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Why Parents Must Play an Active Role in Their Child’s Education

August 18, 2021 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

A child’s education isn’t a school’s sole responsibility. For a child to flourish academically, they will need help and support from their teachers and parents.

If your daughter or son is falling behind in class or struggles to grasp difficult concepts, you might need to encourage learning in your own home. Find out why parents must play an active role in their child’s education.

Better Academic Outcomes

According to a study by the Michigan Department of Education, a student is more likely to earn better grades and test scores if their parents are involved in their education. It can lead to improved academic outcomes and much higher graduation rates.

Also, the same study found that parental involvement will help students produce a higher quality of work and set realistic goals for the future. Yet, students whose parents aren’t involved in their education are more likely to drop out of school.

Improved Behavior

Almost every teacher will struggle with disruptive behavior in the classroom at some point. For this reason, many educators will introduce an effective classroom management strategy to restore order and help students reach their potential.

However, a teacher can only try so much in the classroom, as it is also a parent’s responsibility to help their children become more engaged and respectful at school and home. Parents must take the time to help children develop a respect and appreciation for education. By doing so, they will be more likely to listen to their teacher and engage in a lesson plan.

An Established Learning Structure

Parents are responsible for establishing a strict learning structure in the home. For example, they must schedule a specific time for a child to complete their homework or read a book each evening. If a parent makes learning a priority, a child will soon understand the importance of education. Encourage your child to fall in love with learning by creating a designated study area or cozy reading space. This should be fairly easy to do, even with limited space.

Extracurricular Education

The syllabus restricts most educators in the classroom. However, parents can improve a child’s education by embracing different topics and turning everyday activities into fun learning experiences.

For example, a child can learn about animals at a zoo, identify various insects during a walk in the park, or understand probability by playing age-appropriate card games. You can even talk to their teacher about the syllabus, which can help you choose activities or trips to support their education. For example, if your child is learning about a specific historical era, you can take a trip to a museum or visit a historic site to bring the topic to life.

Teachers’ skills and support can only stretch so far. If you want your child to secure top grades, pass tests with flying colors, and enter a high-paying career, you must play an active role in their education. Encourage them to embrace their passions and interests, aim to make learning fun, and set strict rules regarding homework and study time.

4 Tips for Fathers Looking to Quote Term Life Insurance Policies

July 19, 2021 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

As a father, it’s vital to ensure that everyone in your family is covered in case of an emergency.

It can be scary and upsetting to imagine a world without you in it, but it’s an unfortunate reality if there ever was a tragic accident. As the father of your children, you want to make sure that you do everything humanly possible to ensure that they are safe. Purchasing a term life insurance policy is one way to do so. In addition, if your family relies on your income to take care of them, a life insurance policy can give them the money they need if you were to pass away. Take a look at these four tips before you decide to quote term life insurance policies. There are plenty of options, and it can get confusing, so it’s crucial to make the right choice.

4 Tips for Fathers Quoting Term Life Insurance Policies

Compare Term and Whole Policies

Image courtesy of Pexels.

Quoting term life insurance policies does not mean that you should rule out whole life insurance policies. Usually, term life policies are the most suitable plans for young families because they are the easiest to understand and are the most affordable. Before you decide on which one to go with, take a look at the definitions of each.

Whole life insurance: This type of insurance provides a person coverage for their entire life. Whole life insurance builds up value the longer you have it, giving it a cash value. The cash value can be invested in or used by the person while they are still alive.

Term life insurance: Term life insurance is much more straightforward because it does not have the cash value aspect. This type of insurance is only purchased for a specific amount of time, ranging anywhere from 5-40 years. Once the term expires, you can buy another policy, switch into a whole life plan, or decide not to buy any more life insurance. Because it does not have the added cash value, it is much cheaper than whole life insurance.

Determine How Much Coverage You Will Need

Before you purchase a policy, you have to choose how much coverage you would like to buy. There are many factors to consider when selecting the amount of coverage to purchase, and it depends on how many people you are supporting, how much money you are making, and more. Here are some questions to ask yourself and your significant other when discussing the possibility of life insurance:

Do I have a special needs child or someone that I am taking care of who may need protection for their entire life?
Do I suspect that my family’s needs will change through the years? If so, what kind of changes?
Do I have a large amount of debt I would like to be paid off in the event of my death?

