Tuesday, March 4, 2014

How to Find a Babysitter or Nanny in Your Area

How to Find a Babysitter or Nanny in Your Area
by: Doreen Lee





At some point, you�re going to need the services of a good babysitter in your area to take care of your children. Whether it is to take the afternoon or night off from parenting duties or to stay longer at the office to attend to work, the services of a reliable caregiver are indispensable for a busy parent like you. So how do you go about searching for a reliable nanny in your locale? Here are a few tips for you to consider.

Ask your family and friends

If you�re lucky enough to live near family, you can enlist their help in babysitting for an afternoon. Your parents or siblings will probably be more than glad to spend some time with your child. You can even alternate with different relatives if you all live in the same area. Teenage children of relatives can also be enlisted to babysit especially if they are looking for extra spending money. Otherwise, you can also ask if they can refer you to babysitters or nannies in the area whom you can contact.

Go through the neighborhood

You can also ask your neighbors and friends for referrals to trustworthy caregivers in your area. They may also have a teenage child who could use the extra money and is willing to babysit for an afternoon or two. The good thing about entrusting your child to a teenage babysitter in the neighborhood is that you know his or her parents and you�re assured that they are just located nearby, should the babysitter run into problems while you�re away.

The community babysitting cooperative

Surely you�re not the only parent looking for a reliable babysitter in your area. You�re bound to come across several others in your neighborhood going over the same problem so you might as well form a babysitting circle with them. Putting up a babysitting cooperative or joining one in your area is a good idea to get someone to look after your children on a regular basis. You can simply return the favor by looking after someone else�s kid later on.

Go to a nearby school

Visit your local high school or community college. You�re bound to find a lot of responsible students looking to earn extra funds through a babysitting job. If there are colleges near you that offer child development or education courses, you want to find students who are taking up these majors as they would be suitable candidates. You can go through campus bulletin boards as students are more likely to announce their services there. You can also ask for referrals from professors or the school�s guidance services.

Through a babysitting agency

A local babysitting agency will also be able to help you find a nanny in your area. You can check your local paper for classified ad listings or your phone book to directly contact an agency. You may need to pay an additional fee with an agency to get matched with a sitter according to your preferences. But they do handle all the background checks so you�re at least assured that you�re getting credible candidates.

The Importance of Play in a Child's Life

The Importance of Play in a Child's Life
by: Harry Yadav






It�s true that education is like a building block for a child�s future. All parents dream for a better career for their child�s life. Everybody wants their child to be doctor, engineer and wants to see them in high posts. In this cut throat competition children get pressurize with their activities to the extent that they don�t get spare time for their own entertainment. Teachers also keep the child busy during the holidays by giving them assignments and homework. Earlier children used to play with their siblings. So, the children easily got a play environment at the home. However, now the time spent by children in playing was very less as compared to the past two decades. Parents should understand that play is an important activity and they should not deprive their child from this opportunity.

Group games allow children to learn the values of team spirit. It also teaches them to cooperate with other members of the team and develop self discipline. This also enables them to face negative situation in life and make them strong when they get defeated. Many studies have proved that children playing games which have lots of violence are likely to be more short tempered and aggressive.

It is the duty of the parents to find out whether the child knows the difference between fantasy and reality. When this problem is not uprooted in the initial stages then it can take very ugly turn in child�s life and they will start presuming that real life is also like the games which they play. It will have a negative impact on children mind because inappropriate games will impart wrong set of values in them. Through play children develop essential life skills; they also learn how to interact with their peers and adults. It is through play that children develop essential life skills; they learn how to interact with their peers and with adults.

There are certain benefits that child get after playing. These benefits are given below:

1. Reduces fear, anxiety, stress, irritability

2. Creates joy, intimacy, self-esteem and mastery not based on other's loss of esteem

3. Improves emotional flexibility and openness

4. Increases calmness, resilience and adaptability and ability to deal with surprise and change

5. Decreases tactile defensiveness

6. Healing process for hurts

7. Enhances feelings of acceptance of difference

8. Increases empathy, compassion, and sharing

9. Creates options and choices

10. Models relationships based on inclusion rather than exclusion

11. Alternative to aggressor-victim model of relationships

12. Decreases revenge and need for self defense

13. Improves touch and nonverbal socialization skills

14. Increases attention and attachment capacities

15. Positive emotions increase the efficiency of immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems

16. Decreases stress, fatigue, injury, and depression

17. Integrates sensor motor, kinesthetic and emotional responses

In conclusion every child should be allowed to play as they learn so many skills from playing, and from defeating. Play is essential for every child�s development as it make them well balanced grown up and prepare with all the essential life skills needed.
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