Today's Parent | Parenting Resources… Articles, Advice, Help & Tips

The first thing any parent hoping to send their child to college should do is not let the latest news headlines panic them. Sure, the federal government now faces what might kindly be called a “cash crunch,” but-assuming you were counting on Washington for financial aid-that mostly means you need to stay more alert than ever to any changes in programs meant to encourage higher education.

And especially if your child is still young. . .well, remember the main thing you’ve got on your side is time.

“Saving for college is, at its best, a long-term endeavor,” notes Carey Foran Hoch, general manager of John Hancock College Savings. “It often can begin or be maintained with relatively small amounts of money, and there’s little reason to wait until the financial turbulence is over.”

So what should be done now? Experts say step No. 1 is to sit down and estimate tuition costs at the time your child will likely be starting college. (To give you some idea what’s in store, the current average for tuition and room-and-board expenses at public universities is $14,333 per year for in-state students and $25,200 for those out-of-state, according to College Board data. Private university costs average an even higher $34,132 annually.) Calculators on Web sites like Savingforcollege.com and Johnhancockfreedom529.com make such projections relatively simple by letting you fill in the answers to questions like public vs. private and two years vs. four years.

Once you’ve got a ballpark figure-again, don’t panic-think about which funding sources can be tapped to cover it. Basically, there are only five options:

• Personal savings

• Financial aid, like scholarships and grants, that needn’t be repaid

• Financial aid that does need to be repaid (i.e., federal and personal loans)

• The student’s own contribution

• Other contributions from, say, grandparents

Except for the first one (and possibly the fourth), you’ve got little to no control.

Personal savings, of course, can take many different forms-Coverdell education savings accounts, 529 savings plans, taxable investment accounts, Series EE and Series I savings bonds, and UGMA/UTMA accounts-and what works for one family may not work for another. Read More

Bring home the bacon…or play “this little piggy”? Work outside the home and feel perpetually guilty and exhausted…or quit your job and feel perpetually broke (and exhausted)? For years, these were the tough choices mothers faced. Maybe we could do both—work and parent—but could we do both well? we wondered. It’s a question that, these days, seems positively antiquated.

Thanks to the Internet and to the skills we women have developed from our years in the workforce, we have more options than ever before. More and more moms are crafting lives that have ample time for both work and family—and we’re doing it well.

As a mother, I found myself online looking for answers to the questions I had and I also found myself looking to connect with other women and mothers like me. But I failed to find one place that encompassed all the things that I was looking for. So I decided to create it.

As a licensed therapist, I knew that I had something to offer. And as a social media-savvy woman, I knew that I had the tools necessary to connect with people. And for me, the opportunity that working in a digital world has created has given me the chance to live the life I want. I have the family time I desire and the career I always dreamed of. And the world is there for every mom’s taking right now. You just have to know how to go out there and take it.

Read on for ten tips that will get you started on the path to your own dream job:

Find a need to fill. To get started, you’re going to want to make sure that your venture fills a need out in the existing market. Is it something that is different from what is out there already? Is it better, faster, bigger, more innovative? Consider these questions as you weigh the pros and cons of going out on your own. When I started out, I saw a niche that needed filling—solid parenting advice in one, convenient place—that I was more than qualified to fill. Everyone has his or her own expertise, interests, or an eye for where something is missing. Tap into that to create your own success.

Test market your idea before you take the plunge. Before you drop everything (your steady paycheck included) and start your new venture, it’s a good idea to “test market” your idea. You would start out doing this work on the side before you resign. Get your first customer or at least some healthy interest before you take the full-time plunge.

Pay attention to your gut instincts. Some of the most successful businesses got their big break because they were on the cutting edge of a new trend. When I first started my online venture, social media, like Twitter, wasn’t nearly as popular as it is now. And yet, that’s become one of my biggest outlets for making connections in the online community to drive traffic to her sites. At the time, it may have seemed to some that the time I devoted to Twitter was a waste of time, but I knew I was investing in something important. And today, that has paid off.

Figure out how to transfer your workplace skills to your new venture. Whether it’s people skills you’ve picked up in dealing with clients, marketing know-how, or even just your admirable work ethic, tap into that skill set and transfer it to your new venture.