Speak With an Insurance Agent

When you aren’t writing life insurance policies for a living, you will not understand every detail about them. It’s crucial to speak and consult with a life insurance agent because they will not only help you understand the process, but they will get you the most affordable plan for you and your family. In most cases, it’s best to speak with an independent agent because they are not tied to a single life insurance carrier. They are usually paid by the insurance carriers and do not have a bias so that they can quote and study plans from various companies. This means less research for you and more affordable coverage.

Understand the Types of Term Policies

As mentioned above, term life insurance policies aren’t as complicated as whole life insurance, but there are still several decisions. There are three different term policies, and understanding what they are will assist you in choosing the most suitable plan for your family.

Level-premium: A level-premium term insurance plan is the most common type of term insurance. The policy premiums are the same year after year.

Renewable: As the name implies, this plan allows you to renew the coverage after the plan expires. The policy spells out possible cost increases and best for those who have a short-term need for life insurance.

Decreasing: A decreasing term policy has a death benefit that goes down over time, with the occasional lower premium. This is usually best for people who want to cover a specific debt.

Whether you are a single father or have a significant other, you can feel like providing for your family is mainly up to you. While you may be the breadwinner of the family, it is important to ensure that your family and loved ones will be taken care of in the event of an accident. Fabric is the ultimate place for you to quote term life insurance policies, write up a will, and organize all of your finances. You can receive a life insurance quote in as little as ten minutes, making it easier than ever. Learn more about Fabric and get started today to protect yourself and your family.

How You Can Help Your Kids Stay On The Right Path

May 24, 2021 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Being a parent is a tough job, one of the toughest jobs that there is. It takes a whole lot of love, patience, determination, and understanding, and even then, we often feel like we are getting things wrong.

This post may have been titled ‘How You Can Help Your Kids Stay On The Right Path’, the truth is that there is no right path in life – everyone has different ones and what is right for one person may not be so for the next. There is also no guarantee that your child will follow the path that you hope that they will take. However, here, we are going to look at some of the things that you can do to ensure that they are happy, respectful, and law-abiding citizens of the future – and that is all we hope they can be, isn’t it?

Image by succo from Pixabay

Make time for your kids

Children – well, humans in general, thrive on attention and positive time with the people that they love, so by giving this to your kids in abundance, you are already well on your way to being a good role model and showing them the path that you hope that they will take. It does not have to be doing anything big or expensive. A cuddle and a story before bedtime, ice cream after school, and a trip to the park can be just as fun and special to a child as a big, fancy day out. A secure attachment makes children feel safe and loved and is more likely to help them make the right decisions.

Model the behavior you want to see from them

Children learn from examples, so show them the behavior you want to see from them. If you want them to be kind and respectful to others, you need to be kind and respectful to others. If you want to show them the value of working hard, you need to work hard. Be the best example that you can be – your children will often follow in your footsteps.

Communication is key

Children who are unable to express their feelings can become upset and act out in other ways. Children who can adapt their feelings to words and communicate them clearly to adults and other children are more likely to solve problems through conversation. They are more likely to approach you and talk to you about things rather than making a poor decision.

Make sure they are aware of the consequences of poor decision making

One of the biggest deterrents for criminal behavior and poor decision making is to make sure your children are aware of the consequences. At the more serious end of the spectrum is potential trouble with the law and needing a talented group of criminal defense attorneys to get them out of it. On the lesser end are friendship problems, but there is a whole lot of things in between.

Even the best will in the world cannot guarantee your child will always make the right decision and stay on the right path, but these tips will go a long way.

Keeping Your Family Safe Online

April 5, 2021 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Family safety is a priority for all families. We are exposed to so much more than the children of the 90s and before were exposed to. The internet and mobile phones now make it an incredibly difficult place to live, with the fear that our children may be talking to people that they shouldn’t and being on certain online spaces that are not healthy. Our priority is to keep them safe.

