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Top 25 Indie Books that Encourage Diversity and Inclusion

In a time when we are so secluded, it is so much more important now than ever to teach kids about diversity and inclusion. For the danger is now more than ever for them to get a one sided view of the world, that is more a rainbow than just one color.

Today, I bring to you books by various authors from around the world who have written books that promote the same.

What is diversity?

It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.

What is inclusion?

The action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure.

A global world view, building kindness and social skills all need a child to understand the essence of these two.

And what better way than books that are different in the WAYS they bring these topics forth.

For if we hope our children to grow to build a world together, to be allies of each other and stand tall, we want them to know all the above, from within.

Download our FREE ACTIVITY BOOK for helping kids build a global mindset early.

 

UNIQUE CULTURES

The Secret about Hummingbird

Created by an elementary teacher to educate and inspire, children will love learning about the Taíno culture through the retelling of their indigenous folklore, bringing an ancient cultureー and a young loveーto colorful life. This is a beautiful retelling of an old Taino legend about how the hummingbird was created. The way the story is retold is both easy for children to understand but not “dumbed down” either. I enjoyed the story and found the illustrations bright, colorful, and descriptive.

Adventures of Neel and Maya

Join Neel and Maya as they tour India and celebrate festivals full of color and joy. You will be astounded by the various traditions and cultural traits the books in this series have. It is so wonderful to show a bridge between our US Diversity and the country of cultural origins and to show young people engaging in understanding their heritage. It was so well written to explain the celebrations.

Hasta Mañana Mexico City

This book takes kids to a world away and opens their minds to a cultural experience outside of their world. It’s an English book with references and details on real locations. This story takes children through the heart of the city, which is full of wonderful history and vibrant places.

Travel, Learn and See Your Friends : Adventure Series

This bilingual book is targeted at Mandarin Immersion students, but can be read by non-native speakers of Chinese.About the Author: Edna is a physician anesthesiologist and mom, who was motivated to write a bilingual Chinese children’s book, inspired by her son’s friendship after he enrolled in a Mandarin immersion school. She found a limited selection of books for this age group. So she created these stories to include English and Mandarin with pin yin, to facilitate different reading levels. Her stories celebrate friendship and cultural diversity.

Womagis – First Multilingual Children’s Book in 18 Languages

Womagis is illustrated as an innovative template, displaying 18 languages simultaneously, as a multilingual frame. Each language changes its place from page to page, so the book is also a game, where you must look around in order to find your native tongue, just like a smart detective. It includes some activities to inspire parents and educators so they can work together with the children by creating a universe of adventures and games around the book. Womagis is a new book that inspires children to create their own language of tolerance and love, all in one story, all in one page!

BODIES & ISSUES

Devin’s Discovery

Devin’s Discovery is a story about an ordinary boy who happens to wear orthotic braces. He realizes he’s not as different as he thought as he discovers there are many other children who need special orthotics and prosthetics to support them, too! A story of acceptance and embracing what makes us all unique, this is a book for EVERY child! Devin and his three friends represent four unique ethnic backgrounds, which adds to the elements of diversity and inclusion already portrayed throughout the story.

B is for Breathe

From the letter A to the letter Z, B is for Breathe celebrates the many ways children can express their feelings and develop coping skills at an early age. Fun, cute, and exciting illustrations, this colorful book teaches kids simple ways to cope with fussy and frustrating emotions. This book will inspire kids to discuss their feelings, show positive behaviors, and practice calm down strategies.

Hi! I’m Me

In this heart-warming tale about a mother and daughter, first-time author Kelly Vurinaris captures the beauty in human differences.She takes the reader through everyday experiences in the life of Chloe, a little girl with facial differences. Since she’s been going out into the world, Chloe notices people staring at her. To connect with others and break down initial barriers, she quickly discovers that she just needs to introduce herself. It helps kids identify that being different is okay, and that we are all people. It is the perfect story for parents or teachers who want to teach children about inclusivity, and how everyone has equal value no matter how they look.

Orange Sparkles

Relocating to Israel is bound to be an unforgettable adventure for 11-year-old Megan, 8-year-old Noah, and their little sister, Elise. But a whole new country, backwards-written language, and leaving everything they’ve ever known? Should they be excited or terrified? While their dad starts his new job and their mom works out the details of the clinical trial for Elise who has Cerebral Palsy, Megan and Noah explore a nearby tunnel – discovering magic and cryptic messages. Noah’s excited about the amazing flips he can do, while Megan is certain the magic must be an incredible opportunity – but for what?

 

Beyond the Clouds

My book is about a girl named Kippi who goes to visit her grandfather in his cloud house after he passes away. She learns that even though he’s gone, he’ll always be with her, watching over her. I think it’s a very important topic for children, especially in today’s world.

How Our Skin Sparkles

How Our Skin Sparkles is a book of empowerment through acceptance, of self and others. With easy to read rhymes, sibling love and thoughts to explore, this story talks about how one can truly see everyone as they are inside. This book is a must have for any child who wants to learn a little more about themselves, the world around them and how we truly sparkle! The Raising World Children – Empowerment Series for books for global kids is geared for kids aged 3-10. Perfect for boys, girls, early readers, primary school students, or toddlers. Excellent resource for counselors, parents, and teachers alike.

Where Am I From

How do you answer this question, when a child is ‘from’ multiple countries, can speak and understand many languages and is not living in the country they were born in? Children from seven countries each have a turn to answer in their own way. Each answer is correct, and yet still not the whole picture. When the youngest takes his turn, he shares a different view, one that has nothing to do with borders on a map.

ANIMALS THAT HELP

Schneider the Spider and His Unusual Friends

Schneider the Spider is the biggest and brownest daddy longlegs in the woods. His big stature and spiky hind legs scare other spiders away. Sad and alone, Schneider finds an unusual friendship in a butterfly. Together, the duo flies around the lake and meets other unique and kind friends along the way. Schneider finds something special with all his friends and begins to accept his differences. This story sends a message that we are all different and unique. Schneider the Spider pairs well with any Character Building Curriculum to encourage kindness, compassion, appreciation, respect, attitude, and empathy.

