (some) of their college classes. Encouraging them to find a major that truly interests them will help them appreciate their classes and excel. Remember, there is debate on whether it matter what their degree is in as long as they have one, so don’t squash their dreams of being an art major too quickly.

 

Do what’s best for your kid. Even if you have the money to cover your child’s college expenses, think about what will make them most appreciate the privilege of getting a college degree. Requiring them to pay a part of the cost of college could make them take it a little more seriously. Whether its through work, studies or a summer job, having them invest in their own future is a good thing.

 

College is a critical time in your child’s life, so prepare yourself early both mentally and financially to help them get the most out of it.

Filed Under: General, Parenting Tagged With:

Key Teen Development Tips for Parents

July 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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You are raising a teen. That means that you have one of the biggest challenges to face. You need to take these people who were children and make them into productive members of society. It is not an easy task to do, though. Development of teens is often best in hands on environments.

Tips for Success

When it comes to teen development, you do have options. It is a good idea to spend some time focusing on what your teen’s need are and what your concerns are. The following tips can help you.

  • When it comes to parenting teens, realize that it is a challenge. Everyone struggles at least a bit with the process. However, teens are testing the boundaries. They want to see what the consequences are.
  • Realize that there is a great deal to teach teens. You need to teach them how to drive and how to note do drugs. You may need to teach them how to manage money, such as by using a Reach prepaid card. There is a lot to teach but taking it step by step helps.
  • You need to realize that you are not the only one to educate your child. He or she will learn from teachers, other students and other adults. Sometimes this can be a challenge in itself.

As you consider the development of your teen, realize that if you take an active role in helping your child to grow, you will be fine. Most often, knowing their parents are there is all these kids need.

Filed Under: Advice, Family, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Build a Relationship with Your Child

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Building a relationship with your child is not impossible. Heck, we even used to think that things like hughes net satellite and airplanes are not possible. Two key ingredients are all that are needed in building a relationship: time and patience. With a good supply of these items a parent has what it takes to make a good relationship with their child.

Time is valuable. A parent places value on their time, even if they don’t get paid by the hour in their work. Adults have priorities that are in different orders for different people. The parent may set aside time for their work and a hobby or sport like golf. This parent should also set aside time to relation to their child. Staying in tune with what is important to the youngster can help keep them on a productive path while evaluating their feelings and goals. An adult that doesn’t make time for their kids can find the children in trouble with no guidance from them. Tasks completed in this process range from asking about schoolwork, friends and even their wants and needs. Time with a parent allows children to check in and get feedback on how they are leading their lives.

Having patience is an important part of raising a child. As kids learn, they will make mistakes. A parent can have patience and help them learn during the process so, hopefully, the mistake is not repeated. These kinds of lessons can last a lifetime. Displaying patience can help the child feel comfortable coming to their parent with a problem or mistake. Building a good relationship with your child can lead to them making good decisions when they don’t have a parent to turn to. Setting a child up for success later in life is priceless.

Filed Under: Family, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Save Money and Teach A Lesson

July 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In today’s world, parents face many difficult responsibilities. Parenting a teen in the throes of rebellion can seem almost impossible. Drugs and alcohol, the horror of teenage driving, medical needs, and education can quickly mount up. The problems can combine to create an enormous financial strain on parents, one that needs a manageable solution. One idea is to work with your teenager to develop a budget for their clothing needs. Online shopping and a Reach Prepaid Card can help you control your teenagers spending while teaching them a valuable lesson.

Aside from medical needs and education expenses, one of the biggest money drains on parents is buying their teenagers clothing. Today, teenagers are under an enormous amount of pressure to feel like they fit in. They do this primarily with the clothing they wear. As a parent, you can aid their development by helping them understand the cost associated with clothing. Consider developing a yearly clothing allowance and using a Reach Prepaid Card to pay for the clothing.

Remember that your teen does not yet have the discipline to understand spending a budget over a period of a year. Because of this, it is important to reload the card several times over the course of the year. For example, if you have budgeted $1000 for their clothing, consider loading their Reach Prepaid Card at four times during the year, $250.00 each time. This will help make sure they stick to their budget.

Parenting a teen is costly, but, by enlisting their help, you can work to keep some of the costs in line while teaching them a valuable life skill.

Filed Under: Advice, Counseling, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

How To Teach a Teen Financial Discipline

July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Bought a travel wallet :(

Image by mroach via Flickr

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is teach your teen how to manage and respect money. A young adult with good financial discipline has a better chance at being an independent adult.

Don’t Spend What You Haven’t Earned

As soon as your teenager is old enough to get a job, you should demand he do so. The fastest way to get a kid to respect money is to make him earn his own. Once he understands the value of a hard-earned dollar, the rest of the money education will be pretty easy.

Kids need to know that it is best to pay cash for the things they want. Reinforce the importance of saving money for those things. Since you’ll be paying for medical needs, food, shelter and basic clothing, make your teen buy the extra stuff. Help him learn how to save and budget. As he develops a new responsibility for money, you might even want to give him a Reach prepaid card so he can begin to learn about credit, too.

Make Sure Credit Cards Are Your Teen’s Responsibility

If you choose to get your kid a prepaid credit card, make sure it’s his money that you use to set the limit. Make him reload it. This is a great way to help your child visualize money that he doesn’t necessarily “see.” People get into financial trouble with credit when they start to think about those loans as something to worry about tomorrow.

As your child learns to use his card, he’ll also be building his own good credit score. That will be a great help when he’s ready to step out on his own. Make money management a key part of your child’s education.