There are a huge number of quality and interesting sites on the net, discussion rooms on intriguing topics, articles, photos, games and many other fun activities. The problem with online activity, as in many other areas, is that it is not always possible to know when children are moving to an activity that may harm them. They may get hold of people’s numbers and start talking to them via the phone. As in any other field in which you accompany your child, and teach them to distinguish between positive activity and negative activity, so too should the Internet be accompanied and explained. Important Note: Collaborating and communicating with your children is one way to learn the field and to get them to understand the problems relating to the internet. Also, supervising children online may be perceived as an invasion of children’s privacy. There are many pros and cons on this issue. However, Internet experts who are aware of the dangers in the field, claim that it is recommended to monitor the children’s activities. If the children get involved with danger, the responsibility of course falls on you – the parents. You can look to the professionals to help, such as using apps that can help you look online to find the information that you need.

What signs should I look out for?

Your child spends a lot of time surfing – especially at night. Most children who fall victim to cybercriminals spend a lot of time surfing, especially in chat rooms. These forums provide visitors with the thrill of conversations with people under anonymity. Although surfing may be a positive experience it is advisable to limit the surfing time. Evening hours are the sexually dangerous hours on the net. Sex offenders take advantage of these free hours to locate and seduce children.

You found disturbing material on your child’s computer – Sex offenders may seduce children by sending pornographic material as a means of opening a conversation on the subject. The pictures are used to show the child that sex between an adult and a child is a normal thing. Parents should be aware that children hide the pornographic material on disks, CDs or under password protection, especially if the computer is used by some members of the household.

They are spending time on the phone to numbers you don’t recognize – Cybercriminals strive to move from the online virtual chat room to a phone call with the child. These conversations are a means of excitement for them. They may suggest that the child make a toll-free call that parents cannot identify – but the offenders can identify the phone number through the child’s home.

Create A Second Income & Save!

March 30, 2021 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

When you are dealing with debt and a squeeze around your income, you immediately begin to search for other options that make sense for your finances. One of these options for some people is to get a second income stream set up and ready to go. The trouble comes when it gets to choosing what to do as a second income: where do you even begin?

The thing is, it’s not all that hard to choose something to do and create an income stream out of it. Whether you are able to spend time driving and you are searching for a truck load to bid on for delivery, or you choose to go door to door delivering leaflets, it’s not hard to find a job that fits in with what you want to do in life. You can add some income to your bank account every month around your job, and you will see the benefit pretty quickly! With this in mind, here are a few ways you can create that second income with ease.

Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava from Pexels

Invest. Whether you invest in stocks, shares, houses or gold, investing your money is a clever way to ensure that you get exactly what you want for your income. Take the time to speak to a financial advisor and get yourself educated on how investments work. You may even be told to go ahead and invest in Monthly Income Plans, which is great as an option if you don’t have the time to pursue something in which you’re interested. There are plenty of options out there and it’s a scheme that invests in equities, offering a regular income.
Consult. What are you good at? If you know you have knowledge that stands out in a particular field, you can take that knowledge and run with it by offering your services as a consultant. You can sell your advice and services both online and offline, helping other people and small businesses to solve their biggest problems. Developing and managing your website, referring students to a particular institute – you can outsource pretty much any skill if you know where to look!
Ecommerce. You can sell any old items and things that you create online on e-commerce sites and earn a crust that way. You can manage this around your current job in the evenings and still manage to enjoy a good income! You should consider what you’re selling and how others will benefit from it and then you’ll have a good option to add a second income securely.
Tutor. Similarly to consulting, you should consider becoming a tutor. You will be able to provide unbeatable knowledge either privately or via a school or college and earn a small income at the same time. You can enhance your knowledge and add to your income at the same time. You may have an excellent knowledge in a specific subject, and if you do, you can sell that knowledge to help others. No matter what you do, creating a second income allows you more stability with your income.