Assemble a top-notch team. Approach your new business venture just like you would anything at your old job. As you are getting started, understand that you’ll have to serve as your own team for a while, but down the line expects to do some hiring (and have a plan in place for it). During your early days as a one-man show, make sure you are always on the lookout for talent so that when you are ready to expand, you can hire the right team. Having the right team has been paramount to the success of my latest venture, MommyToMommy.TV.

Stay connected and engage your audience at all times. Social media is making it easier and more convenient than ever for mompreneurs to stay connected. Twitter and Facebook can keep you connected no matter where you are. You can blog and comment during naptime, or introduce a new product while you wait in the pick-up line at school. While staying connected is great, it often isn’t enough to take you to that next level. Go the extra step and engage in conversation with those you are connected with. That’s where the true rewards lie.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We all have our strengths when it comes to business. But that also means we all have our weaknesses as well. When it comes to the areas that are outside of your expertise, don’t hesitate to ask someone to help you. I surrounded myself with mentors and contacts for the areas of business that were not my strong suit, and called on them when necessary.

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Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer, second only to cigarette smoking. In fact, it is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.

Learn about radon and following these important tips to keep your family safe:

1. What is radon? It is an invisible and odorless gas that occurs naturally from the breakdown on uranium. It can be found in soil, rock and air. When breathed outdoors, this gas poses a minimum health risk, but when it becomes trapped in buildings, concentrations build up which can be cause for concern. If the radioactive decay products of radon get trapped in your lungs, they can damage the live cells lining the lungs. Years of this damage can lead to lung cancer.

2. How a home was built and what construction materials were used can affect radon levels. Local geography is another contributing factor. Every state has pockets of high radon levels. Because levels vary from one area to another, the only way to know a specific home’s radon level is to test it. It is also possible for your home to have an elevated radon level while a neighboring home does not.

3. Radon can enter your home through openings around water pipes, gas pipes sump pumps and drains, and it can also enter through cracks and holes in the walls and foundation. The water supply is another possibility.

4. Test the Air in your home. Because of the serious health threat posed by radon, the EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon. Fortunately, testing is easy and inexpensive. Your local health department may offer free kits or kits at a reduced price. You can also purchase kits at a local hardware or home improvement store. The price range is $10 to $45. Insist that your child’s childcare center or school be tested.

5. Your can perform your own test or you can hire a radon tester in your area. Your state radon office can supply you with a list of qualified testing kit companies and radon testers. (The EPA recommends that you fix your home if you have a radon level of 4 pCi/L or more.)

6. If you have tested the air in your home and found a significantly high radon problem, it may be a good idea to test the water, also, as a possible source of radon entry. If you are on a public water supply, call the utility company for more information. If your water comes from a private well, contact a lab that is certified to measure radiation to test your water, especially if you live in an area that is known to have high levels of radon in water.

7. Don’t despair if testing indicates elevated levels of radon in your home. There are a variety of ways to lower radon levels. Your state’s radon office can provide you with a list of qualified radon mitigation contractors. The cost for reducing radon levels in existing home typically range from $800 to $2500.

The average cost to install radon-resistant features during new home construction is $350 to $500 but the cost can be as low as $150, depending on the type of home construction. This is the best and most cost-effective approach in any home, anywhere.

Debra Holtzman is an award-winning author and mom. In addition to practicing law, Debra has worked as a safety and health consultant and has inspected numerous plants and factories for hazardous working conditions and practices. She has been featured on NBC’s Today Show, Weekend Today, Dateline, ABC News and Discovery Health Channel and was named an “Everyday Hero” by Reader’s Digest. Her new book, ‘The Safe Baby: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living” (Sentient Publications, 2009) provides money savings tips and easy-to-implement solutions to provide a safe, healthy, and green-living lifestyle for children and pets. It also shows you how to get back to the basics of childrearing.
Debra also teaches infant and toddler safety and CPR at Memorial Regional Hospital and is a certified child passenger safety technician.  Visit her online at http://thesafetyexpert.com.

“It’s January first, just past seven-thirty in the morning. Miles woke up with a very slow start, but as soon as his eyes opened and focused he remembered … it’s not leap year this year! What a bummer, he thought, because he always got lots of gifts on leap year and had a huge party—not to mention all the extra attention!

