Being in control of your emotions requires discipline. If you lose control of your emotions, this is a parental mistake that you need to get a handle on. Discipline has nothing to do with acting out of anger, or punishing your child because you are mad. As a parent, you need to be effective with your discipline, always thinking things out. Just like in the courts, you have to use that level of restraint. Obviously, all parents are susceptible to losing their temper every now and then. It’s all about not letting your emotions rule you, and disciplining your children using reason. Any parent that is really in control should always allow the reason to control their decisions, not their emotions, which can make them inconsistent and ineffective.

A common error made by parents is engaging in an overly strict way of handling their children. This will impose a dramatic imposition on your kids and they won’t have the opportunity to participate in decision making. This method always has extreme connotations, with a strong price to pay. This will likely get your child’s attention, but it may not have been a good idea down the road. This may put a chip on your child’s shoulder that will make them antagonistic and harsh towards people later on. Rather that respond to assignments because they can comprehend the reasoning behind them; they are programmed react because of fear. In many cases, children brought up this way will only follow the rules when they think someone is watching. You should want your children to be inquisitive and try to understand not only what you are asking of them, but why also.  Make sure children have guidelines and rules to follow, don’t let them spend hours watching online TV channels, give them quotas or specific times that it’s allowed. 

Make sure that every child realizes that they are an individual. You need to remember this too! You should never compare your child to someone else if you want them to behave in a certain manner. Parents with more than one kid, make this mistake very often. By doing this, you are suggesting that the other child (which could be their brother or sister) is better than they are which is not a good thing to do. Friends or neighbors kids, they should never be used in this way. No matter what you do, your children will have difficult these in one way or another. If you compare one child against another, you will build resentment between the children, or cause them to feel competitive in someway. No matter what you do, every child is going to have good and bad points that you have to accept because that is the way they are. 

Discipline is an important but challenging part of being a parent. As you have just read, there are many mistakes the parents can make when it comes to disciplining their children. You probably have to work on a few of the areas that we have discussed in this article. Just do your best to correct them. If you persist in practicing a fair and evenhanded style of discipline, your kids will eventually respond in a positive manner.

It’s not easy for parents, it was highlighted by a conversation I had with a mother outside my son’s school.  When I tell my son to stop watching TV he will inevitably move to something else based on a screen.  Whether it’s a computer, Xbox or even a tablet or iPad – it seems like our children’s whole lives are built around screens.

It’s a feeling I can relate to, we introduced a no computer games day twice a week, unfortunately that has just changed into a ’watch TV day’ instead.  The benefits seem rather negligible to say the least.  Most of my childrens homework is also online introduced by the school which makes it even more difficult.

I discovered the other day that my child banned from all big screens in the house, had discovered another avenue.  He was watching TV shows on my iPad in secret, streaming childrens TV from the United Kingdom.  I suppose I should be grateful he was watching BBC Iplayer using this – watching Iplayer on an Ipad abroad, at least it was a little more educational than most of the stuff on Hulu.

I will continue my attempts, I’m simply scared that my children will have little real life skills if I don’t.  A report I read the other week suggested that a child born today will have spent a year of it’s life in front of a screen by the age of seven.  It’s a scary thought, but a statistic that is instantly believable to anyone who has a teenage son or daughter!

It made me think how ridiculous I had  been, but perhaps the reality is that mothers of young children often feel a little helpless – perhaps it’s lack of sleep!  I managed to get some advice about Turkey in general and when I discovered there were two large European supermarkets near where we were staying in Izmir I began to rather look forward to the adventure.

It couldn’t have gone better, the Turkish people are lovely with children including the men.  It is actually easier to visit a cafe or shop with a little one as they’ll always help and make a fuss of my little boy.  Eating out in the evenings was something we learnt to enjoy, much more relaxed that in the UK.  Children seem to accepted much more readily as part of day to day life.

There was one small problem which I had and that was TV.  The kids channels were not very exiting and my little boy was forever pining for the Tellytubbies and In the Night Garden.  Fortunately someone gave me some help and explained that with a little trickery I could actually watch them on my laptop through BBC Iplayer.  I had tried this previously but it didn’t work as Iplayer only works in the UK but I was pointed at this wonderful web page - http://www.theninjaproxy.org/tv/how-to-use-a-bbc-iplayer-proxy/.  This explained how I could use something called a proxy server to change my location to look like it was in the UK.  It did cost a few pounds for the subscriptio but only the cost of a bottle of wine a month (not Turkish wine though!).  It turned into a godsend, I could even download the latest adventures of Iggle Piggle and we’d watch them together.