Mental Health Tips for Parents

February 17, 2021 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs in the world, and in the midst of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, you may be struggling more than ever to keep your mental health in check. As a result, you may have felt a sense of guilt or uselessness for your inability to take control of everyday situations as you once did, but this is completely natural given the circumstances, and you shouldn’t feel the need to talk yourself down. In this guide, we’re going to look at some helpful tips you can take on board to keep your mental health in check as a parent. Take a look at these tips below:

Talk to your partner

There are days when you may feel completely at your wit’s end to the point where you question your abilities as a parent – and you wouldn’t be the only one. Everyone struggles from time to time, and in such as unprecedented state of events that we’re currently living through, it’s natural to feel moments of panic or uncertainty in your capabilities of taking care of yourself and your children’s needs. If this is the case, don’t be afraid to reach out to your partner for support. They should be one of the only individuals in your life who completely understand your personal circumstances and is happy to support you every step of the way. Through discussion, you should hopefully be able to come to some decisions about how to ease the burden and share responsibilities so you don’t feel overwhelmed or stressed when you are suffering from days of severe depression or anxiety.

Know the signs in others around you as well

If your mental health has suffered quite badly over the past year or so as a result of the pandemic, you may begin to notice when others around you are struggling in the same way. Keep an eye out for the key signs that your family or friends are suffering too. Some of the most common signs of depression include:

Irritability
Lack of confidence
Lack of interest in hobbies
Unable to sleep / irregular sleep patterns
Inability to concentrate

For instance, your teenager could be struggling to open up with anybody. By noticing the signs and being open about how you feel could help them feel not so alone. If, upon noticing the signs, you feel like trying to handle your own mental health issues and help your child is too much, the best option would be to seek professional help such as a counselor or treatment program. Mental health conditions can worsen without the correct strategies, and you may not have much of an idea of how to help your child get it under control. If you believe your teenager is suffering from any of the above symptoms, it would be well worth visiting depression clinics to help them get their life back on track while you also find solutions that work for you. Often clinics can give you essential tactics to cope with parenting a child with mental health issues, for example.

Recognize your strengths

When times get tough, and your mental health is suffering, it’s very easy to focus on your weaknesses rather than your strengths. However, remembering how great you are will certainly boost your confidence and hopefully help switch off negative thoughts that are causing you to ruminate. Instead of telling yourself, ‘today isn’t going well’ and ‘I am a failure,’ recognize what you have achieved and what you are capable of. Children are inspired by the behavior they are surrounded by, so aim to stay as positive as you can to be a good role model.

Why You Need to Start Taking Better Care of Your Health

January 11, 2021 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

You’ve probably heard plenty of talk about the importance of healthy eating, an active lifestyle, and other common wellness phrases, but it’s often too easy to dismiss this as not applying to you. However, men are just as likely, if not more, to experience serious health concerns in their lifetime, especially as they get older. Here are some reasons, and tips, for getting more pro-active with your health.

Routine health checks can prevent serious issues

It’s a cliché to say that most men won’t go to the doctor unless it’s something really serious, and even then, they’d rather wait it out and hope it resolves by itself. Often, this results from damaging ideals about what masculinity means, which can sadly end up with more men suffering from serious conditions that could have been prevented had they taken action sooner.

Aim to have more frequent checkups with your physician and dentist, particularly as you age. It’s a good idea to regularly review your blood levels and weight. Suppose you have a family history of disease such as diabetes, heart issues, or cancer. In that case, staying vigilant of any early symptoms may help you treat and prevent illnesses from getting worse.

Invest in your diet

The food you eat is one of the most important things that affect your health and wellbeing, and it’s essential to make sure you have a balanced, nutritious diet if you want to enjoy an active and enjoyable life. While there are many kinds of diets and fitness plans, promising the perfect way to eat, in reality, it is far less complicated.

Simply making sure that you have a good mix of fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and a moderate amount of proteins and healthy fats can help you meet most of your nutritional needs. An additional multivitamin for men at NoorVitamins.com can also provide a helpful top up of essential nutrients that are needed for healthy functioning.

Pay attention to your mental health

As well as ignoring physical health issues, a large number of men will also ail to pay attention to mental health concerns. This can happen for a variety of reasons, most commonly, the fact that men are often expected to be tougher and more resilient to emotional issues. However, this attitude has led to a huge number of men experiencing serious mental health problems, with growing rates of depression, anxiety, and many other disorders.