Three times during his party last year, Miles asked his mom, “On what day will we celebrate my birthday next year?” The first two times she just smiled, thinking. Finally, on the third time, she said the most perfect sentence he ever heard: “You can pick whatever day you want to celebrate your birthday next year.” - (Excerpt from “It’s not Leap Year this Year”).

2011 is not a leap year! This means that approximately 200,000 people in the United States or over 4 million people world wide will not have a birthday this year – my son being one of them. Here is a quick fact about leap year: Leap year comes every four years. The last leap year was 2008 and the next will be 2012.

Having a child born on “Leap Year Day” created an immediate buzz. Everyone wanted to now what we will do when it is not a leap year. At first we did not know, then, we decided to celebrate on February 28. But when Miles turned 9, he was allowed to pick any day he wanted, so we celebrated his birthday in April. What do you do for the “leapers” in your life?  When do you celebrate when it is not a leap year?

When it is leap year, we throw a big party for Miles. Starting in January on a leap year, family and friends start asking, “what are you going to do this year for Miles’ birthday?” It seems that everyone is waiting for his leap year party. One year we rented a bowling alley all night from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Another year, we went to New Mexico for the Leap Year Day Festival and Parade. Next year Miles will be twenty, what will we do? Any ideas?

Although exciting to be born on leap year day, many leapers get teased about their age. When you are turning eight, and everyone says you are only two, it’s not too much fun. But when you turn twenty and get teased that you are four, you can laugh it off.

What would you do if you were told that you could pick any day you want to celebrate your birthday?

What day would you choose?

Being the mother of a Leap Year Day child inspired Michelle W. Winfrey to write the original story “It’s My Birthday… Finally!” “It’s Not Leap Year This Year” is the second book in this series and was developed out of challenging her son to pick “any day” he wanted for his birthday when it was not a leap year. Michelle is also the author of “A Mom’s Guide to Surviving High School Athletics”. All her books are available on Amazon.com.

As we enter the winter months, parents should be aware of a common, seasonal virus called respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. While symptoms in most children are mild, RSV disease is the leading cause of hospitalizations in infants under 1 year of age in the United States. A recent study showed that RSV disease accounts for inpatient hospital stays for one out of every 334 hospitalizations and one of every 38 emergency department visits for children under 5 years of age.

Premature babies and those with certain medical conditions are generally considered to be at high risk for severe RSV disease. But parents should know that the incidence of RSV disease in children up to the age of 5 is greater than previously thought, according to data published in the “New England Journal of Medicine.”

“Virtually all children will be infected with RSV by the age of 2,” says Caroline B. Hall, M.D., professor of pediatrics and medicine in infectious disease at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “These data simply suggest that parents should be aware that, during the winter months, RSV is in the community and they should protect their children from RSV, especially if they have a premature infant.”

What is RSV?

RSV is a virus that usually causes cold-like symptoms. RSV recurs yearly and can be contracted more than once over a child’s lifetime. Most babies exposed are able to fight the virus off, but up to 125,000 infants go to the hospital each year in the United States because of RSV.

Are all children at risk?

Although all children can contract RSV, premature birth, being born with certain heart conditions or having chronic lung disease may increase your child’s risk of severe RSV disease.

Other RSV risk factors for premature infants include close contact with other young children, at daycare or in a home with older siblings and exposure to tobacco smoke and other air pollutants that can irritate your baby’s lungs and make it more difficult to fight off the virus.

How can you tell if your baby has RSV?

“RSV symptoms are similar to the common cold, such as fever and a runny nose, and can be difficult to distinguish,” said Dr. Hall. “Parents should be aware of RSV symptoms and of the routine precautions that could help protect their child.” Read More

When the financial crisis swept the nation, it left a trail of destruction from sea to shining sea. One reason it caused so much devastation is because at the time many Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, financing purchases they couldn’t afford.

And while many Americans have finally gotten wise to the importance of saving a buck—today, the personal savings rate is in the 5 percent range—we all wish it hadn’t taken a crisis to make the message sink in. Younger Americans must learn from the free-spending, debt-accumulating mistakes of folks of all ages.

For most young people, their 20s are the first time they are completely financially independent. And it’s not unusual to go a little crazy and start buying—or financing, as the case may be—what you want.

Realizing that you and only you are in charge of paying your bills, covering other expenses, and making sure you have enough left over to save can be overwhelming. But the smartest thing to do is to quickly get over that shock and begin making sound money decisions from the get-go.