The Unstoppable Rexie

Rexie is one cool dinosaur. He loves an epic imaginative adventure and he has one, every day of the week. Rexie has a bionic arm that he uses for daily tasks, like brushing his teeth. He doesn’t mind being a little different than the other dinosaurs. Although he may seem like a pretty ordinary T-Rex, he is extremely unique in how he views his world. Rexie and his sidekick, Dax, go to some exciting places and escape some powerful characters along the way. The Unstoppable Rexie is about being kind, being yourself, not letting any obstacles get in your way, and having some major laughable fun. Everyone can be Unstoppable, just like Rexie.

The Purple Grasshopper

The Purple Grasshopper follows the journey of a quirky grasshopper who struggles with accepting that she is different. She tries to be like the other grasshoppers at first, but quickly learns the power of self-love and that friendship is abundant. Celebrating your uniqueness is not as difficult as it might seem!

Shells

Helix and Sammy live on opposite sides of the garden fence. When Helix discovers what life is really like on Sammy’s side, there begins an adventure of revelations and revolution. Every evening, best friends Helix and Sammy meet at the vegetable patch to feast on delicious lettuce. Shells is a book aimed at helping young children better understand systemic racism, the nature of privilege and the importance of standing up for equal opportunities for all.

Hannah the Honeybee Has a Dream

Industrious honeybees are a great way to deliver the message that working hard and contributing to society are important. This book will offer great opportunities to parents to discuss the importance of bees to the well-being of the planet and all of us who enjoy it. This first book is about ‘making a difference,’ with the aim to show readers that we can all contribute to society in our own way. We don’t have to be rich or famous or like anyone else to make a difference. It is more important to be ourselves.

DIVERSE CHARACTERS

J.R.’s Biggest Fan

J.R. ‘s Biggest Fan shows the never-ending encouragement a mother gives her son. This heartwarming story teaches that with every failure, keep trying, believe in yourself, and you will always have the love and support of your biggest fan, your mom. It is critical for children to see diverse characters in a book to broaden their world view.

Aurora’s Orchid

Aurora, a beloved mom to four young children, is determined to create memories with them in her childhood home in Rincon, Puerto Rico. One year, she plants an orchid with her children and spends the summer teaching them to tend to it in the hopes that it would grow into the beautiful plant she knew it could. As the days, weeks, months, and even years pass, Aurora teaches her children patience as they skeptically wait for the flowers to bloom.

Sister Girl Collection

Readers are left with a sense of pride in family, and also themselves. Sister Girl is easy to relate to and the message of not giving up can be received by anyone, at any age. The Sister Girl Collection is an empowerment tool to encourage young girls to be courageous, creative, and live productive lives. Each book teaches a new lesson, skill, or touches on exploring the world. Readers can grow with Sister Girl as they also experience new things in their own lives. Families can add this collection to their home library, sharing the stories and lessons for years to come.

My Journey with Jimmy

My Journey with Jimmy is a simple story about a girl who grows up befriending a boy from school of a different race named Jimmy. She expresses her appreciation of Jimmy’s kindness towards her over the years. As their friendship grows. she admires Jimmy’s helpful personality. When Jimmy decides to help others as a police officer she decides to follow his lead. This is a great story to start a discussion with early readers about diversity and civic responsibility. The story is written in meter and prose to make it easy for young readers to follow along.

What Should I Do Today

Join 6 cute kids with beautiful curly hair in a colorful, fun story as they deal with the biggest daily hurdle for any toddler: What should I do today? mTargeted to children ages 0 – 4, it is a fun and engaging read that features simple wording, bright colors and whimsical artwork.

FOR PARENTS

Strong Roots Have No Fear

Winner of the global literary Author Academy Award and Royal Dragonfly Award, this book is a must for your personal library for growth as a parent. Aditi Wardhan Singh is a leading voice on growth mindset and cultural sensitivity. This book has heart warming stories, easy to implement ways and conversation starters that enable you to use your child’s strengths to make them independent, with good decision making skills. Building a global mindset that helps children stay rooted in their heritage and values.

 

How to Raise Confident Multicultural Children

This is the uniquely empowering guidebook to the bilingual / multilingual and multicultural parenting journey. It includes practical tips and ideas for even greater success raising confident and resilient kids of mixed ethnic backgrounds who can speak many languages.

 

To have us feature your book, email contact@raisingworldchildren.com .

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Yoga and Calming Meditation for Kids – Yogi Superhero Series

Life today is not how it used to be years ago. The stress levels are astronomical, even for kids. This Yogi Superhero book series gives you the opportunity to help children build calm from the inside out.

We got these two books from the author to review and found it very interesting to say the least. What is specially nice is the way the author has explained the different poses in the simplest of ways.

Yogi Superhero

A Children’s book about yoga, mindfulness and managing busy mind and negative emotions

Key points about the book  –

  • “Yogi Superhero” is an introduction to yoga for children ages 3-8.
  • A meaningful book which demonstrates mindful yoga poses and breathing exercise.
    The perfect picture book for parents, carers, and Yoga teachers.
    It teaches basic poses which help to self-soothe and self-regulate in our crazy world and help with managing negative emotions.
  • Easy to follow poses are perfect for a bedtime or morning yoga, or to be enjoyed as a bedtime read.
  • Readers will learn techniques for relaxing the body and the mind.
  • Book is based on the Yogi Superhero programme for children ages 4-12, delivered for the last few years, which combines passion for yoga and creative teaching.

Book Review

When we began reading the first book, my son loved that the superheros element was used in the book. He figures it would be very exciting for kids who love superheroes. It is so important actually to help kids learn about different concepts, but built around the things they love already. It makes imbibing things very easy.

Fun illustrations make this book a charm to read. I specially liked how the author has made it appealing to kids with describing each pose and connecting it to how yoga can make us feel. The steps to managing breathing was a great help to us and we found ourselves doing the actions along with the book.

The different kids in the book help make the book much more visually diverse. It is a book I imagine would be a must re-read for kids who you want to help imbibe calm into. Also, never hurts that yoga is one of the best exercises to do.

This colour book tells a story which allows children to understand that we are already a Yogi Superhero, we just sometimes forget about it.

 

You can get the book from USA here – Yogi Superhero

Yogi Superhero Adventures in Nature Forest

A Children’s book about yoga, mindfulness, kindness and managing busy mind and fear.

Key points about the book –

  • Basic yoga poses are related entirely to the forest story, they help to self-soothe and self-regulate in this crazy world and help with managing emotions.
  • An introduction to yoga for children ages 3-8.
  • Book is based on the Yogi Superhero programme for children ages 4-12.

