Author Archives: Teresa McEntire

About Teresa McEntire

Teresa McEntire grew up in Utah the oldest of four children. She currently lives in Kuna, Idaho, near Boise. She and her husband Gene have been married for almost ten years. She has three children Tyler, age six, Alysta, four, and Kelsey, two. She is a stay-at-home mom who loves to scrapbook, read, and of course write. Spending time with her family, including extended family, is a priority. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and currently works with the young women. Teresa has a degree in Elementary Education from Utah State University and taught 6th grade before her son was born. She also ran an own in-home daycare for three years. She currently writes educational materials as well as blogs for Families.com. Although her formal education consisted of a variety of child development classes she has found that nothing teaches you better than the real thing. She is constantly learning as her children grow and enjoys sharing that knowledge with her readers.

5 New Year’s Resolutions Every Parent Should Make

New Year’s is the perfect time to set some goals or make some resolutions. It is the start of a new year and can be the start of something good within your family as well. Read on for five New Year’s resolutions that every parent should make. 1. Spend more time with your children. This is a no-brainer, but it is easier said than done. Set aside one night a week where you are together as a family. Choose a night that works with everyone’s schedules. Our family night is Monday. 2. Take a family vacation. Family vacations are great … Continue reading →

Dispelling Racial Myths In The Media

The media is a powerful tool that affects children at an early age. Children receive a lot of information about the world from television, books, and movies. But what the media teaches is not always right or true. The media tends to stereotype people and races. In fact many children’s programs are built on stereotypes. Judith Myers-Walls professor of child development at Purdue University points out that the television show “Smurfs, for example, presents characters with one personality trait each, and they are named for that trait. The same is true of the Seven Dwarfs. In general, children’s programs deal … Continue reading →

Helping Your Child Stand Up To Bullies

Unfortunately bullies are common in the lives of many children. I know that my own son has been bullied. Bullies use fear and often a larger size to get away with tormenting others. Bullying can be physical like kicking and tripping or more emotional like gossiping and exclusion. Children who are bullies have little empathy and enjoy dominating others. They have a positive attitude toward aggression and are often impulsive. A bully can be a boy or a girl, although their methods usually differ. Bullies usually pick on those that can’t or won’t protect themselves. So here are some ways … Continue reading →

Happiness Is Working Together

One of the 10 things that happy families do is work together. But how can working together bring you closer together? When you work together you are spending time together as a family. Growing up we always had a family garden. Every Saturday morning was weeding day. We would get up and spend time weeding together. While we weeded we talked and laughed. Although at the time I hated getting up early, when I could have been sleeping in, I now look back fondly on our weekly weeding days. When we were teenagers my mother made us take turns helping … Continue reading →

Parents Help Cause Child Depression

In today’s society child depression rates are higher than ever before with one in eight adolescents suffering from depression. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among teens and the 6th among children. And recent research suggests that children from more affluent homes are three times more likely to be depressed than their poorer peers. One of the things that are pushing children and teens towards depression is their parents. At least that is according to research presented by psychologist Madeline Levine in her book The Price Of Privilege. Many children raised in middle-level or wealthy homes are pushed … Continue reading →

Stop The Marketing To Your Kids

Children are constantly being influenced by the media from the clothes that they wear to the cereal that they eat. I don’t know how many times my children have said to me “I want this” or “I want that” because they have seen a commercial on television. My four-year-old often comments that she wants to buy things she has seen on T.V. for her brother, sister, my husband, or myself. In a book titled Who’s Raising Your Child? Battling the Marketers for Your Child’s Heart and Soul authors Laura Buddenberg and Kathleen McGee of Boys and Girls Town, discuss how … Continue reading →

Making Family History Come Alive

It is difficult for children to imagine their parents as children, even harder for them to picture their grandparents as children. Yet through stories and pictures children can begin to understand family relationships. I was blessed with a grandmother who was an incredible storyteller. She was born in 1907, the second youngest of eleven, and grew up on a farm in southern Idaho. She entertained my siblings and I with many true stories from her own childhood. I can still remember her sharing stories about Indians, gypsies, riding to a one-room schoolhouse in a sleigh, playing in the hayloft, her … Continue reading →

Give Your Kids Reasons

Children by nature are impulsive. They rarely think before acting. They do not understand the cause and effect relationship and as a result are often surprised that their actions may result in discipline. Young children are also extremely self-centered usually not thinking beyond what they want. They do not realize how their actions can affect someone else. So as a parent it is important that you teach your children why things do and do not happen. They also need to know how their actions impact themselves and others. The best way to teach your children about the why’s in life … Continue reading →

Camping In The Living Room

Normally I do not allow my children to play in the living room. I like to keep it looking nice and toy free in case someone comes to the door. We have a large family room upstairs that they are supposed to play in. But today, I let them camp in the living room. We brought in the dining room chairs and tied a sheet to them creating the top of the tent. Then we hung other sheets off of the sides to form the walls. I turned on the fire in the fireplace while they brought their pillows and … Continue reading →

Taming Tantrums

Tantrums are something that most parents experience some more than others. Unfortunately I have had my fair share of tantrums. There are two important things that I have learned: first that when my child is having a tantrum I need to control my own feelings, and second that I need to teach my child correct behavior. One of the hardest things to deal with as a parent is a temper tantrum. It is so easy to allow your child’s behavior to influence you. So you need to develop your own stay calm techniques. I like to count to ten before … Continue reading →