Valley Parent Magazine

Check out our Fresh Faces Cover Contest winners! Thanks to all who entered! Look out for them on our upcoming covers. Now it's time for you, the reader's, to pick your favorite! Deadline: July 31... Visit our website to vote: https://valleyparent.com/contests/ . . . #vp #valleyparent #readerschoice #covercontest #cutekids #contest

NEW ISSUE ALERT! ON THE COVER: Emma Hyatt, 3, is ready for some fun in the sun! She is the daughter of David Hyatt and Alexandria DuPriest of Phenix City. Read our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #vp #valleyparent #cutekid #summer #newissue #coverchild See more

Valley Smiles The Morill siblings, Maeve, pile up at the end of the slide on a recent outing at the park. To see more, check out our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #vp #valleysmiles #cutekids #smiles #slide #playground See more

Valley Smiles Connor Regan, 7 and his sister, Amelia, 5, had fun at the Rocky Top Pumpkin Patch. To read more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #vp #valleyparent #valleysmiles #fun #pumpkin See more

OPEN PHOTO CALL Want to feature your child in the next Valley Parent? Send us your Christmas photos! Whether it be a picture with Santa, baking holiday treats or opening presents, we would love to see them! Send your photos to [email protected] with their name and a caption, and you may see them in our next Valley Smiles section. Check us out here: https://valleyparent.com... . . . #ValleyParent #vp #valleysmiles #cutekids #Christmas #photo #smiles #gifts #Santa See more

Turning FRACTIONS into COMICS Take a moment to remember what it was like sitting in your middle school math class when fractions were first introduced. Was there a little anxiety? Confusion? Personally, I have always struggled with math, and I think most of the world at some point has uttered the sentence, I hate math. Well, CSU Mathematics professor Dr. Cindy Ticknor wanted to change that. I work with a lot of education majors in teacher workshops, and one of the most dif...ficult lessons to teach is fractions with multiplication and division, she said. To read more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx# . . . #vp #valleyparent #fractions #comics #comicbook

AFFIRMATIVE PARENTING Living with Children Q: In a recent column, you identified toddlerhood as the hump of parenting. As a grandmother who managed to raise five kids who were out of the house in their early twenties and are responsible citizens, I could not agree more. Two of them, however, did not get over the hump with their kids and now have spoiled, difficult children whom I sadly do not enjoy being around. Do you have advice for how parents can recover from this condi...tion with school age and teenage children? To read his answer, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx# . . . #valleyparent #vp #parenting #livingwithchildren

New issue alert! On the cover: Logan Ogletree, 2, is ready for the holidays. She is the daughter of Taylor and Russ Ogletree of Phenix City. Check out our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #valleyparent #vp #Christmas #holidays #newissue #remoteinstruction See more

RELIEVE SOCIAL DISTANCING BOREDOM WITH FISHING As a mom, I love heading out on the water with my family after a long week. A family fishing adventure is the perfect way to relax while spending time together outdoors. Now, more families than ever are searching for nature-based remedies for boredom. In fact, one in four American parents have become more interested in fishing during COVID-19. To read more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//Valley...Par/default.aspx# . . . #valleyparent #fishing #vp #socialdistance #COVID See more

Valley Smiles Adriti Shrivastava takes a ride in her princess carriage. To see more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #vp #valleyparent #princess #carriage #ride See more

12 Spooky Ideas FOR A SOCIALLY DISTANCED HALLOWEEN With the impact COVID-19 has on children still relatively unknown, parents have mixed feelings about whether or not Halloween traditions should change for this year. I think I would be ok trick or treating in our neighborhood, but not attending one of the numerous community Halloween events, Angie Wierzbiki, mother to 5 and 6 year old girls said. Rachael Hutchinson is another mother who will let her children trick or treat.... Since they’ll be wearing masks like everyone is supposed to, I don’t see the issue! Other parents still see it as risky or want to do their part in social distancing efforts. I just don’t see how anything is going to be the same this year, so instead of staying home and being disappointed, we booked a little getaway for the weekend, Megan Wildgoose said of her family’s plans. Whether or not you choose to let your children trick or treat, here are some great ways to celebrate Halloween this year while maintaining social distance: To read more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx# . . . #vp #valleyparent #spooky #Halloween #Covid #Sociallydistanced #mask #pumpkin #fun #ideas

