Author: Adam Khoo

Sometimes, parenting can be one of the most unpopular jobs in the world. After all, we go through a daily struggle of trying to get our children, especially when they reach puberty, the pre-teen and teenage years, to do things that they do not feel like doing.

In our parents' model of the world, we see it as our job to teach our children how to behave in a way that is for their own good and one that is consistent with societal expectations. We want them to study hard, keep their room clean & tidy, be polite and helpful and maintain some kind of order.

In the young person's model of the world, they sometimes just want to do what they feel like doing. They sometimes do not seem to care about what others think or the consequences of their actions.

And when children do not behave according to the rules, many parents (out of desperation and frustration) would usually resort to force or threats to make their kids fall in line. "You will do what I say...or else!" the parents would say threateningly. And the kid would usually respond, "I don't care."

As a result of this conflict of needs, children sometimes see their parents as the 'enemy' who gets in their way of fun and makes them do things that they do not want to do. Th is leads to a win-lose relationship where some kids feel that by doing what their parents want, they have lost the 'battle' and their parents end up the eventual victors. And ultimately it is a lose-lose scenario.

Is there a way for us to get our children to see our point of view?

Is there a way to get them to think and act in their best interest?

Is there a way for us to get our children to do the right things willingly and happily? Believe it or not, the answer is YES!

Many pre-teens & teenagers we speak to actually understand and agree that they should behave appropriately, study hard and listen to their parents.

However, the reason why they sometimes go against their parents and do not is because they do not FEEL like doing what they are told to do. By using force and threats, it actually makes it more difficult to get the child to listen and obey willingly as it conflicts with the five emotional needs they have which we discussed earlier.

The secret to engaging our children and getting them to cooperate with us is to first make them feel good about themselves and how they feel about us. When we know how to utilize their emotional needs, we can direct them to do almost anything we want.

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, trainer, best-selling author and a self-made millionaire by the age of 26. Over the last 15 years, he has trained over 350,000 children, executives and business owners tap their personal power and achieve excellence in their various fields of endeavor. Visit his blog at http://www.Adam-Khoo.com or download your FREE chapter of his latest book "Nurturing The Winner & Genius In Your Child" at http://www.ChildWinner.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1495906_40.html

About the Author: Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, best-selling author and a self-made millionaire by the age of 26 He owns and runs three businesses with a combined annual sales of $20m.

Over the last 15 years, he has trained over 245,000 students, teachers, professionals, executives and business owners to tap their personal power and achieve excellence in their various fields of endeavor. Some of his corporate clients include Tupperware, Ministry of Defence, American International Assurance, Prudential, Lux Asia, Rolls Royce Marine and many more.

His success and achievements are regularly featured in regional media like the Straits Times, the Business Times, the New Paper, Lianhe Zaobao, Channel News Asia, Channel U, Channel 8, Newsradio 938, The Hindu, The Malaysian Sun and many more.

Author: Adam Khoo

We have often heard parents say words like "I just cannot get through their thick skull. Why won't they listen to me?"

Highly effective parents are able to get their children to listen and cooperate with them because they have a strong level of rapport with them. Only when your kids feel that they can TRUST you and that you UNDERSTAND them, will they be more willing to listen and cooperate.

The challenge that many parents face is that they have a poorlevel of rapport with their own kids. These kids feel that their parents don't understand how they feel nor do their parents understand the problems they (teenagers) experience.  

At the same time, they do not have the confidence that they can share their innermost thoughts and feelings with their parents --without being criticized, judged and reprimanded.

This is why troubled teens tend to clam up and give 'one-word' responses when their parents ask them questions. At the same time, they may become indifferent to our ideas and attempts to advice. Or worse, they become openly defiant and challenge our opinions and values.

The danger is when teens find it hard to communicate with their parents and turn to another 'party' who they feel will really listen to them and so they confide in....their friends. This is why teens easily fall prey to the negative influences of 'bad' company and would rather listen to the so-called 'loafers or losers' than their own parents.

If we want our children to open up to us, and listen to us willingly, then we must first build rapport with them. When they feel that they can trust us and that we truly understand them, we can influence them to do anything!

They will be much more open and willing to listen to our ideas and advice. Th e secret to building rapport with our children (this can be applied to anyone) is to 'Respect their Model of Th e World'. We need to first understand and acknowledge their views and feelings.

At first, some parents find this paradigm very hard to swallow. Why should I respect their model of the world? I'm the parent! They should see things my way.

Well no doubt you can force them to sit down and listen to you - when they are young enough. But the fact is that if you don't first respect their world, your words will never get through to them and they will never be self-motivated to do as you say!

You can choose to force your ideas and perspectives on your teen or work around it so that both you and your child will be happy with the outcome.


Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, trainer, best-selling author and a self-made millionaire by the age of 26. Over the last 15 years, he has trained over 350,000 children, executives and business owners tap their personal power and achieve excellence in their various fields of endeavor. Visit his blog at http://www.Adam-Khoo.com or download your FREE chapter of his latest book "Nurturing The Winner & Genius In Your Child" at http://www.ChildWinner.com.

Author: Jim Ford

Are you wondering which milestones you can expect during your baby’s first six months?  It can be an exciting time, watching your baby develop, sometimes much faster, than you expected.  All babies are different, so keep in mind that even the healthiest of babies will develop at their own pace.  Use these milestones only as a guideline.  You can help your baby reach milestones with a lot of love, patience, and understanding.  If you are concerned about your baby, please contact your pediatrician.

Month One:  During the first month, your baby will begin to lift their head.  They can focus on faces and objects about a foot away from their face.  Your baby will begin to turn its head from side to side, maybe even to look at you or to respond to a sound.  Encourage your baby to strengthen neck muscles by giving them some tummy time.

Month Two:  Baby’s eyes are developing and they will begin to experiment with their voice.  Reinforce your baby using sounds by smiling and looking excited when they do.  Help your baby learn to track objects with their eyes to encourage development.

Month Three:  Baby will begin to develop leg strength.  They will begin to reach and hold toys.  This is a fun time because baby may begin to smile purposefully when they see or hear you.  Encourage leg development by letting your baby stand and jump in your lap while you hold them.  Encourage eye/hand coordination by letting your baby grab objects and pass them from one hand to the other.

Month Four:  This is when your baby may begin to get mobile.  They may learn to roll over and sit up.  They will also begin to communicate more through crying.  Make sure that you respond to all of your baby’s attempts at communication and help them learn to sit up so that they can begin to entertain themselves.

Month Five:  Month five is generally when a baby begins teething and you may notice your baby chewing on everything.  They can also see further by five months and you may catch them trying to roll or pull themselves across the room to get to people or toys.

Month Six:  After six months, your baby may copy small words.  They can sit with little or no help and purposefully plays with the intention of seeing cause and effect.  Six month olds can hold their own bottle and should be able to roll over both ways.

After six months, you should be encouraging your baby to learn how to pull up.  Learning toys, preschool toys, and things like an activity table can be motivating for babies to learn how to get around.  Be patient and encouraging.  Remember not to get into too big of a hurry to help your child grow up!