The Way Stay-At-Home Moms Keep Creativity Apart of their Child's Learning

1. For toddlers Picking Up
2. For adolescence Household Guidelines
3. For Teenagers still under your care Independent Responsibility

Lets start out by saying that being a stay at home mother is a job in itself. You hold the key to your child's development. You get that rare opportunity in life to create the first path your child has to take. Even though that child will grow up and make their own decisions, no matter how old they get, the parent, parents, guardian or idol will be the most trustworthy person they seek out when in need.

In the toddler years, being a mother of a 2 year old boy, I am noticing that one of the main issues I have with him is picking up his toys or his plate and fork or even his cup, and putting them away when he is done. I have somehow mastered the lesson of him throwing away his garbage, but on everything-else he has developed the habit of running away from me (which will be another topic to talk about) So on my journey of research in magazines, certain children T.V. shows and movies, and of course you can't leave out personal experiences from your older siblings who have been there and done that; alongside friends, families, I came to be amazed at the hundreds of creative ways to try and master what you are trying to teach.

Jessica Marie used a very simple technique on teaching her son , Michael, on how to pick up after himself. As a child, Jessica's father taught her by making a schedule. At a certain time every morning, Jessica's father would make a list of things to do for her and put it on her door. So when she woke up every morning, just like brushing your teeth, she picked up. Jessica passed this lesson down to her son. "It took him about a month to fully start doing the chores on his own, but I still had to watch him on a constant basis just to make sure." Consistency and scheduling was her creative teaching.

It's a part of teaching basic respect. You have to admit that these are the times when they want more independence. Such as going to their friends for a sleep over, or getting a cell phone, or maybe even dating (as young as they are) it's going to happen whether they are comfortable enough for you to know about it, or not. Now i'm talking about the children that are roughly between the ages of 9 and 14. The puberty ages actually depend on the child, but knowing what is out there, an open mind is definitely needed. Doing their laundry, picking up their room, driving them around everywhere (unless it's an after school activity kind of thing) allowing anyone of their adolescent friends to be around your family and your household without meeting parents, or knowing their friend yourself..these things create an atmosphere of freedom, yes, but do they acknowledge or respect the rules you put up for them? I mean really understand how awesome they have it?

Household chores creates responsibility, and with that being said, a job well done deserves a good negotiation for a specific freedom that they want and need so badly. It creates discipline for their young minds, and allows them to know what doing the dishes is when they finally move out. Or how to do their laundry without shrinking everything they own and sweeping and mopping the floors EVERY day because naturally they get dirty everyday. You will actually be surprised how many people I know that vary between ages, both man and woman, who don't clean or pick up after themselves. Not only at their houses, but at guests houses as well. That's when it falls back on the respect factor. If you teach responsibility, it helps create respect and respect is something they will have, or not, for the rest of their lives.

Now there are household responsibilities, and then there are independent responsibilities. For teenagers around 15,16 & 17, life's actual problems and dramas seem to sink into their lives. They are beginning to notice they way your life works, for example, finances, certain conflicts, bills, the difference between want and need. Teaching them how to write a check. Have them get a part time job to pay for their cell phones. If they are good at art or instead of having a yard sell with their old things, have them sell it on a craigslist account that you make under your email. Be a part of their interests in life, help them find ways of getting their foot in the door. It's not all about college anymore, but the people you know like the guy at the auto parts store or a manager that treated you nicely one time. Yes, college makes their background more reliable to the employers, but for most, that's not the way they are interested in going.

Remember to always guide them to the most positive side of their decision. Just because they decide to be a doctor, if they never had the positive atmosphere, whose to say they wont eventually start abusing? Or if they want to be a lawyer, will they be crooked? Yes, it's a large burden in the long run for being an at home mother, but if you can start teaching different ways of learning from the beginning, they have more of a chance at looking at the positive side of their future situations.