I know I could have managed perfectly well without UK TV shows, but it made our stay so much more relaxing!

For some people Bangkok is a noisy, polluted and congested city and not an ideal place for a mother and baby or mother and infant to visit. While these characterizations are not totally unfounded it would be wrong to claim that Bangkok is not family friendly. The city has lots of things for kids to do and enjoy. The experience of Bangkok from a child and mother’s point of view can be wonderful: it very much depends on planning.

For a start there are many family friendly hotels in Bangkok that have excellent facilities such as swimming pools, gyms, play rooms and restaurants. Bangkok is excellent value for 4 star hotels. Also areas like Chidlom offer plenty of park and green space that are free of noisy and sleazy bars. Choosing the right hotel is half the battle won when it comes to a family friendly holiday.

Next is where to visit. If the child is old enough a great half day can be had taking the Chao Phraya Express boat up and down the river visiting the main tourist sites like Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and Wat Arun.

If you have the time it is great to take a tour farther afield. There is Dreamworld. It is Thailand’s answer to Disney World. There are lots of rides and other attractions. And it only costs $15 entry.

For children who like to see animals there is Thailand’s largest open air zoo about 40 minutes away by taxi. It is called Safari World. There is also Siam Ocean World in the Siam Paragon Shopping Centre: it is the largest aquarium in South East Asia.

There are also places like Funarium especially designed for children to have fun and explore in a safe environment.

You can see cultural shows, tiger shows, snake shows. You can go ice skating or bowling. You can visit the cinema. You can go to a planetarium. There really is more than enough to keep a child happy in Bangkok for a month of Sundays.

This is the generation that traveled to India, South America, Africa etc. and have since gotten good jobs and started a family. These people don’t want the unglamorous holidays they experienced as children. Rather, they want to re-visit their favorite places from their traveling days. One of these favorite places is Thailand. Since the 1970s Thailand has been one of the most popular backpacker destinations in the world.

The only thing to be aware of is that Thailand has changed since the 1980s. Those people considering on taking their kids to Koh Samui or Phuket might want to think again. These places have been spoiled by overdevelopment, high pricing, prostitution and pollution. They continue to pull in package tourists but the more discerning families are heading to new destinations in Thailand.

Khao Lak is an hour’s drive north of Phuket and offers miles and miles of golden sand beaches. The resorts in Khao Lak are good value, clean and suitable for families. There are plenty of beaches to choose from in the Khao Lak area. There are the central beaches of Nang Tong and Bang Niang, and then there are the more remote beaches of Bangsak, Khuk Khak, Pakarang, Lamru and Lamkaen. For those who really want to get away from the beaten track there is the nearby island of Koh Kho Khao that offers beaches, bird watching and an ancient village.

Khao Lak has plenty to do other than swim in the sea or resort pool. There is Khao Lak National Park to explore that includes both rainforest and coast. There are also the world famous dive spots of the Similan Islands to head for. Not far to the south is Phang-Nga Bay that has great sailing as well as James Bond Island and the Floating Island to visit.

It might be that the children will fall in love with a different part of Thailand to the one their parents did, but that’s because the times are a changing.

For babies, the recommended toys are ones that are brightly colored, can make noise, have texture and are safe to put in a baby’s mouth. Babies and/or infants are stimulated through their sense of sight, hearing and touch. They also tend to put everything they can grab into their mouth, so you better make sure that there are no small pieces or parts of the toy that can cause your baby to choke.

If you have toddlers, you may have noticed that they are often full of energy and are often curious of the things around them. They play games imitating adults, run around and exploring or read books and solving simple puzzles. The best toys that you can provide for your toddler would be ones that can allow them to use their imagination and satisfy their curiosity. If your child is inclined to reading or solving simple puzzles, then giving them a book with colored illustrations or simple puzzles will surely be an enjoyable treat for them. You can also provide them with toys that can allow them to imitate what you do like plastic cooking toys for girls and plastic carpenter tools for boys. Aside from those, you should also provide your toddler with toys that can allow them to expend their energy like lightweight balls, push/pull carts, etc.

For older kids, they will enjoy more complex toys that can interact with them and foster their imaginations. This may be the best time to provide them with ride on toys like the Peg Perego Ducati Monster or more challenging puzzles. You should provide them with toys that can improve their imagination, which also allows them to learn.

As you probably know, and has been stated already on this site, each Lalaloopsy doll has its own unique themed personality. Again these sterotypical characters aren’t going to transform our society anytime soon, but without a shadow of a doubt they are more wholesome and more positive role models than Barbie ever was or ever could be.