The key to a healthy financial future is learning how to save. Early in your working years, saving money can be a challenge of course. Although you’re likely not earning a super-high income, you can live life and still buy the items you need.

How and where you spend your money is a matter of personal choice and priorities, but those choices can affect the amount of money you have to save. Here are a few tips on how to save more and spend less:

Rent smart. When you’re in your early 20s and you don’t have dependents, living in a low-cost fashion is easier than it is later in life. There are many ways to minimize costs if you are renting your living space. Two great ways to keep costs down are living with relatives or having roommates. But no matter who you are living with (and certainly if you are living alone), you should minimize your monthly rent. If you find that you’ve allowed your champagne tastes to exceed your beer budget, so long as you’re completing your current lease, there’s no reason you can’t move to a lower-cost rental. Just be sure to factor in all the costs of moving to and living in a new rental.

Don’t be afraid to negotiate your rental increases. Some landlords increase their tenants’ rent no matter how good the tenant has been and regardless of the state of the economy. That said, a smart landlord doesn’t want to lose good tenants who pay rent on time. State your case through a well-crafted and polite note or personal visit. Explain how you have been a responsible tenant, always paid your rent on time, and cared for your unit, and if it’s the case, convey that your research shows comparable rentals going for less. Even if you can’t stave off the rent increase, you might be able to negotiate some improvements you value.

Slice homeowner expenses. If you own a home or are about to buy one, you can take many steps to keep your ownership costs down and under control without neglecting your property or living like a pauper. The first step is to buy a home that fits your budget. During the real estate boom of the early- to mid-2000s, many people bought houses they couldn’t truly afford. When the market crashed, some of those people with severely stretched budgets lost their homes to foreclosure because they got in over their heads, fell on hard times, and couldn’t afford their monthly mortgage payments.

Remember, even if you can afford the monthly mortgage payment on a house you’re looking to buy, if you have too little money left over for your other needs and wants—such as taking trips, eating out, going to concerts, enjoying hobbies, or saving for retirement—your dream home may become a financial prison. Once you do buy, consider ways to cut your monthly mortgage payment such as getting a responsible roommate and containing your utility costs. Read More

Every year, parents are faced with the same question: how to make the summer both fun and constructive for their kids. More families are turning to summer enrichment programs as a way of adding value to the summer camp experience.

But not all summer enrichment camps are created equal. Here are some points to consider when evaluating programs for your son or daughter for this summer.

Does the area of enrichment have any practical application to your child’s academic future?

Several camps position themselves as “enrichment programs” when, in reality, they are glorified and expensive vacations for the students who attend. Do the kids like these camps? You bet. But before signing up, take a good look at the program’s schedule of activities. Close inspection may reveal that there’s far more downtime and unstructured free time than there is quality enrichment.

There’s nothing wrong with indulging your son or daughter in one of these programs, some of which are held in Europe, on cruise ships and in tropical locations. Just know that there may be little or no lasting value to the student or the parents in this investment.

What kind of training and expertise does the staff possess?

If a summer program bills itself as providing new skills to participants, then make a point to learn about the background of the staff who will teach these skills. Are the program leaders teachers themselves or experts in a particular field? Also, inquire as to the training they receive. Many summer programs scramble at the last minute to hire summer staff and, as a result, the experience and training of some staff members may be lacking.

Is there a balance between learning and fun?

The last thing a student needs in summer is more school. A good summer enrichment program gives students the feeling that they’re at camp, not back at school. While some programs try to combine learning and fun by giving the campers adequate free time, the best camps incorporate fun right into the learning. When a student enjoys the learning process, the brain does a better job of assimilating and retaining the new information. Read More

When it comes to obtaining financial aid for college, timing is key.

More than 13 million students apply for money for college annually; however, nearly 2 million of them miss out on free money to pay for college, simply because they do not complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

“You can spend a lot of time wondering whether you’ll receive financial aid or how much you’ll get, but one thing is for sure: If you do not apply for financial aid, you will not receive any,” says Martha Holler, spokesperson for Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading provider of saving- and paying-for-college programs.

Students and their parents can complete the application on the Web in as little as an hour or two gathering relevant documents and information, including Social Security Number or alien registration card, driver’s license, latest federal income tax return, W-2 forms, bank statements and investment information, before going online to www.fafsa.ed.gov to complete the application.

