The July issue of Parents magazine was especially great. (There’s still a few days left to pick it up if you like.) I especially liked the following three articles:

-Read Your Child’s Mind (page 44): This is a really informative article about focusing on your kid’s feelings as a major part of your parenting discipline. The techniques are broken down by age (babies, toddlers, preschoolers, ages 5 to 8 and ages 9 to 12). I couldn’t find an online excerpt.

-What your doctor, babysitter, preschool teacher, and all the other pros in your life really wish you knew — but wouldn’t dare say to your face! (page 90): This cover story has a lot of useful advice. I especially liked the input from the preschool teacher since Michael will be starting preschool in the fall. I intend on doing what she advised and asking his teacher for a list of things she would like for the classroom — it shows that you care about the whole class, not just your child. (This article is online as a slideshow.)

And

-Carnival Party (page 106): I like to plan ahead. At the end of Michael’s “Pirates & Princesses” birthday party in March, I started thinking about whether or not he would get a big one next year. This year was fine, because Sean didn’t really understand the concept of parties, but there’s no way that we’re throwing two big parties two months in a row (Sean has a February birthday). So, I was thinking that if we do have something big, it would have to be a combined party that both the kids and their respective friends would enjoy. I started thinking of a “Coleman Family Carnival” type get-together. So, I was especially happy to see these fantastic “Carnival Party” birthday ideas. Of course, I’ll have to alter some of the ideas (due to city space limits) but they’re very cute. On a totally irrelevant note, it just so happens that the little boy whose party is featured in the magazine is named Michael too… (This article is online as a slideshow.)

Posted by Kimberly on 29 Jul 2008 at 03:26 pm | Tagged as: Magazines