Book Review

What a wonderful read it turned out to be.

In a forest, one wants to find the peace of mind that we all crave In our busy lives. The kids here inspired my little one to get into the poses with them. She specially loved that all her favorite animals have been mentioned. The colorfully bright illustrations made for a calming read. We again found ourselves doing the exercises as we read since they were so well explained.

Get your copy here – Yogi Superhero – Adventures in Nature 

About the Author –

Anna Smithers is a yoga teacher and yoga therapist for children and adults.

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Poetry and writing were always present in her life. Even as six year old girl, she was creating the stories and drawing her own illustrations. Later in life, poetry took more serious direction, and she was using poetry to express her feelings and emotions. When she was 18, her poems were published in local and national newspapers and magazines. Some of these won competitions. However, life has taken her on a completely different journey. After Anna gained her degrees in Science and Business Management, she stopped writing.

It was only when she started Yoga that the inspiration to write returned to her.

You can connect with her books via  – http://orangelotusyoga.co.uk/yogi-superhero-book-kids-yoga/

More book recommendation lists and reviews here – Kids Corner Books

 

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A Children’s Book in 18 Languages – Womagis

In Womagis, her mom tells Olivia, she’s talking gibberish. What follows in a wondrous discussion about languages and how amazingly important it is to partake in multilingualism and create your own language even. Today we review Womagis USA. The book available to us in the United States.

If you would like your child to open up to learning new languages, this just might be the place to start. Experience many languages at ONE time. Multilingualism directly translates to a different way of thinking. When you have another language to use as a resource, it opens your mind and makes you more empathetic. Womagis USA gives you an opportunity like no other. To get a glance into what another language, one that you have not yet seen or even heard of feels like.

In today’s world where we are more divided than united, it is imperative we take every single opportunity we can to introduce our children to different worlds.

If you want your child to be a global citizen, this book is for you. Even if you do not understand the languages mentioned, it is a wonderful way to introduce your child the many ways different languages feel and read. To try to sound them out and let the story grow with you.

In every page, the position of each language changes places, making the book a game. This book really blows your mind though, in the fact that all the text is side by side.

Marta Villegas is the spanish children´s book author and founder of Womagis. Through this book, she hopes to help children build a world of their own. To get creative in their play and reading methodology.

This is one book when the methodology of story telling is more important to focus on when reading than the story itself. Consider it an experience and you will take more about it than just reading a book. 

In short, she and her creative team, aim to shake things up!

Get your copy now!

Parents with different nationalities have the possibility to read Womagis with their children.
Children that want to learn new languages can take their first steps with Womagis and in the process make them realize that there are other alphabets and cultures in the world, increasing their sense of tolerance.

At first glance, it is a daunting book. It is so important though, to stay with this book. I would say, this is a great book for kids 5+ and an interactive experience for kids with parents on the first read.

The final pages of the book are filled with activities that help kids get creative with building language blocks of their own. As for the languages themselves, you will find 18

English, Navajo-Diné, Lakota-Sioux, Inuit-Eskimo, Hawaiian, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Tagalog, Italian, Chinese, Polish, German, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese & Vietnamese,

out of which the Hindi and English parts read true to the language which was very reassuring.

The message itself is one of hope and love.

My kids found it interesting and after a few reads now have found their own ways to use this book to get inventive.

You can connect with them here. Write a letter or get the books into your stores.

You can also find a number of activities to do via their website.

We at RaisingWorldChildren.com, pride ourselves in finding books that break barriers and build a growth mindset that is global in nature. For more of our book reviews and lists, you can find them all here.

Review of Womagis

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Recognize the Signs of Eating Disorders in Kids & Preteens

Eating disorders can emerge much earlier than you might expect. As the concepts of body image, self-confidence and identity begin to evolve, young people compare themselves to others and “ideal” images portrayed online in the media. In today’s hyper-connected society, children and pre-teens are conditioned to believe that certain body types and appearances are more acceptable than others.

The need to fit in and belong is inherently human, but children and pre-teens are more likely to validate themselves based on others’ approval. Those who are overweight or don’t fit a certain image may be bullied at school or online, which only reinforces the idea that who they are is not good enough. Being liked becomes equal to being pretty or fit, and children can start to develop the beliefs that lead to eating disorder behaviors early.

If you are concerned that your child or pre-teen may have an eating disorder, here are some telltale warning signs to look out for.

Avoiding Food or Eating Non-food Substances

In children under 12, one of the most common expressions of an eating disorder are food aversion. Children may frequently complain of a stomach ache, claim to be ill, or flat-out refuse to eat.

Children in this age may also begin to eat substances like dirt or soap, a condition known as pica. This behavior typically falls outside of their developmental stage, e.g. a 10-year-old eating chalk or paper vs. a 2-year-old curiously sampling a handful of dirt.

Digestive Problems

If your child or pre-teen uses the bathroom excessively or frequently complains of stomach aches related to constipation, they may be malnourished. These symptoms are also associated with changes in appetite or food consumption. This undernourishment may be because they are not eating enough or because they are purging what they do eat.

You should speak to your child and their doctor about these changes immediately. Early intervention is the most important factor of recovery in eating disorders. Eating disorder treatment facilities for children can help stop the progression of anorexia and bulimia into life-threatening stages.

Hoarding Food

Some children will hide food in their rooms or somewhere else so that they eat later. Others may try to conceal their lunches or other meals to convince parents they’re eating more than they actually are. Some children will restrict their consumption to virtually nothing while others fast for periods of time only to binge large portions later. They may make themselves sick afterward and attempt to “clean” their body of the food they’ve eaten.

Closely monitor your child’s food consumption and comfort levels when eating. Are they claiming to eat regular meals despite losing weight? Some children, especially pre-teens, can be quite crafty about disguising their eating disorders. parents have to do a bit of investigative work to truly get to the bottom of their behavior.

Being Overly Concerned With Their Appearance

Children begin to compare themselves physically to their peers around age 7. Pre-teens are even more worried about looking “cool” and fitting in with their classmates. However, if your child is extremely worried about appearing fat or thin, they may be struggling with an eating disorder. Keep in mind that beliefs precede behaviors; early anxieties can and often do turn into harmful behaviors when left untreated.