Valley Smiles Adriti Shrivastava got out her shades on this sunny day. To see more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #vp #valleyparent #sunny #sun #sunglasses #coolkid See more

Q: We have a five-year-old who obsesses about dying. This has been going on for six months, ever since a child in the neighborhood died of a congenital genetic condition. Our son knew the boy and has been fearful of dying ever since. This is causing him lots of anxiety during the day and he is unable to go to sleep at night unless one of us is with him. We took him to a therapist but after four sessions we saw no improvement so we stopped that. We have explained, over and ove...r again, the difference between himselfvery healthyand the child who passed away, but nothing we say makes a difference. We’re hoping you have some good advice for us. A: It may seem counterintuitive, but the more parents talk to children about irrational fears, the worse the fears become. Another way of saying the same thing: Logic is lost on a child who is thinking illogically. To read more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx# . . . #vp #valleyparent #affirmativeparenting #death #column #kids

POTENTIAL LEARNING CHALLENGES Identifying Them Early As parents encounter behaviors from young children that... A rattle their expectations based on personal experience, relevant knowledge and/or playground chatter, just how are they to know if their child is indeed facing an uphill battle with a learning challenge? It’s critical that parents are able to quickly identify and implement appropriate professional and home-based support as early as possible. After all, our kids are leaning on both the professionals as well as parents to best position them to lead a well-balanced, happy life. To read more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx# . . . #vp #valleyparent #kids #behaviors #learning

NEW ISSUE ALERT On the cover: Maverick Ellis, 5, is ready to blast off into space this Halloween. He is the son of Vanessa and Oliver Ellis of Midland. Check out our issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #valleyparent #newissue #spooky #Halloween #costume #astronaut See more

Valley Smiles Ella Schmidt, 2, enjoyed a little pool time in her yard. To see more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #valleyparent #valleysmiles #pool #cutekids #summer #fun See more

Valley Smiles Isiah Tombs of Boy Scout Troop 104 participated in the Scouting at Home initiative during the pandemic. To see more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx#... . . . #valleysmiles #valleyparent #boyscout #camping #fire #campfire See more

Thanks to all who participated! Be sure to check back in for next year's contest!

HOW TO HELP YOUR KIDS SUCCEED IN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL As a professional educator for more than 20 years and the parent of a 15-year-old, I’ve learned a lot about what it takes for kids to succeed in middle and high school and what parents can do to support them. Here are some of the most important lessons: TEACH THEM TO PLAN AHEADAND BACKWARDS... On the first day of middle school, kids often get an agenda book (or calendar) to write down all of their assignments with deadlines. This is a great way to teach them the importance of planning ahead so they don’t hand in their assignments late. But an important thing kids have a hard time understanding is that the agenda book isn’t just for planning ahead but also for planning backwards, in the sense of creating a time line. Teach your kids to take each assignment deadline and work backwards, so they can see what they need to do each day to turn in their assignments on time. Once my son understood this idea of planning backwards, he became much better at managing his time and stopped spending all-nighters writing essays that were due the very next day. To read more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx# . . . #valleyparent #vp #highschool #planning #studying #switch

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10 Ways to Help Your Kids When the World Seems Scary Another day passes and another tragic story is on the news. Today I read of an earthquake in a foreign land. Recently it was a small town in Texas. Before that was New York City. And the list goes on. Shootings, attacks, brutality is all part of the landscape. We are aware of it, and so are our children. Here are 10 tips to help your kids when the world seems scary:... 1 Turn off the news. Watching the news cycle repeat over and over doesn’t help anyone. The images, repeated stories, personal accounts and police reports are hard for children to make sense of. The news is hard for kids. You can get all the news you need in one well-reported or well-written story. Then turn it off. Don’t have it running in the background and be aware of switching the radio station as needed as well. Kids need news from you, not broadcasters. To read more, visit our digital issue here: http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx# . . . #valleyparent #vp #tips #scary #universe #2020 #newnormal

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Racial and Other Forms of Bias Develop at an Early Age Public outrage and widespread protests following George Floyd’s death, at the handsand kneeof Minneapolis police officers, has brought the biases experienced by African Americans front and center. Even amid a global pandemic, people of every color and creed have come together to end this social epidemic. Countless Americans are calling for monumental reform to the systemic racism that continues to plague our country. To... read more, visit our digital issue here:http://www.digitalvalleyparent.com//ValleyPar/default.aspx# . . . #cvm #columbusga #bias #earlyage #development See more