It is exciting to get married. Marriage offers the opportunity to create a new family and new traditions. However, getting married when there are children involved can bring with it a new set of challenges and anxieties about making your relationship work successfully for a lifetime. Stepfamilies are very common, but creating one can be challenging. In the United States, more than 1,300 stepfamilies are formed every day. It is a great responsibility to model healthy relationships for your children, and now is the perfect time to show them your best stuff! This tip sheet is designed to help…
Dating violence is a serious concern for today's teens and parents. According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Center, about 20% of teens have experienced abuse in a dating relationship. Parents often under estimate their influence on teens when it comes to dating and sex. But parents play a vital role in helping teens recognize the red flags of an unhealthy relationship and ending an abusive relationship. When you talk frequently and openly with your teens, they are more likely to turn to you in a time of crisis. The following tips and strategies can help you open the lines of…
Eighty-two percent of 18 to 30 year olds expect to be married for life. Researchers have found that the building blocks of healthy adult marriages are formed during the teenage years. Parents may be nervous about talking to their teens about relationships or marriage, but they are a critical influence in their teen's life. When asked "Who influences you most when it comes to your dating relationships?" teens named their parents first (35 percent). Parents' values seem to be related to teen values and, subsequently, teen behaviors. Show your teen you care, listen respectfully to his or her…
This fact sheet explains the development of toddlers between the ages of 2 and 3, the need for parents to help toddlers navigate the tide of strong emotions, and tips for parenting toddlers. Tips include: talk about feelings and how to cope; offer your child ideas for how to manage strong emotions; empathize with your child; give your child a visual aid to make waiting easier; let your child make choices appropriate to her age; and look for ways to help your child practice self-control.
Brief
Intended for parents, this brief emphasizes the importance of fathers in the development of children. The benefits of active fathering are considered and barriers to active fathering are explained, including: men often have less experience with children than women, men tend not to feel the same social pressure as women to learn how to care for their own, mothers can view fathers as less competent, and family arrangements and socioeconomic realities can make fathering challenge. Strategies for keeping fathers involved in parenting are discussed. 5 references.
Brief
Intended for parents, this brief emphasizes the importance of fathers in the development of children. The benefits of active fathering are considered and barriers to active fathering are explained, including: men often have less experience with children than women, men tend not to feel the same social pressure as women to learn how to care for their own, mothers can view fathers as less competent, and family arrangements and socioeconomic realities can make fathering challenge. Strategies for keeping fathers involved in parenting are discussed. 5 references.
Brief
When families make the news, it is often for negative reasons such as violence or abuse. Negative perceptions of low-income families tend to be especially strong. However, families are critical to the positive development of children and youth, as well as to problems that may affect that development. Thus, it is important to examine not just the deficits, but also the assets and strengths that families of all income levels bring to raising children.This Research Brief reports on the results of new Child Trends analyses of data from the 2005 Every Child Every Promise Study conducted by America…
This 8-page guide summarises the evidence on the effectiveness of parenting programmes in supporting father-child relationships, and offers guidance on developing strategies and commissioning services which are father-inclusive. It includes the Executive Summary of Fathers and Parenting Interventions: What Works? and the 10-point Commissioning Checklist. (Author abstract modified)
Brief
Most parents have no formal training for their parenting roles. This tip sheet provides new parents with a basic foundation in parenting. Topics include normal growth and development, crying, bonding, and feeding the baby. It covers the topic of working and enjoying alone time, which are important issues for new parents.
Fact Sheet, Brief
This fact sheet summarizes research showing that children from military families experience above-average levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties and that longer parental deployments are associated with greater difficulties. (Author abstract) Superceded: See http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9568.html