Remember to approach your child with love and concern. Do not force them to eat or scold them for their feelings. They are just as confused and pained by the experience as you. Eating disorders are not a choice, and they are not something that can be resolved by simply eating more or dieting. The best thing you can do in this situation is to reach out to your child’s doctor and a licensed psychologist right away.


: Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.
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Get Kids Excited About Education

Kids love school. Okay, maybe that is not always true, but education is an important part of their lives and will have a huge impact on their future. As parents, we have a responsibility to provide the education they need to further their knowledge and be successful in life. The best way to do that is by teaching your kids to love learning.

Starting Young

Teaching your kids to love learning starts by fostering their curiosity at a young age. Be sure to read to them on a regular basis. Pay attention to what type of books they ask for to learn what they are interested in and encourage that interest. For example, if they like animals take them to the zoo so they can see some in person. Youngsters also enjoy learning using music and games to keep them interested.

Incentives

Once the kids become school age, they may need a little more incentive to continue their studies. Be sure to compliment them when they are doing a good job. You may want to reward good report cards with candy or money. If they are staying busy with their homework, reward them with a dance break or video game time. As they get better, they will learn to take pride in doing a good job.

Researching Different Types of Schools

Some parents prefer to home-school their children, so they have more control over what their child is learning. That may be a benefit, but it will require a lot of resources, patience, and most of all time that a lot of us do not have. Most communities have private schools available, but they are often quite expensive. Public schools are often the best option. The Education Bug has a great comparison of the different types of schooling and the advantages of sticking with a public school.

It is important for kids to enjoy an education that is going to challenge them in a safe environment, moves them to success, and fosters their creativity. Teachers and parents should be able to work together and share in the responsibility.

But to make their education hugely successful, your kids need to be excited about it. They will be when they understand how important it is to their future and when it is an activity they can share with their friends with a sense of community. They can set goals, enjoy extracurricular activities, and be excited about their education.

 


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Books do NOT Cause a Racist Mindset

“Books about skin colour at an early age are part of the problem. Kids make friends with other kids that they get along with. They don’t give a crap what colour skin their friends have. By pushing racial awareness on them, it actually makes them think about it. Can’t we just let them be young and free and innocent? ”

To THAT I answer …

The story mentioned is inspired by the experiences of myself and my other brown friends who are in diverse classrooms. Many of whom have come home to ask their mother WHY do I look different? OR why does my friend look different from us. And the parents have brushed aside the question with a laugh.

Kids see color. Everyone sees color.

We need to teach our kids EARLY that how they LOOK is NOT that which defines them. It’s not about teaching them about racism. It’s about instilling values that last them a life time so they can GROW into being people to stand by friends who may have different OPINIONS or LIKES than them.

My books (ones I have written and in the process) are bullying prevention and body positive on top of being diverse (since they from a brown person’s POV .

 

Racism is not a word you teach or NOT teach your children. It’s an attitude that you instill by choosing to NOT talk about the important topics. A child’s character is strongly built by the time they are 9/10. There is NEVER a perfect time to talk to them about the important things. You GROW into them as a family by talking to kids about little things like WHY skin colors are different. WHY someone chooses to wear a head scarf. HOW we can help our friends feel included in our games. HOW we can stand up to someone who pushes a friend around.

The “I don’t see color” is a false narrative. Every child sees color. MOST don’t let it affect their judgement of those around them, TILL they do. They imbibe it from the things we do NOT say and the thoughtless comments WE as adults pass on others appearances.

We want to ensure we keep nudging them in the RIGHT direction to keep building strong moral characters.

Books do NOT CAUSE Racism.. Quite the opposite actually. I don’t usually respond to or share negative comments but it’s important for those who MAY even think about this or are AVOIDING talking to their kids about important topics to “protect them”.

 

 

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Teaching Kids Beauty is as Beauty Does

Fair is lovely! That’s what we grew up with.

The truth is, even today MANY consider being “fair” to being superior. Specially to the older generation in India (I can speak only per my experience), who pass thoughtless comments on everyone’s appearance.

These thoughts have come to me as I made a Tik Tok using Priyanka chopra’s voice (Instagram.com/raisingworldchildren) . Priyanka Chopra herself was part of fairness cream campaigns that she now regrets. Just yesterday, some one commented that some indian jokes do not translate to other languages. I noted, it was because outside of Indian mindset body issues like baldness, being dark, being fat is NOT considered FUNNY. It appalls me how often I hear comments on others’ appearances with no regard for how it makes them feel.

When I go to India, I’m too fat and thus passed comments on , and others in my family are too thin so they are made fun of. And the amount of self deprecating comments I hear by people about their own appearance is CONSTANT! No one seems to remember the effect of such negative self talk has on kids.

THIS is why we need to empower our kids early with body positive conversation and acceptance of all as they are. Read the children’s book How Our Skin Sparkles with your kids.

 

To help your kids build NEW beauty standards, and accepting themselves as they are, you can find books on our website below.

Body Positive Books That Build Confidence

Beautiful is as beautiful does …

Have you experienced this in your sub Culture ? What has your experience been like ?

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5 Ways You Can Bond with Your Newborn During Quarantine

COVID-19 has changed things in Austin and beyond. There’s no telling when everything will go back to normal, so you have to figure out how to be a parent to your newborn. The following are five things you can do to bond with your newborn during quarantine.

1. Skin-to-Skin Activities

One thing you can do to bond with your newborn during quarantine is skin-to-skin activities. Allowing your baby to feel your skin is soothing, and it helps your baby feel closer to you. This also allows both of you to smell each other. It may not sound like much, but you and your child give off a scent that helps you build a strong bond.

During quarantine, this is going to be a relatively easy thing to accomplish, but you can try a few activities that could help. For example, you can look for positions to hold your baby in online. For example, Silver Bee Photography who does newborn photography in Austin has a great selection of pictures to reference for practicing positions to have your baby in with skin to skin contact. Looking for references online is a great way to find perfect ways to provide skin to skin contact throughout the day.

2. Communication is Golden

While you are in quarantine, you can also do your best to make communication a priority. Your baby cannot understand you, but that doesn’t mean communicating with your baby isn’t important. You have to do your best to talk to your baby and to be as expressive as you can so that your baby can see your expressions.

