Well, we've probably all heard our parents tell us that "Money doesn't grow on trees" and we will probably tell our kids the same thing a several dozen times (or more) during their child and teenager-hood.
Although money unfortunately doesn't grow on trees, it does grow in the bank. And while many new fathers out there are probably spending most of their time trying to get their head around fatherhood, changing diapers, calming fussiness, when they will get to sleep next, and the such, it is also a good time to start thinking about starting up a savings (such as an educations savings, or RESP) plan for that new little wee one.
The reason I say this is because the sooner you start one, the more time it will have to grow. This will result in more money when you will need it most... at college/university time!
With our son, we started pretty late, but with our daughter, we are going to start very soon.
There are lots of good plans out there, so go talk to your bank or look around on the internet to see what plans different banks have to offer.
I know in Canada at least, contributions to a registered educations savings plan (RESP) are tax-sheltered and a percentage of your contributions are matched by the government, depending on your income (e.g. for every dollar you contribute, the government contributes 20 cents). Those are two additional incentives to start one up. This is an opportunity to pay fewer taxes and get free money from the government, so I say go for it!
So just wanted to post this little reminder to all you new dads out there to say, when your mind is not in too much of a blur from everything else that has been going on following your new little arrival, start thinking about a savings plan... your children will thank you for it when they are older and you will thank yourself too I am sure.
Until next time, hope you are getting some rest,
TBD
Showing posts with label child. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Don't have black teeth
Hi all,
This post is about tooth brushing... and in general, how to get your child to do important things that he or she doesn't necessarily always want to do.
My son isn't very enthusiastic about brushing his teeth. Eating chocolate, drinking orange juice and chewing gum are all not problems, but tooth brushing can sometimes be a drama.
We find he is most responsive and willing to brush his teeth when we (or I) tell him that if he doesn't brush his teeth, he will get black teeth and they will really hurt (be "Ouwwah" or "Ouchy"). He usually responds by saying, "no black teeth... be ouwwah!" and opening his mouth really wide to let us brush his teeth.
It really works well, but some of you out there may be wondering how ethical this approach is. But I think of it this way... I am not lying to him. In fact, I am telling the absolute truth... that is, if he doesn't brush his teeth, they will get cavities and hurt. I think he needs to understand that. Isn't that our motivation for brushing our teeth? Is there anybody out there who actually enjoys brushing his or her teeth and would do it voluntarily, if not doing it had no consequences?
Is this approach any worse than telling a child that Santa Claus will not come if he or she misbehaves? I find telling the child the real consequence can be a good and effective approach.
Some more examples: if you don't wear your helmet when you ride your bike, you will hurt your head if you fall down and it will really hurt. If you don't wear your hat in the sun, you will get a sunburn on your head... you need to protect your head from the sun.
Our son always wears his helmet and hat when we ask him to, because he understands why he needs to.
So many times I have seen parents tell their kids to do something, "because I said so"... and then wonder why the kids don't listen or don't do it. I think when the child understands the real reasons (i.e. not because of Santa Claus) why we are asking them to do (or not do) certain things, he or she is much more likely to listen.
So think about this the next time your child doesn't want to brush his or her teeth or wear his or her hat. Try pulling out the real consequence card before you pull out the Santa Claus card.
You might feel bad about telling them the real consequences, but in my opinion, it is not something to feel bad about... you are not lying, and if you don't tell them, they will end up finding out the consequences the hard way, when they actually do get a tooth cavity or a sunburn on their head!
Take care and happy napping,
TBD
This post is about tooth brushing... and in general, how to get your child to do important things that he or she doesn't necessarily always want to do.
My son isn't very enthusiastic about brushing his teeth. Eating chocolate, drinking orange juice and chewing gum are all not problems, but tooth brushing can sometimes be a drama.
We find he is most responsive and willing to brush his teeth when we (or I) tell him that if he doesn't brush his teeth, he will get black teeth and they will really hurt (be "Ouwwah" or "Ouchy"). He usually responds by saying, "no black teeth... be ouwwah!" and opening his mouth really wide to let us brush his teeth.
It really works well, but some of you out there may be wondering how ethical this approach is. But I think of it this way... I am not lying to him. In fact, I am telling the absolute truth... that is, if he doesn't brush his teeth, they will get cavities and hurt. I think he needs to understand that. Isn't that our motivation for brushing our teeth? Is there anybody out there who actually enjoys brushing his or her teeth and would do it voluntarily, if not doing it had no consequences?
Is this approach any worse than telling a child that Santa Claus will not come if he or she misbehaves? I find telling the child the real consequence can be a good and effective approach.
Some more examples: if you don't wear your helmet when you ride your bike, you will hurt your head if you fall down and it will really hurt. If you don't wear your hat in the sun, you will get a sunburn on your head... you need to protect your head from the sun.
Our son always wears his helmet and hat when we ask him to, because he understands why he needs to.
So many times I have seen parents tell their kids to do something, "because I said so"... and then wonder why the kids don't listen or don't do it. I think when the child understands the real reasons (i.e. not because of Santa Claus) why we are asking them to do (or not do) certain things, he or she is much more likely to listen.
So think about this the next time your child doesn't want to brush his or her teeth or wear his or her hat. Try pulling out the real consequence card before you pull out the Santa Claus card.
You might feel bad about telling them the real consequences, but in my opinion, it is not something to feel bad about... you are not lying, and if you don't tell them, they will end up finding out the consequences the hard way, when they actually do get a tooth cavity or a sunburn on their head!
Take care and happy napping,
TBD
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