While no one could call these dolls educational toys in the traditional sense, it is possible to see their value in the simple life of a young child. If a parent is prepred to take the time to embrace the world of Lalaloopsy with her child then the characters can be both inspirational and aspirational for a younf girl (or boy) who is learning to understand the different types of personalities around them.

Yes, some of the dolls are fairly silly and just for fun, but some of the characters like Spot Splatter Splash, who loves art and Peanut Big Top, who is a born performer, can help a child to understand themselves a little more, both their place in the world and the differences in others. If your child is teachers pet, but feeling a bit left out socially, is it not possible that Lalaloopsy Bea Spells-a-Lot could make them feel like they belong? Isn’t this doll enough proof for a five or six year old that being top of the class is something to be proud of?

My child is still too young for a doll of her own, but assuming that Lalaloopsy is still going strong in a couple of years, I fully intend to help her choose exactly the right doll, or dolls, that suit her personality and outlook.

We spend a lot of time together practicing chopping things up. We’re not just chopping for the sake of chopping though, we are preparing fruits and vegetables to be juiced. I think it’s important for kids to be able to see how their foods are made. So before we even get to the kitchen for chopping practice, we are out in the garden picking some of the vegetables that we’re going to be juicing. It’s fair to say that we also have to go to the farmers’ market for the fruits as we don’t these grow ourselves.

When I was young, I never really understood the aversion to greens, I actually quite liked them. What I do remember though is that I’ve always eaten them since a very young age. In the same way, I wanted to get my son into fruits and vegetables without turning it into a big deal. So what we do is make sweet tasting green juices together. Since he not only knows what goes into the juice, but also cuts the apples and uses the juicer himself, he “owns” the juice making process. The juicer that we use is regarded by many experts as the best juicer – why not watch the video on Youtube? It suits us because it’s so simple to operate, a child can use it. Of course, I always make the juice with my son to make sure he learns how to use it properly.

It can be dangerous for children to use juicing products. Their hands and arms are small enough to fit into the machines which could turn into a major accident. Therefore I always insist that my son pays 100% attention to what he’s doing. So far, we’re both enjoying making and drinking the juices.

The waiting in Heathrow airport was no problem. Tania loved running after the other children in the departure lounge. She seemed more adaptable then we had given her credit. On the plane the BA staff were very kind and helpful. They got us a middle row of seats at the front all to ourselves.

Tania was restless on the plane until we fed her. She wouldn’t go in the cot that was provided for us because it was too small. A friend suggested that we use calpol so we gave it a try. It worked a treat putting Tania to sleep. She dozed through much of the long journey in our arms.

We spent a couple of nights in Bangkok to give Tania time off flying and to adjust her body clock. She seemed fine with the heat but we had to make sure she was well hydrated. The biggest problem in Bangkok was keeping her away from the traffic.

Next we took a short flight to Koh Samui and then transferred to a boat to Koh Phangan. Luckily the sea wasn’t rough. We got to Bottle Beach in the afternoon. All of us were exhausted. My husband and I from looking after Tania and the little girl from the traveling.

We got a nice beachfront bungalow at Bottle Beach with air-con and a fridge. This was important to cool down her milk.

Tania loved playing in the sea and scoping up the fine sand in her hands. She played happily by herself nearby as my husband and I relaxed in the sun. It was a blissful few days until we started running out of baby stuff. First it was baby food, then it was nappies and then it was powdered milk. The only problem with Bottle Beach is that you can’t buy baby stuff there. It is also quite a hike getting into Thongsala, the main shopping area. My husband had to take the boat to Chaloklum and then a taxi to Thongsala, or on rough days the taxi to Thong Nai Pan and then another taxi to the main town.

It would have been impossible to pack enough baby stuff for a two week holiday. Next time we are going to stay on a less remote beach.

When I first knew about ride-on toys for kids, I started to picture a riding horse, much like the ones you see in the mall and amusement centers. Boy, was I wrong! A lot of ride-ons are available ranging from kids motorcycles to ATVs. One of the popular ones, the John Deere gator hpx is a 2-seater ride which is used by children as young as 2 years. Some parents might think of these toys as risky, but these have safety features in place. All toys nowadays must pass through a series of rigorous safety tests before it even becomes available to the public. But still, we have to ensure that out kids can safely use whatever riding toy or any other toys for that matter. This involves constant and active adult supervision during play time. While this may seem like a lot of work, take this as an opportunity to engage and build a relationship with your child.

In keeping our children safe, we can easily get too caught up with it. But we have to remember that there’s a always a risk and that accidents can happen, but we can minimize them without being extremely too safety-conscious.