It is important to make eye contact while you are talking to your child. In the beginning, you might have some difficulty talking to your little bundle of joy, but be patient with yourself. Quarantine is giving you time to get used to talking to your baby, so use it.

3. Doing the Back and Forth

Your baby needs to feel like you react to him or her. Communication involves at least two people responding to each other. This is something you can achieve with your baby, and it’ll help you bond with each other. Of course, your baby can only coo and may smile at some point.

These are the tools your baby uses, and you can use these tools to communicate with your child. When your baby coos, go ahead and respond with your own; every so often, initiate the coo and wait until your baby responds. Smile when your baby smiles at you, and initiate the smile every so often as well. Your baby will get better. Just give him or her some time.

4. Get to Playing

Games are important for your baby right now, and you can play all day long with your newborn during quarantine. All of this heavy interaction with your baby should help you feel good, and it should help your baby feel more connected to you. There are a lot of games you can play, from classics like peek-a-boo to just singing a song.

Of course, you also need to make sure you include games meant to teach your baby something. Newborns experience a lot through touch, so focus on games that’ll help your child with that. For example, you can tickle your child in different places around the body. You could also have your baby touch different surfaces so that he or she experiences new things every day with you.

5. Feeding is Sacred

Okay, feeding is not sacred in any magical way, yet it is pretty special. This is a time where your baby learns you are his or her caretaker. Your baby is getting nourishment from you, which allows your child to bond with you. Make sure every time you feed your child that you hold your baby as close as you can.

On top of that, you also have to make an effort to lock eyes with your baby and talk soothingly. Those who are breastfeeding are going to experience a bonus: oxytocin. This hormone is released during breastfeeding and encourages bonding, which is going to go a long way towards establishing a loving relationship between you two.

These are just some things you can do with your baby at home as you try to fight this pandemic and bond with your baby. Try some or all of these things during this quarantine.

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How Extroverted Teens Flourish in a Family of Introverts

Personality clashes can cause problems in relationships. This is especially true if you have an extroverted teen in a family of introverts. Extroverted teens can be seen as being needy or bothersome to introverted family members. Therefore, it is a good idea for the introverted family members to have a better understanding of the teenage child in order to let him thrive in his daily activities.

Avoiding Conflict

Take a family who throws their teenager a surprise party. They invited everyone in their dance class, grade, and even their cousins. They spend a lot of money and time planning this great party filled with food, music, and even a DJ. To their surprise their daughter spends half the time in her room crying. She tells her family she would have rather they saved their money and got her a Switch instead. The parents think she’s spoiled or ungrateful.

It’s important to note that the parents were wanting to do something extra special in this scenario for their child. They can’t understand why she wouldn’t think this was the best gift they could give her. This is because they are thinking about what they would have wanted to receive. To a shy or introverted shy, this can seem more like a nightmare of social anxiety than a time to let their hair down to celebrate. This is why even within your children it’s important to gauge their own personalities and yours. The parents and child are not doing anything wrong. However, the actions get lost in translation because of their different personalities.

Know Their Personality

While most people are classified as extroverted and introverted, there are actually 16 distinct different personality types. These personality types can be identified when the person takes an MBTI test or Myer Briggs Type Indicator. This self-report questionnaire will determine the specific personality of your teenage child. This will allow you to know how you can best personalize your parenting to ways that are better understood by extroverted teens. This can help them feel loved and understood, which will lead to better relationships.

Communication

People are able to thrive when they are allowed to be themselves. That’s why it is important for your teenage child to feel comfortable in his own shoes. As long as a teenage child is not hurting himself nor hurting others, they should be given room to explore their personality. This will allow them to have a happier upbringing and position themselves to be better able to interact with others as an adult.

Understanding

Many times families find themselves talking at each other rather than talking to each other. It is a good idea for family members to have a “no pressure” conversation with their teenage child. This will give you a better idea as to what motivates the child and what he really thinks. If the extroverted child is dressing in wild clothes, this may not be an act of rebellion but an emulation of the child’s favorite Youtuber or musical act. Knowing why your teenage child acts in a certain way will create a better sense of understanding with the entire family.

Shared Experiences

Every once in a while, the family should engage in an activity with all members involved. Sometimes this will require family members to step out of their “comfort zone.” However, exploring different experiences can help create a better sense of understanding with each personality type within the family.

By understanding the exact personality of a child and their motivations, a family can be in a better position to raise happy extroverted teens.

Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from Utah. She enjoys Tennis and spending time with her family.

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What Teenagers Want Every Parent to Know

As a teenager myself, I have some prime expectations from my parents, which I am sure are common to most of the teens today.

Successfully raising a ‘teenager‘ is no simple task. It requires a lot of patience, time and attention. I often refer teenagers as “Whiskey in a cup” because of how complex yet manageable they are. Every parent aims at raising their children into happy adults, who are capable of having the best that life offers them.

Here I have listed for you some of the things that teenagers want every parent to know.

Give us your Love, not your thoughts

Teenagers are full of spirit, they possess their own dreams and yearn for a nourishing environment that helps them grow. Trust their capabilities and do not impose your incomplete dreams on them. All we want, is to grow individually and become the person we are meant to be. We want our parents to stand strong, while we shoot through towards our future.

Hear us out

We have so much to talk about, right from our first crush to our stupid lengthy assignments or about the fights we’ve had or the betrayal stories. Sometimes we need no advice nor any guidance but all we need is a listening ear. We want you to become our ‘go to’ person.

Express love, Appreciate us often

We realize your immense love for us but a gesture from your side really makes our day bright. Having love for us and not showing it, is as good as wrapping a present and not giving it. Sometimes we can plan a day together to do our favourite things or maybe you could write me a letter; we just want things beyond normal conversations on the dining table.

Try not to criticize our actions

We know the importance of an elder correcting us when we go wrong, but if it isn’t done in the right way it may just lower our spirit. Do not correct us in front of our extended family or peers, we feel insulted and it negatively impacts our relationship. Also, do not criticise us too often, we expect your encouragement in all our endeavours.

Answer our questions

No matter how silly, inappropriate, stupid or serious it may sound, please ensure that you have cleared the doubt that arose in our bustling mind. It avoids our dependence on an improper source to find the answers we are looking for.

Keep a track of our mental health

Unfortunately, a lot of teens suffer from anxiety, depression and other mental disorders. As teenagers, we want every parent to know that merely praying for our mental health isn’t sufficient, empathize with us. We require you to keep a track of our mental health by communicating with us everyday, this helps us navigate our negative emotions and find better solutions.