A great resource for students and families is a tool called the FAFSA4caster at www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov. This tool helps students and families plan for college before the student’s senior year in high school, allowing them to explore financial aid options and receive an early estimate of eligibility for federal student aid. When it comes time to fill out the FAFSA, much of the information entered in the FAFSA4caster will populate the online FAFSA application.

Once the FAFSA has been completed, it can be submitted anytime after Jan. 1 for the year in which a student is applying for aid.

Sallie Mae’s award-winning College Answer Web site at www.CollegeAnswer.com has detailed information on the FAFSA, as well as access to an array of planning and paying for college tools and resources. Among the many offerings: a checklist to help families gather documents needed to complete the FAFSA and a free scholarship search that provides access to an award database containing more than 2.8 million scholarships worth in excess of $16 billion.

“The new year is an excellent opportunity for students who are college bound to get their higher education goals in order. Completing the FAFSA is the first step,” says Holler. “Time really is money-the time it takes for you to sit down and fill out a FAFSA could translate into hundreds or even thousands of dollars that help you pay for college.”

Students should submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after Jan. 1 to maximize their chances of receiving all the financial aid they are entitled to.

When it comes to keeping youngsters safe at home, parents go to great lengths to take every conceivable precaution, from safety-latching cabinets and drawers to adding anti-scald devices to faucets and showerheads. This can make the home seem more like a prison than a castle, but at least the children are safe … or so you might think.

According to recent findings by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 24,000 children 10 years of age or younger were treated in emergency rooms for accidents related to electrical outlets over a 10-year span. That equates to seven children a day receiving treatment for injuries ranging from electric shock to third-degree burns and, although rare, in some cases resulting in fatalities. The injuries were the result of children inserting common household items like hairpins, keys, paper clips, and knives into electrical outlets.

Fortunately, in response to these alarming statistics, the National Electrical Code (NEC) was revised to include a requirement for outlets in all new homes to be tamper resistant. And while the code changes won’t help if you’re not having a new home built, you can take the proper precautions by replacing standard outlets with tamper-resistant models. These devices are distinguished by the “TR” molded into the face of the device.

How They Work

Tamper-resistant outlets contain built-in spring-loaded shutters that prevent foreign objects from touching electrically “live” components when they are inserted into the slots in the outlets. The shutters only accept a properly rated two-prong plug. When the outlet is not in use, both shutters are closed and the outlet openings are covered, preventing insertion of objects. Since bent, damaged or otherwise defective plug blades can make insertion more difficult, be sure to examine and straighten out or replace any defective plugs.

Tamper-resistant receptacles offer the most foolproof solution for protecting toddlers and small children from the dangers of their coming into contact with a receptacle’s live components. By outfitting your home with tamper-resistant outlets, you can prevent your children from a potentially life-threatening disaster.Tamper-resistant outlets can be purchased for just a few dollars more than standard outlets and come in a variety of models and colors in standard and designer styles.

Every parent wants the best for their kids. Yet millions of adults unknowingly sabotage their children’s chances for success.

I grew up poor. I was jealous of rich people and didn’t like them. So over the years I kept trying to get rich, not realizing that my subconscious mind was telling me, “Better stop doing that, or you’ll become one of the evil, mean, nasty rich people!”

The messages against wealth and prosperity are all around us, in our culture, media, and religions. But how many parents stop to think about how their own views on getting ahead influence their children’s ability to succeed?

Your core beliefs about everything related to prosperity – money, relationships, health, and spirituality – are set by the time you’re 10 years old. And no one influences those beliefs more than parents.

Millions of parents do this by conveying a negative vision of prosperity and success. If you tell yourself things like “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all,” and “I’m always a day late and a dollar short,” you will, consciously or subconsciously, convey these messages to your kids.

The truth is it’s really not that hard to change your beliefs – If you are aware of them and make that choice. Here are some tips:

• Identify negative beliefs you may be creating in your children — Do some critical thinking about what kind of beliefs you developed in childhood about money, rich people and wealth. Honestly ask yourself, are you programming your children with thoughts such as money is bad, rich people are evil, or it’s spiritual to be poor? I call these “mind viruses.” Defeating them starts with acknowledging you have them. Read More