If you are worried about experiencing mental health issues, don’t hesitate to address it with a physician, therapist, or counselor. There are several ways to find a solution that works best for you. Taking steps to improve it will not only benefit you but can also set a great example for others. Encouraging friends and male family members to speak more openly about their mental health can also help reduce stigma and help them to reach out for help more easily when they need it.

6 Top Tips for Creating a Baby-Friendly Home

December 9, 2020 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

If you’re expecting a baby in the next nine months (or less), you’ll more than likely want every inch of your property to suit their needs.

In addition to creating a beautiful nursery, you must ensure your home is warm, safe and spacious to support their health, security, and first steps.

To feel 100% prepared for your son or daughter’s arrival, read these six top tips for creating a baby-friendly home.

Cover Electrical Outlets

Once your baby starts crawling, cruising, or walking, you can guarantee they will want to explore every item on the floor, walls, and furniture. To ensure they are safe when they move across your home, you can cover your electrical outlets with a plastic outlet cover. Research to find out what the most suitable method is for your type of electic outlet.

Add Corner Guards

Children are prone to falling forwards and backward when they are first finding their feet, and they’ll lack spatial awareness when moving from A to B. To prevent unwanted injuries, you can cover all sharp edges with corner guards. For example, you could add them onto the corners of tables, baseboards or low shelving, which will provide peace of mind that they will be safe when falling in the home.

Install Efficient Radiators

Faulty or broken radiators will fail to increase your home’s temperature on a cold night. Ensure your little bundle of joy is safe and warm every day of the week by installing efficient radiators before their arrival. There are also many beautiful designs available at warmrooms.co.uk that can complement the size of a room and its interior. For example, vertical column radiators are an ideal choice if you have minimal wall space.

Move Medicines and Cleaning Supplies

As mentioned, babies and toddlers are inquisitive, so you can guarantee they will want to explore every cupboard when an opportunity arises. Keep them safe within the home by moving all medicines and cleaning supplies from lower kitchen cabinets or shelving. Store them in a higher cabinet and install a child-lock for extra peace of mind.

Remove Poisonous Plants

Children will be happy to put every object into their mouths once they have improved their fine and gross motor skills. While you might think your beautiful plants are harmless, you might be surprised to learn that some varieties are poisonous when consumed, such as devil’s ivy, English ivy, and poinsettia. You should, therefore, remove them from your home (or place well out of reach) before your little one starts rolling and crawling.

Stabilize furniture

As a growing baby will want to explore different colors, textures, and movements, they’ll want to browse the many items sitting on a bookshelf. To ensure it never topples over, you must stabilize it and anchor any heavy furniture against the wall. You can also add baby-friendly products onto lower shelving, such as:

Board books
Soft toys
Various textured fabrics
Stacking cups

Don’t forget to remove breakable items from the bookshelf, such as vases, candles and sculptures.

Before your baby arrives in the world, take a walk around your home to identify potential safety issues, such as a faulty water heater, choking hazards or unsecured mirrors or furniture. It’s much easier to get all this sorted without a baby than waiting until they arrive.

Sharing Your Love Of Sports With Your Kids

November 20, 2020 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

While it is important that children have their own interests and that you help them foster them (while showing an interest in them for their sake), there is something quite special to developing a bond over an interest that you mutually share out of your own independent interests. If you want your child to have your love of sports and to develop a bond over it, there are a variety of ways you can help nurture them in that direction. Here, we’re going to look at a few.

While looking at the tips below, it’s important to remember that the personality and inclinations of your child matter just as much as anything else. Not everything is going to work the same for everyone.

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Play it for fun

If you want your child to get into playing a sport, then you should be sure to encourage them to explore it at their own pace, not to force them to play it for any sort of competitive reason or try and get them to play it to get better at it. Simply put, if you put too much pressure on them too early, they’re going to eventually balk against it and are more likely to quit than anything. If your child shows a natural aptitude for athletics, it’s only natural to want to encourage them to pursue it, but trying to force it is only going to work against the very same desire.