We don’t need a superman to save us from difficulties, we want to face them. So we aspire to be strong enough to stand for or against whatever and whenever, alone or together.

Mansi Lisha Pinto, a 18 year old who is currently pursuing a career as a Chartered Accountant. Her passion for writing started during her school days and developed thereon, from winning small competitions in School to Writing plays for the College. You may read her content on Instagram @she_writes_18 or contact her directly at pintomansi@gmail.com
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5 Lessons From A Mom with a Kid out of the Country

A mom’s job is unpredictable, and sometimes, you are forced to parent from afar if your kid is outside the country. The following are five parenting lessons for a mom in your situation.

1. Communicate Purposefully

Communication becomes much more important in this situation. It’s easy to forget carving out some time to communicate with your beloved child, but you have to. Create that expectation so that your kid does the same for you. When you are apart, predictable patterns of communication helps you feel close and establish a new sense of normalcy.

You have a lot of ways to communicate with each other, like through the phone, video calls, or through regular texts. On top of that, you also try to make it a point to send each other physical gifts. There’s something special about receiving something in the mail from your kid, and your kid’s going to love getting stuff from you.

2. Be Open-Minded

One thing you might not see coming is your kid’s mindset changing. Travel does that to a person because you get exposed to all sorts of perspectives and cultures. A lot of parents overlook how attached they are to some things they’ve grown up with and get a strong reminder when their kid says something that challenges their worldview.

You are going to have to set that aside. Allow your kid to grow and to become the person he or she was meant to be. Allow yourself to see what your child is seeing. If you don’t quite understand it, then go ahead and ask because it doesn’t hurt to learn from your kid.

3. Take an Interest

As a parent, you should take an active interest in the things your kid is doing abroad. If your child tells you about something peculiar or something he or she finds interesting, be sure to follow up. Do some research and find out more about it. Figure out what was interesting about what your kid mentioned.

If you show your kid you appreciate the conversations you two have, then your child will appreciate it. This might feel like homework, but this is an important step. You don’t want to feel disconnected simply because you can’t keep up with him or her. You do not need to become an expert, just have some working knowledge.

4. Learn to Trust

Your son or daughter is not going to be with you, and you won’t hear from your child some time. When you have to parent from afar, this raises a lot of red flags, and you’re probably going to feel a little uneasy. This feeling gets quite powerful, especially if your kid misses a call, text, or video call with you.

Don’t give in to that feeling. Do your best to trust that your kid is making the right decisions. Try not to interrogate your child, and trust that you raised a kid who is going to do right by you and by him or herself. Your kid is going to explain things if he or she needs to, if not, just relax and be present in the moment.

5. Special Welcome

Your kid is going to return at some point, and you have to make sure the return is a special one. Maybe your kid is in college but gets time off, or maybe your kid is in the marines and he or she has been given a chance to go back home. You need to put your feelings aside as a college mom or a marine mom, and make sure your kid’s return is special.

Ask your kid what kind of visit he or she wants, and try to give that to your child. As a mother, especially one that hasn’t seen her kid in a long time, it is hard to let your kid take the wheel, but you have to. There’s a lot that your child wants to do, but you are definitely in his or her plans, so don’t pressure your child too much.

These are some important lessons moms need to keep in mind when they have to parent from afar. This might be a little strange, but your kid’s life has taken him or her to new worlds, all thanks to you.

Article by Becca J. Meyers

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Explore the Muslim Culture with 10 Colorful Children’s Books

Eid Mubarak to all our friends celebrating. May Allah fulfill all your wishes and may the coming year be blessed.  We thought this would be a good time to help you talk to your kids about the Muslim culture, specifically Ramadan and Eid

Here are great books that you can order now and keep having a conversation about diversity within your family.

You can check out the below articles to learn about the meaning of Ramadan and how it is celebrated.

Understanding the Significance and Blessings of Ramadan

Ramadan – A Time for Reflection, A Time For Community

7 Tips for a Healthy and Happy Ramadan

Sweeten the Festival of Eid al-Fitr with Cookies Around the World

Tell me more about Ramadan

Enjoy with your little one a unique and creative journey that will introduce her/him to one of the five pillars of the religion and offer your child a positive perception of the Islamic holy month of mercy, the Ramadan. A must-have children’s story that shouldn’t be missing from any family’s bookcase.

This Islamic story has been thought and written for children born and raised outside of their parents’ country of origin (i.e.: European and Muslim American, etc.), to help them understand the notion of Ramadan in a simple and fun way, mentioning that Ramadan is a lot more than simply not eating and drinking from dawn until sunset.

This Muslim book uses Islamic concepts coming from the Quran (Qur’an) and explained in a way that is easily understood by kids.

Rashad’s Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr

Most of the books put out are for non-Muslim kids to teach them about a “different” culture/religion. That is how this book is. The family in the story is Muslim but throughout the book there are teaching blurbs.

It’s a cute book with cute illustrations. Rashad just learns/tells about Ramadan and Eid and how he celebrates it. It is different in that most of the Muslim books for English speaking audiences feature South Asian families.

The Gift of Ramadan

Sophia wants to fast for Ramadan this year. She tries to keep busy throughout the day so she won’t think about food. But when the smell of cookies is too much, she breaks her fast early. How can she be part of the festivities now?

This is such a lovely story that shows not only the beauty of Ramadan but that there’s more than one path to success. It is relatable, authentic, and heartwarming. The illustrations are gorgeous and I am in LOVE with this beautiful multiracial family. Perfect for every Muslim home and for anyone who values diverse, representative books for their little ones.

Ramadan (Celebrate the World)

Learn all about the traditions of Ramadan with this first book in the brand-new board book series Celebrate the World, which highlights celebrations across the globe.

In the ninth month of the year, when the first crescent moon rises in the sky, it’s time to celebrate Ramadan! In this lovely board book with illustrations from Rashin Kheiriyeh, readers learn that Ramadan is a time to reflect on ourselves, to be thankful, and a time to help others.

Let’s Celebrate Ramadan & Eid

Maya, Neel and their famous pet squirrel Chintu fly to India for yet another fun adventure. This time, they get to experience all about Ramadan including the vibrant markets of Chand Raat (night of the moon), the famous Jama Masjid, the delicious food, the exciting Eidi gifts and even a trip to volunteer at the local shelter.

