By first grade, a child can understand the idea of exchanging money for goods. An Allowance reinforces this concept and boosts your child’s budding math skills in an exciting, real-world way. Simply counting cash will be a thrill to your child, and he’ll improve his ability to compare prices and learn the value of coins. Kids this age are also eager to have some money of their own. They sense that making spending decisions is an important step toward growing up, and it’s one that they’re ready to take. In giving allowance, choose an amount you can afford to hand out every week. If you don’t have any idea how much to give you can check around to find out the going rate in your neighborhood. Always consider how the money will be used. If it’s simply meant to cover the cost of an occasional candy bar or toy, you’ll likely give less money. You don’t want your child to be frustrated because he has too little money or overwhelmed by too much.

To teach your child the value of money, you can ask him to earn his own money. Your child needs to understand that they’re a family obligation. If you reward him for doing chores, he may decide that he needs to pitch in only when there’s a payoff and that is not a good lesson to teach your little one. Parents can give their kids a chance to earn extra cashas long as it’s handled separately from the allowance, and if your child cuts corners on his responsibilities? nudge him back on track by taking away his priviledges such as watching tv, or playing outside.

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Playing is one way of nurturing your relationship with your kids,  so choosing the toys that is appropriate for them is very important.  As a parent, you should know the toys that will  offer fun and knowledge to your little ones.

The following are just few questions to know if it’s the right toy to buy for your kids:

• Is it appropriate for his/her age?
• Is it educational?
• Is it safe for your child to play with it?

Spending money for the right toy will save you a lot of energy.  Toy guns are a big no-no for your little boys because it only promotes violence. Always keep in mind that what your child plays, it reflects what his surrounding is, or what kind of people is he with, or maybe what lifestyle he has. Choosing the right toys will help you and your child understand each other.

price: $39.95

This hopscotch carpet  makes them go crazy with numbers. Children ages 4 and up will enjoy jumping and counting with this colorful carpet. This is made of soil resistant nylon material that can be played outside of your house. Your child will learn the numbers from 1-10, and the primary and secondary colors with no pressure at all. What’s more fun about this is that adults can even play with it, they’ll have a fun bonding time with their kids.

This product has been a great motivation especially for preschool students. Lakeshore has been producing varieties of materials that will help the little ones to learn new things with excitement. You can visit them at  www.lakeshorelearning.com

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Image Courtesy of CoolBaby.com

Kaboost is an alternative to booster seats or  high chairs.  The idea is that it has these adjustable arm things, so that instead of raising up a short kid by putting him on a booster chair or even in a high chair, you just raise the chair up, so the child sits squarely in the chair and at the right height just like everyone else.

Now, I’m not saying it’s not a kind of cool idea.  It does make it so that a little kid can sit on a chair  like everyone else and not be set apart or infantilized by having a special baby-ish chair.  And it does, admittedly, reduce the chances of the booster chair sliding sideways off the big chair and the kid landing on the floor.  In addition, it’s all plastic, so it won’t do any damage to your carpet or floor.  And it’s portable, so you can take it to a restaurant or Grandma’s house or whatever.

But this is one of those things that makes me wonder why bother with it?   At $37.95 each, you have to have some extra pocket change to get one, anyway–and that puts it in my category of things rich parents buy not because their kids really need them, but because they have the money to buy them.

For $37.95, my kid can sit on a couple of phone books.  I did a pretty thorough search, and I came across no reports of any child being injured by sitting on a phone book, and no reports of any child’s self-esteem taking such a hit that they grew up to be mentally unstable.

So, rich parents, knock yourselves out.  Kaboost seems like a cool thing to have.  I think the rest of us will just stick to normal booster chairs and their inexpensive substitutes.

There’s not a parent out there that needs to be reminded that times are pretty tough right now.  More and more families are struggling financially, trying to either get on their feet or stay there.  People miss a payment here or there and credit scores tank, which hits the entire economy.  After all, if your credit is bad, you can’t get a car or a home equity loan or buy a new house or get a credit card to fund your vacation.  And the more money you’re not spending in the marketplace, the less money all those people out there are making in their turn, as well.

There are some sites that can help with that.  One of the best new sites that I’ve come across is CashSubsidy.com, The Cash and Finance Blog.    This site has several things to offer a parent who’s trying to keep finances on track. 

First of all, there are articles about everyday family things, such as wise management of finances and the pros and cons of using a debt consolidation service.  It also covers the general state of business and the economy–in a general overview sort of way, giving us enough information to keep un knowledgeable, but not so much that we can’t get through it. 

It defines terms for its readers, as well as offering resources such as books, links, and information about conferences and other financial helps. 

Keep in mind this is a new site, and its resources are still growing.  Still, with the way it’s begun, parents will find this a helpful place to start looking for the guidance they need to stay on their feet financially.

Image courtesy of US Magazine

This story has been going on for quite a while, but it seems to be drawing to close.  A Malawi Supreme Court Judge has approved Madonna’s application to adopt 3-year-old Chifundo “Mercy” James. 

The problem had to do with a residency law that said that to adopt a Malawian child, you have to live in Malawi for 18-24 months.  The Malawian government didn’t enforce that law with Madonna’s other Malawian child, David, but for some reason in this case it decided to crack down.  The case went to the Supreme Court, where the judge ruled that it was an “old law,” and that Mercy should be with Madonna.

Apparently things will move pretty fast now.  The little girl’s papers and passport will be prepared over the weekend, and Madonna should be able to take her home by the middle of next week.

Madonna released a statement through her rep, saying, “I am extremely grateful for the Supreme Court’s ruling on my application to adopt Mercy James.”

I’m glad they approved this.  I’m not a fan of Madonnna, but if I had her kind of money, I’d adopt more kids.  I like to see people with virtually unlimited resources like Madonna and the Jolie-Pitts using them to increase love and nurture in the world.