Do sports together rather than expecting them to do it

If you’re trying to get your kid into sports because you want to build a bond with them around that shared interest, then you should make sure that you’re not simply pushing them to get into it and then vicariously enjoying those sports through them. If you want your child to associate sports with fun, then it’s important that you’re directly involved with it and actively making it more fun for them. For instance, get them more used to physical activity at first by going on bike rides with them after you teach them how to ride, or practice basketball with them by getting a hoop to play with in your backyard. That way, when they start to get to the age where they can explore their own interest, they already associate sports with fun.

Get them into the trivia side

There is a common misconception that it’s only the most physically apt and athletic guys that love sports, but we know that’s not true. There are guys who are into sports because they compete or have competed, there are those who love to support the home team, and there are those who love to get into the details of it, to uncover all of the stats and learn about everything they can. Even if a kid isn’t a natural athlete, he can develop a true and passionate interest in sports. Getting into the trivia side of sports with them, such as discovering the best coaches, looking at stats of different players, and maybe even involving them in your fantasy league, can develop an interest in sports just as easily as getting physically involved. Let them be the kind of fan they want to be.

Take them to a game

As mentioned, just as there are those sports fans who love to get involved physically and who love to learn everything about the technical side as they can, there are those who love feeling involved with something bigger than them. That’s a big component of just about anyone who supports a local sports team or athlete. If your child is old enough to attend a game, then taking them out when possible, even if it’s an occasional thing, can be a great way to build brilliant memories associated with both the sport and you, and can be something that they look fondly on for years to come.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

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Let them have other interests

All children are going to develop multiple interests over time. In fact, as they develop those interests, they’re likely to drop an older one for some time while a new passion has their attention. As a parent, it’s up to you to acknowledge and accept that they have different interests and that sports may not always be a priority. When they are young, especially in their single-digit ages, they are going to have short attention spans, which means they can get bored with prolonged activities and want to do something else. You can encourage them to develop self-discipline, especially if they start competing, but you shouldn’t try to force them to sit and stick with something if they’re getting restless and distracted.

Don’t make it a “man thing”

First of all, if you are looking to share your interest with your daughters, you had better get rid of any notions of what being into sports means about them and their femininity. Everyone can love sports of any kind, whether it’s men or women competing in it. Gatekeeping isn’t going to help anyone. However, for boys, it sets a bad example if you try and tie their love of and skill with sports to any notion of what makes them a “man.” This is toxic masculinity in its purest form, and it can set them up with harmful notions about manhood for life. Sports is about athleticism, competition, and ambition in that particular field and it’s okay to inspire them with those thoughts. But don’t make it something that it’s not.

You can’t force a child to get into sports, of course. You can, however, make it clear that you have that interest and, if they want to get into it, you would be glad to share it with them. It’s the only natural way to share that love of sports with your kids. Hopefully, the tips above show you a more measured and considerate way to get your child to share your love of sports. What’s more, it’s one that’s likely to work more than simply trying to urge them to start doing sports out of nowhere.

LOOTCRATE Offers Great Gifts This Holiday Season!

November 4, 2020 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

I have talked about how I am a fan of LOOTCRATE. I have picked up a few LOOTCRATE items in the past and to be honest, any crate that I have gotten in the past has been filled with so many great quality items, and you can find a bit of everything no matter what your interest is.

Recently I was sent one of these kits to check out as we get ready for the holiday season. I was sent the new LOOTCRATE DX. With the new LOOTCRATE DX you get a bigger crate, bigger gear! Each box gives you a surprise assortment of awesome pop culture gear and collectibles delivered to your door every month!

Take a look at the pictures below and you will see the variety you get in this box. The box itself was a ton of fun and really taps into your fandom into a number of areas. All of the items are of high quality and you will find that the quality and variety alone will keep you coming back for more with every month that goes by.

So, as you can see, this is a box that is full of a ton of different items that tapped into my own interest in popular culture movies, super heroes and more. You get a ton of things that makes the value of this box definitely surpass the cost of the box itself.

Wheth this box sounds interesting or not, you definitely need to look at all of the unique boxes that are available on LOOTCRATE. I know that you will be impressed. Especially as you get ready for the holidays, I can say that so many guys will find these boxes to be a great gift! Consider passing one on to someone you love!