Each book is written with a mission of helping RAISE MULTICULTURAL KIDS or helping kids CONNECT TO THEIR ROOTS.

Hasan and Aneesa Celebrate Eid

Eid al-Fitr is here and Hassan and Aneesa are helping to decorate their house before the celebrations begin. On Eid they will wake early to wash before performing a special prayer outside. After the prayer, it is time to celebrate with friends and family.

The Hassan and Aneesa series is designed to introduce young children to a range of Muslim places. They are colourfully designed and simply written and will guide children through a range of new experiences.

Lailah’s Lunchbox – A Ramadan Story

Lailah is in a new school in a new country, thousands of miles from her old home, and missing her old friends. When Ramadan begins, she is excited that she is finally old enough to participate in the fasting but worried that her classmates won’t understand why she doesn’t join them in the lunchroom. Lailah solves her problem with help from the school librarian and her teacher and in doing so learns that she can make new friends who respect her beliefs.

This gentle, moving story from first-time author Reem Faruqi comes to life in Lea Lyon’s vibrant illustrations. Lyon uses decorative arabesque borders on intermittent spreads to contrast the ordered patterns of Islamic observances with the unbounded rhythms of American school days.

The Story of the Holy Prophet Muhammad: Ramadan Classics: 30 Stories for 30 Nights

he first title in the Ramadan Classics series, “The Story of the Holy Prophet Muhammad” is written for children and young adults in the West to read over the Islamic month of Ramadan. Families can read the daily chapter together and discuss the beautiful personality of the Holy Founder of Islam, and take away lessons that will last a lifetime. Order now to receive before Ramadan!

Goodnight Stories from the Quran

Goodnight Stories from the Quran is the answer to every child’s longing to hear a good bedtime story. It contains a careful selection of thirty-three magnificent Quranic tales retold in age-appropriate language. A simple text and fabulous colour illustrations, which bring the narratives vividly to life, make the message of the Quran more meaningful for children. The book offers a special dimension to these wonderful goodnight stories, and acts as a foundation on which to build a growing knowledge of the Quran.

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Ultimate List of Board Games for a Growth Mindset

While we try to get our kids reading and learning, it’s so important to teach them while having fun. It’s so easy to teach them life concepts and simple lessons in math, strategy, sportsman spirit and more for a lifetime of success, if we only remember to spend the time in the presence of each other.

If you do get any of the below games, do let us know how you enjoyed them and any other games we should keep adding to the list.

Stratego

The classic game of battlefield strategy. Command your Army, devise plans using strategic attacks and clever deception. Be the first player to capture the other Army’s flag to win! For ages 8 and up.

Othello

This Classic Game Of Strategy Takes A Minute To Learn, A Lifetime To Master. Award winning game that is great for the entire family.

Catan

The incredibly popular, multi award winning civilization building board game of harvesting and trading resource. Players control their own civilization and look to spread across a modular hex board in a competition for victory points. 3 to 4 players, 60 minutes, ages over 10.

Tickets to ride

A fast-paced, award-winning board game. Connect iconic North American cities and build your train routes to earn points. Players must compete to grab the best train cards and routes before their opponents. Ticket cards challenge you to plan ahead and connect two faraway cities for additional points. 2 to 5 players, 60 minutes, 8+


Mastermind

Fast, simple strategy game – one of the best-selling games of all time. Players take turns setting and solving secret codes. More than 2,000 possible combinations make the game different every time it’s played. 8+ years.

Scotland Yard

Hunting Mister X on the streets of London! Easy to learn, fast paced and intense! Every turn is exciting. Perfect for family game night. Ages 8 and up 3-6 Players. Playing Time: 30 minutes

Otrio

Players compete to line up three pieces of the same color my similar size; in ascending or descending order; or within the same space. Playing Otrio encourages players to cultivate their reasoning, strategizing and critical thinking skills. Otrio is made for 2-4 players aged 6+.

Photosynthesis

FAMILY OR ADULT STRATEGY GAME: This 2 to 4 players nature inspired game can be enjoyed by parents playing with their children as well as adults, also plays very well as a 2 players abstract board game. Best recommended for ages 8 & Up


Risk

Take over the world in this game of strategy conquest, now with updated figures and improved Mission cards. In the Risk game, the goal is simple: players aim to conquer their enemies’ territories by building an army, moving their troops in, and engaging in battle. On the battlefield, anything goes!

Connect 4

Classic Connect 4 game is disc dropping fun. Choose yellow or red discs. For 2 players. When you get 4 discs in a row you win. For ages 4 and above.

Battleship

This is the classic game of naval combat that brings together competition, strategy, and excitement! With convenient portable battle cases and realistic looking naval crafts, Battleship game puts players right in the middle of the action.  Ages 7 and above.

Chess

Chess has to be one of the base games to teaching a child to think ahead and before acting. Great for a kids ages 4 and above.


Jenga

Pull out a block without crashing the stack to win at Jenga. It takes skill, strategy, and luck. Challenge yourself or play with friends

Sequence

Exciting gameplay that’s easy enough for kids and challenging for adults!Play a card from your hand, and place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board – when you have five in a row, it’s a Sequence. Each player or team tries to score the required number of five-card sequences before their opponents. Perfect for 2-12 players, aged 4 and above.

Clue

In this suspenseful game, players have to find out who’s responsible for murdering Mr. Boddy of Tudor Mansion in his own home. Ages 8 years and up. For 2 to 6 players.

Sorry

Practice counting and sportsmanship in race for the finish. Great game for kids aged 5 and above.


Tsuro

An award winning game that is fun for any experience level, easy to learn & quick to play. Use strategy & luck to stay on the path to victory in this light & entertaining game. Family Strategy Game: The board changes every time you play the game, making it uniqueand fun for adults and kids. Players are challenged to create and travel the Path as it builds before them. For 2 to 8 players game .  15 to 20 minute to play

Pandemic

Pandemic is a cooperative board game in which players work as a team to treat infections around the world while gathering resources for cure. 2 – 4 years , 45 mins of game time.

Fibber

2-4 Players encouraged to think out of the box. Noses Keep Growing As Players Keep Fibbing!

