A message from the Director

At KARE our mission is to end child abuse and neglect through advocacy, education and support. We offer programs that strengthen families by providing resources and tools parents and relative caregivers need in raising their children. We offer specific services to families that have experienced abuse situations, and we provide programs that prevent problems before they occur. In short, we meet families where they are.

As part of our effort to reach families, we publish a monthly article on parenting issues in The Mountaineer. Our most recent article can be viewed below. We hope that you will find this information useful and thought provoking. If you would like more information on this topic or have questions about other parenting issues, please contact us @ 456-8995.

Thank you for your interest in KARE.

Yours in service to our children,

Theresa Morgan

Labor of Love

On September 1, 2008 we celebrated the Labor Day Holiday which for more than 100 years has been dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers in America. The Labor Day Holiday represents a yearly tribute for workers whose efforts have provided strength, prosperity, and well being to our country. Essentially, Labor Day celebrates our country’s labors and achievements. This article focuses on one of the most difficult, yet truly rewarding examples of labor and achievement contributing to the strength, prosperity, and well being of our country: parenting our nation’s children. Parenting, especially every fall can be very stressful. This time of the year across the nation, busy moms, dads and relatives focus on preparing their children and themselves for the new school year as part of their parenting efforts. In addition to their “other jobs”, parents are meeting teachers, purchasing school supplies and clothing, planning meals, re-establishing routines for homework, baths and bedtimes. Furthermore, parents are arranging methods of transportation to and from school as well as for the extra curricular activities such as soccer, band, football, scouts or ballet practices while attempting to maintain a sense of calm and order.

Parent involvement pays off! Even if your child is excited about going to school, the transition from relaxed summer days to rigid school schedules can be tough on everyone. The first few weeks can bring many challenges and some anxiety for you and your children. So, here are a few tips from ehow.com that may help maintain that sense of calm and order:

1. Eliminate morning madness by following a nightly routine. Have your child bathe and lay out their clothes the night before, including shoes, socks, bows and belts. They could also put their backpack, homework, gym clothes, and lunchbox or lunch money in one place. Make sure your children go to bed early enough to get a good nights’ sleep. According to the National Sleep foundation, 5 to 12 year old children need an average of 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night, whereas older children need about 9 hours of sleep.

2. Help your children organize their supplies for each class subject. Designate a pocket of their book bag for supplies such as pens, calculators, pencils, and include a folder for papers sent home by their teacher(s). These items need to be easy for the children to locate to make the most of their class time.

3. Plan ahead! Gather the family together for a meeting to discuss everyone’s roles and participation. Then record schedules and event dates in a family oriented planner or calendar that enables everyone to track all family members’ schedules. How many open houses or PTO nights have you missed because you didn't know it was taking place? Your attendance at school events is important to your child's success. So have your child write down important dates in a designated area in his notebook and place all notices in a pocket. You should actively check the notebook daily.

4. Prepare meals ahead. For those really busy nights a little preparation can ease the 5 o’clock rush hour. Create a grocery list based on one or two weeks of actual meals. Choose one day that you can shop, prep, cook, label, and freeze the meals. This will allow you to come home, toss the previously prepared meal in the oven, microwave or on the stove to have dinner ready in minutes. If your budget allows you could also contact companies or individuals, such as Kanini’s (www.kanini.com or call 828-507-3654) that prepare healthy meals for you to pick up.

5. Simplify the carpool chaos by creating a transportation team to share the driving with other parents you know who also have children attending your child’s school or after-school activities.

Finally, always try to offer specific praise and encouragement for your child’s efforts during the school year. This will help them recognize their own skills, build a sense of confidence and motivate them to focus on their school work. Ultimately, our efforts and tireless labor as parents, grandparents and relatives in raising our children will create the next generation of workers who will provide strength, prosperity and well-being for our country. Parenting is a true Labor of love!

If you would like more information about this or other parenting topics, call KARE at 456-8995, ext. 203.