Parenting OS tips

stressedoutmumof1

I agree - it has to be routine. My DD (7) has thrived on routine since she was a baby - she get's up at the same time, has breakfast at the same time (she makes her own on school mornings - I treat her at weekends ) we leave for school at the same time, come home (then she does what she pleases) she will lay the table, we eat tea at the same time, bath and bed is at the same time every day - gosh it sounds boring doesn't it Only thing I *can't* get her to do is her room :mad: But we're introducing pocket money on her 8th birthday (bonfire night) and she is only allowed her pocket money if all chores are completed by a Saturday

DD did say the over day that she was OS, as she likes to make models out of my recycling *before* recycling them again :rotfl:

Becles

Routine, routine, routine! It works!

I don't have a set sweet day, but they don't have them everyday. They do get sweets as rewards for good behaviour, like if they have been exceptionally good or sometimes when they run errands to the shop I'll say they can buy a 20p mix up as well.

Set bedtimes, but short extensions allowed as a special treat or reward for exceptionally good behaviour.

Children help with chores, but not for pocket money. They do it because we all have to work as a team to keep the house neat and tidy. They do get praise, especially when they do a really good job or take the initiative to do something extra for me.

Children eat the same meal as adults at the dining table on an evening. I can't stand the modern concept of "childrens foods", meals in front of the TV, and families who never sit round a table together so the children do not learn table manners or group conversational and social skills.

Most meals cooked from scratch with childrens imput. They are allowed to suggest meal ideas, and encourged to plan meals. They learn basic cooking skills depending on their age, how to store food safely, and also learn about where the ingredients came from. Mine are aware what fruit and veg grow on bushes/trees, what grow underground, what parts of animals certain cuts of meat come from, what foods are in season and so on.

They have learned about nutrition and understand which foods are best for them. They understand their lunchboxes are balanced and healthy, and they do pick healthy meals when given a choice. They understand chocolate and crisps are ok to eat once or twice a week as a treat, and that childrens foods like Dairylea lunchables are full of chemicals and rubbish. They appreciate ordinary cheese, crackers and cooked meat is much better for them than the manufactured version.

They both look at prices when were are out shopping, and I'll make them look at the difference in price between things like pre-packed and loose veg. They also look at location, and understand it's environmentally friendly to buy things like English apples, rather than ones from New Zealand.

My 9 year old is aware that you need to budget to run a house. He's been through my account book and knows you need to pay mortgage, utility bills, council tax etc., as well as having to buy food, petrol and other essentials. He appreciates you can't go out and spend all your wages on pay day and have to make it last for a whole month. My 7 year old understands bits and bobs about budgeting, but I'll teach him some more as he gets older.

I'm hoping the skills they are learning now will help them run their own households sucessfully when they grow up.

Rachel021967

I'm bumping up this thread as I don't have time to read through it at the moment but will definately look it up later.

Liney_2

I have a baby and I intend to start as I mean to go on - this thread has some inspiring ideas.

I am not sure if this counts as old style...but I don't have the TV on when my baby is up and I don't want him to be glued to it when he is older either - we do have the radio on (classic fm) and a nursery rhyme cd that I sing-a-long to but I know we'd interact much less is there was a TV playing in the background.

Nicki

Our rule when the children were small was no TV allowed on in the house after teatime for any reason until after the kids have gone to bed. This made life so much easier because there was no screaming about not wanting to leave the TV to have bath, and no pleas to be allowed to stay up later than we wanted so they could finish watching a programme. We did have to enforce this strictly though if we had people staying with us, who wanted to switch the TV on just to watch the 6 o'clock news.

We also insisted on a sensible bedtime, and still do. When they were tiny, it was in bed by 7 and settled by 7.30. Now aged 6 and 7, it is in bed by 7.30 and settled by us by 8 (though they are both allowed to read quietly after this time, they rarely do so for more than a few minutes before they fall asleep).This gives DH and I time to have a nice meal together and some grown up time, the kids are well rested, and everyone is happier as a result. It also has got the kids used to the idea that they can entertain themselves and lets them think they are independent enough to choose their own sleeping patterns, without them choosing something which is detrimental to their or our health!

buxtonrabbitgreen

if they are eating in the street always make them put thier litter in a bin or give it to you to take home. Mine still stuff my pockets if we are out together and they are 13 and 14 but better that than littering. And I know they do it when I am not there because I empty thier pockets/bags. I am so pleased I did this from the start as so many adults are thoughtless about littering.

dlb

Routine, routine, routine!
I total agree with this, i have four kids, now 11,10,9+4.
Routine is important.
I bake all the time with my little one, and the older ones take it in turn to look through my cook books and pick desert which they make next day.

Have to say something i havent ever mensoned on any other thread before, but i havent spoken to my parent for over 6 years due to being told how to bring them up, they had very different ideas to my `routine` and even after asking them again and again to respect my os style ways, it just didnt work, the head being my parents allowing they to draw on the walls at their house and thinking this was ok to come home and do so.!!!!

I truely belive kids need to be shown the right way in life, and that parents are in charge!!

recovering_spendaholic

Did anyone see the report on tonight's news about too much technology keeping kids up at night and causing them to release hormones which make them fat? I watched with interest as both my DD's are on the tubby side (not huge but a bit podgy) and both of them are madams at night for going to bed and then playing with gameboy, DS, watching TV etc and the end result is that they don't go to sleep until late. I know the answer is to have no technology in their rooms but I just don't think that this is feasible given that their friends all have this stuff. DD1 (16) watches DVD's till all hours and DD2 (9)will sneak her DS up with her or watch TV with the sound off. I will not allow them to have computers in their rooms but they do have playstations and TV's. They also watch far too much rubbish Telly, which I know I should crack down on but which I find difficult. DD2 is addicted to the Disney Channel and turns the TV over the moment I go out of the room, even if I only go to make a cup of tea.... I wondered what all of you do with kids at night time. I am thinking of having the cable TV taken out, but this seems to be a bit draconian. I have stopped junky snacks at night, and really tried to introduce night time reading, but with mixed success. What do others think? I seem to be constantly railing at my two about the rubbish they are eating, watching etc. etc. and it makes me feel as if I am the worst mother in the world.

Mrs_Pepperpot_2

What a great thread! I am a new mum so am reading this with much interest for the future.

I am also a teacher and for those of you wondering how the kids cope when they have been up til 9/10pm the answer is they don't! They are grouchy, find it impossible to concentrate and watch all sorts of stuff on the T.V that makes me want to weep.

Good on you to those that don't have the T.V. on while baby is awake. I have done and have been horrified by how transfixed my 4month old is with it!

maryb

I did take the step of getting rid of cable because of the rubbish my DD was watching and was absolutely addicted to. She screamed at me that she hated me but she got over it in about a week and doesn't miss it and the difference it made was dramatic.

I told myself that children like what they are used to and it doesn't take too long for them to get used to something new and if I couldn't put up with the whinging for a week or two I would Lack Moral Fibre - and although it was awful for a couple of days it got steadily better and I have never regretted it.

the channels I personally missed when we first stopped cable are now both on Freeview anyway.

And I saved a lot of money