Filed Under: Counseling, General Tagged With: , ,

Parenting Teens

July 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Parenting teens can be hard on both the teen and the parent. Depending on the issues that are at hand, parents may feel like their teens are out of control, and that they need help. This is not a bad thing, in fact, reaching out for help and understanding your limitations will help your child correct their behaviors. Often times parents feel that they need to have all of the answers, but in reality they don’t.

Sit Down and Talk

Sit with your teen and talk about issue that you feel they are having. Instead of accusing them, inquire about their life and try to get a feel for what is going on with him or her. This will give you an indication is there is a problem. Sometimes teens just need more independence. Things like a reach prepaid card is a great way to let feel grown up without letting them go crazy.

Begin to develop a relationship with your teen so that there is a level of comfort between the two of you. If the line of communication are opened up, then the talking, bonding, and healing can begin. For teens this is a hard process because they either feel ashamed of their actions, or are afraid you won’t understand.

The biggest deterrent for teens to have a relationship with their parents is the fact that they don’t want to be belittled or scrutinized. Maintain a respectful flow of conversation, and allow them to speak. To relieve the pressure, repeat what they said in your own words. This will really help them see that you understand.

Filed Under: Counseling, Family, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Helping Your Teen to be a Responsible Driver

July 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When it comes time for a teenager to drive, parents are often concerned at how their child will handle this new and important responsibility. They can guide their teen through this process to create a knowledgeable, safe driver for the road.

When a teen first starts to drive, one lesson that parents can teach is financial responsiblity. The teen has to understand how to budget money for expenses such as gas, insurance and car maintenance. They can learn this through using a reach prepaid card and being taught the basics of monthly budgeting. Parents are role models for their teen by showing them how to save and to put bills before personal desires.

Enrolling your teenager is a driver’s education course is the perfect way to get them solid teaching on how to drive. These are offered through local schools during the summer, where your child will get both classroom and hands-on experience driving. Safety is one of the primary lessons taught, preparing your teen for unlikely events that may come up while driving. This is a good choice if you don’t have the time to teach your teen yourself.

You should also discuss with your teenager the danger of drinking and driving, driving while talking on a cell phone and driving aggressively. There are many videos and information guides available on these subjects from various organizations and the government. The time spent teaching your teenager to be a better driver will give you peace of mind and put a safer person in the driver seat.

Filed Under: Education, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

How to Buy an Affordable Car for Your Teen

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When buying an affordable car for your teenager there are a few things to keep in mind.

Know Your Budget

Once you have worked out how much you can afford to spend on the car, stick to it. Your teenager may have ideas on what they want that are way out of your budget. Be firm with them and explain that it won’t be any more than the amount you have designated. Or they can save up and chip in for the rest of the amount if it is over your budget. If you have an existing car loan, you can look into car refinance to add to the budget.

Do Your Research

If you are buying a new car do your research to find the most economical model. A car may have an affordable price, but the upkeep may be too much for you and your teen to maintain. Look at aspects such as gas usage per mile, service checks to keep the car under warranty, and the cost of parts. Locally made cars will have cheaper parts compared to imported cars. If you are buying a used car, enlist the help of someone who knows about cars to help you make your choice.

Talk to Your Teen

Once you have figured out your budget and narrowed the car choices down to a few, talk to your teen about the responsibility involved. By doing this you will be able to gauge their level of awareness and responsibility when it comes to owning and taking care of a car.

Keeping the above in mind will make the process easier for you.

 

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Tips That Help Establish Rules for Your Teenager

May 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

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Learning how to discipline your teenager is one of the hardest things parents have to learn. Parents are often afraid that if they discipline their teenagers in the wrong way it could lead to their children hating them for the rest of their life. It is this fear that causes many parents to ignore disciplining their teenager and allow the child to become out of control. However, if disciplining your teenager is done in the right way your child will have some structure and you will not have to worry about them hating you for the rest of your life.

Here’s a look at some tips on how to discipline your teenager.

Discuss Your Feelings

It is important to discuss your feelings with your child when you are disciplining them. This allows them to see where you are coming from and why you disapprove of what they did. At the same time remember to listen to your child’s feelings as many children feel misunderstood and that can lead to problems.

Consequences for Their Actions

You need to lay out consequences for your child’s actions. They need to know that if they do something that is not approved of, there will be consequences. Consequences can range from taking away their allowance so they can’t afford their Coogi clothes or taking away Internet access for a week or so. Just make sure that the consequences are appropriate for the situation.

Disciplining your teenager can be tough but following some of these tips can help you develop a system that works for you and your child.

Filed Under: Parenting

Development Supplements Home School

March 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In some situations the opportunity for educational development to a home school a child is priceless. A good education can be available in addition to the parent spending thousands of hours with their child that would otherwise be spent in a public or private school system. A parent can impart great knowledge to their student but there may be a crucial element missing if not addressed. Attending classes in the home may insulate the child from interaction with their peers. This can be a detriment when the student goes off to college or begins their career.

Communications skills can be defficient in a student schooled at home. They spend most of their time interacting with a parent and perhaps a sibling. This can lead the student to being deficient at listening and conversational skills if they do not have the opportunity to practice. Joining clubs or associations can be a great way to explore learning opportunities beyond the home while getting a chance to mingle and communicate with people their own age.

Teamwork may be another skill that can be developed outside of the home school environment. Most traditional schools offer team activities beyond regular athletics like chess and science competitions. The skills from working together on a team are desirable in many workplaces and are thus stressed in the college environment, too. Again, joining a club or association that allows the student to work with their peers on projects or goals like sports can be a valuable experience that they may not be exposed to at home. But browsing educational resources like accredited online colleges from home is far more beneficial for development of kids.

Communication and teamwork can be vital parts of a child’s development. Making sure that students are exposed to these opportunities can reap a lifetime of benefits.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: , ,
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