Quick cups

This exciting new board game combines the adrenaline rush of speed-stacking cups with color pattern matching. Quickly rearrange your 5 differently colored cups to match each card! Fun for the whole family while inspiring critical thinking for all ages. Kids can learn strategy, expand their imagination, or just have silly fun at home or on the go.


Game of Life

Kids’ top career choices included in this gam. Now kids can live out their dream jobs, make their own decisions, and go on fun adventures in this The Game of Life game. For 2 to 4 players. Ages 8 and up

 

Hedbandz

Perfect game for the family. Guess what’s on the card of the person with the band. Great for kids aged 4 and above.

Blokus

Perfect strategy game for the whole family – less than a minute to learn with fun challenges for all ages! Ages 5 – 15 years.

Stomple

 

The strategic marble stomping game. Outwit your opponents by stomping their marbles before they stomp your opponent. Outmaneuver by leaving their stomper trapped with no escap. A great game for 8 and above. 

 



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Helping Kids Build Resilience During Covid 19

The world is an uncertain place right now. News channels are full of gloom and doom. At this time, it is more important than ever to help kids make sense of the world around them. They hear snippets of the news or adult conversation and connect the dots on what are scary topics. Internalizing negative thoughts may lead to undue panic in these growing minds.

How then can we step in to steer them towards a more productive thought process? My mantra has always been, ‘Be aware, not fearful’ which I learned from my parents and the way they handled every situation.

My family started self-quarantine on Friday, March 13 and at the time of writing this piece, are 5 weeks in. Week 1 was spring break so the kids had a 24/7 party in my living room with movies, shows, snacks, toys, what have you. Week 2 was when reality hit. Balancing work and homeschool felt next to impossible. I was done for the day by 3pm daily and quickly realized this was not sustainable.

Online schooling began in week 3 – a structured curriculum with deliverables felt easier to navigate. I liked the predictability and the fact that I could do the bare minimum on schooling and still feel like I was taking care of everything important. On the other hand, I felt bombarded by the zillion resources for kids activities that required them to be in front of screens. That was where I applied the brakes!

The idea that kids would use screens as babysitters and educational resources on top of activity time was much too much. I wanted to focus on spending time with them playing board games, taking walks, throwing around a frisbee, practicing archery, and playing tag. And staying positive and light.


 

Speaking of, what is resilience? It is your capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. We are living in a changed world, where we are staying safe at home, playdates/parties happen over video chat and ‘going out’ is fast becoming a foreign concept. No early rising for school or work, no rushed days, no strict bedtimes. Schedules have loosened (not abandoned).

In the midst of all these changes, it is important for our kids to feel secure and know we will all be fine; we are fine. Guiding our kids through life’s challenges while expressing our love is what they need now, and it’s how we build resilience and strength in them that will last.

  1. Safe, not stuck: Talk to your kids about the world and happenings in an age-appropriate manner. Emphasize we are staying safe at home and keeping others safe by not leaving the house.
  2. Help, not hinder: Grow compassion in their minds. Explain how the elderly are at high-risk. Find ways to help out in your community whether it’s through making masks or thank you cards for frontline workers.
  3. Physical distancing is not family distancing: Teach them the importance of family time. Revisit old memories. Set up video calls with family in other cities or countries.
  4. Connect, not isolate: Help them stay connected with their friends through phone calls, chalk notes on driveways or even a distant hello from the car to the porch.
  5. Time is a gift: Remember, time is a resource. Utilize this gift well and spend much needed one-on-one time with your kids. If you have more than one child, take a walk with each child on different days and hear them talk their heart out – give them undivided attention and you will discover a whole new side to them.

Keep your optimism alive. Make plans for the future. Let the kids choose their next travel destination and ask them to research the culture, food, currency and specialties. Decades later, when your kids look back on this time – the pandemic 2020, they will remember the epic fun, the squeals of excitement, the peals of laughter, the never-ending game nights, the joys of staying home – not the misery of feeling stuck at home.


 

Born and raised in India, Aditi is now an honorary Texan after spending over a decade in Dallas and Austin. She is married to her high-school sweetheart and has two magical kids – her son (2009) is her calm, sweet sunshine, while her daughter (2014) is her exciting, gorgeous storm! Working in Marketing and PR, she enjoys being steeped in creativity all day long. Crafting is her passion and she is the proud owner of a Cricut. In her leisure time, Aditi loves organizing, reading, writing and soul-searching!

Developing Resilience with Kids during Covid 19

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Reassessing the Custody Agreement When a Situation Changes

In a perfect world, no one ever needs to think about who gets custody. Unfortunately, even the happiest of couples find themselves wanting a divorce. And when children are involved, things can get messy fast. However, it doesn’t need to be that way. Though many things can impact an initial custody agreement, not everyone knows what to do. Here is how to reassess the custody agreement when circumstances change.

Try to Reach an Understanding With the Other Parent

In many cases, child custody is settled in court. This is usually due to one of the parents not wanting to comply. However, there are a few cases where both parents understand and agree to change custody. If possible, try to talk to the other parent about changing custody. Explain that it’s what is best for the child. If you’re unable to reach an understanding, then you’ll have to go to court.

Reasons Why a Custody Change is Necessary

There are various reasons as to why a custody change needs to happen. Ranging from the child being in an unhealthy environment, unemployment or they’re just not content with the other parent. Here is a list of other potential reasons why there may need to be a custody change:

– The parent wants or needs to move away

– The parent is abusive towards the child

– The child’s needs are neglected

– The child wants to be with the other parent

– The parent’s income can’t pay for the child

Find a Lawyer

If going to court is the only way to resolve the issue, you need a lawyer you can trust. Look up your local law firm services who specialize in child custody. Not all lawyers practice family law, so you need to find one who does. If possible, set up a consultation where you can discuss your case. Weigh the pros and cons of each lawyer before ultimately making a decision.

Know Your Rights

When it comes to child custody, you need to research your rights. Each state follows a different set of rules, so make sure that you’re in your legal right to make the request for child custody revision. You also need to back up any claims with proper documentation as well. When it comes to child custody cases, even reassessing and finding alternative solutions doesn’t need to be ugly. The key is doing your homework first prior to going to court.

Custody cases are hard, both on the parents and the children. If you’re going to be heading into a custody battle, make sure you are careful with your kids in how much news you give them at once, how you phrase things, and ensure they have the psychological support they need.