Bedtime Stories Moms Should Read to Their Kids

One of the joys of being a mom is snuggling up with your child and reading them a bedtime story.  It is a wonderful time to strengthen your relationship while teaching your children in a non-school way.  Bedtime stories moms should read to their kids will vary according to the parent and child, but these are some good ones you may want to consider.[ad]

“Aesop’s Fables” are short stories that have animals as the main characters.  These animals can talk and get into all types of situations.  Over 600 stories teach life lessons and have moral lessons to them. 

One of the most recognized fables is “The Tortoise and the Hare”.  The tortoise and hare have a race even though the hare is expected to win.  The tortoise starts the race going as quickly as it can go.  The rabbit zooms off and realizes he’s very far ahead.  He decides to take a nap because he knows he can still win.  While he’s sleeping, however, the tortoise passes him and ends up winning the race.

This story illustrates the fact that some people may have advantages over others.  However these advantages won’t necessarily guarantee success.  Success comes to those that set a goal, steadily work toward them, and then achieve them based on their hard work and dedication.

Another good story for moms to read to their children is “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White.  Children are probably familiar with the cartoon or movie version of this story.  It is such a great story; it deserves to be read.

This story teaches about friendship and love in a way that children can easily identify with.  It also doesn’t sugar-coat any of the details, but shows people the way they can actually be.  Because the story uses a spider as the heroine, it shows children that sometimes we can get help from what we consider to be the most unlikely place.  It also teaches children that everyone deserves to be treated and thought of as being special.

“The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams is a favorite of people of all ages.  Your child will enjoy learning about how the Velveteen Rabbit becomes real, although they may be upset about the illness of the child in the story.

The story goes on to intimate that everyone can become “real” by receiving the love of others.  Once you’ve become “real” you can never become unreal again. 

There are so many quality bedtime stories a mom can read to her kids.  Go to the library and look through the books for your child’s age group.  The time you spend reading to them will become some of the most precious time you’ll spend with them.  You’ll be glad you chose to slow down long enough to take the time to share the stories you chose.

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Kids and Chores – Keeping Your Kids from Dreading Chores

Unless your child is extremely neat, they probably don’t like to help out at home.  If this is the case, you may be searching for some help.  Here are some tips for keeping your kids from dreading their chores.[ad]

Since most children are eager to help mommy and daddy, take advantage of that willingness to help.  Start while your children are young by having them help you clean up the house.  Find some tasks that are easy enough for them to do and let them do those each time you do housework.

As they grow older, ask them to do more chores or to help you complete the chores you have to do.  Establish a routine of which chores should be done on which day.  This will break down the tasks so they don’t all have to be done in one day.  It will also help your whole family know what to expect on a certain day of the week.

Don’t let your child procrastinate when it comes to doing chores.  If you let them put off doing their chores once, they’ll try it again to see how serious you are about their chores being done.  You might want to be sure you’re not procrastinating, too, because it doesn’t provide a good role model for your child to follow.

If you have more than one child, consider switching chores periodically so no one gets bored doing the same chore over and over.  Another way to help make chores less boring is to have a contest where the one who finishes with their chores first, to your satisfaction, earns extra time on their gaming system.

Try to think of some ways to make doing chores fun.  Have contests to see if your child can beat their own time of completing their chores.  Maybe you could hide a coupon at the bottom of the trash can for your child to find.  You could also place one in the bottom of the laundry basket.  If they do their chores, they should find the coupons you’ve placed there.

Many parents choose to associate an allowance with chores.  However, experts suggest that children should not be paid for doing their chores.  Chores are a responsibility of everyone in the home.  By completing their chores, they are contributing to the success of the family and the household. 

If you decide to give them an allowance and want it to be somewhat tied to their chores, why not base their allowance on their attitude when they do their chores.  Or you can pay their allowance based on how many times you have to remind them to do their chores.  By doling out allowances in this way, your child realizes that they will have to do their chores regardless of whether or not they receive an allowance.

Help your child learn about responsibility by assigning chores for them to do each day.  They may grumble and complain about doing them, but there are ways to keep your child from dreading their chores.  Make them as fun as possible by getting suggestions from your children to make things more fun.  If you can make them fun, you may find that you don’t have to nag your children to do their chores any longer.
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Kids Snack Idea – Banana Snuggles

Banana Snuggles

Ingredients:

1 8 inch flour tortilla
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons grape jelly
1 firm banana

Instructions:

Soften the tortilla in the microwave for about 10 seconds on high.  Spread the peanut butter on the tortilla.  Smooth the jelly over the top of the peanut butter.  Put the banana at the edge of the tortilla closest to you.  Roll the banana up in the tortilla.  Hold in place with a toothpick until ready to eat. 

Tip:  If you are putting this in your kid’s lunch box, freeze the banana before making.  This will help keep the jelly cold as the banana thaws. 
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