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Parents are very fond of the audio books and there are good reasons behind that. Parents are overwhelmed by several things like shortage of time, household chores etc and are quite tired by the end of the day to tuck the children and tell bedtime stories. It is possible for kids to enjoy audio books without their patents being around such as Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl.

Audio books can be helpful when parents have more time and can relax at home with the family. There are times when children get noisy and they can use the audio books to make them quiet as the child is mesmerized by the stories when they are presented as audio books, particularly when the story teller is very good.  Many times stories are narrated by actors or actress, like Tim Curry. They are also a very good reason to switch off the television.

This is not all as there are several other reasons to introduce your kids to audio books:
•    Audio books can be very useful when you take the planned family trip. You may not have thought about it but there are times when the child makes things a little difficult for you by screaming and fighting, or they may just feel depressed out of boredom. During such situations, it is a great and interesting idea to take with you a few of the audio books or books on compact disc. This will make your trip more enjoyable for the family and other involved. There will be much less stress also.
•    This concept will work when you commute daily and you can use the audio books when you drive the child to school and this will also put them in a frame of mind for spending the day in school.  This can be very useful when children hear the stories they like best and it is their favorite.
•    In fact schools also take the help of audio books. If your child has joined or is planning to join a foreign language class there is a very good chance that he will come across audio books in his classroom.  There is no need to mention the topics of the audio books in this genre as there are a number of them which are used. Audio books also assist in accelerating the process of learning to a great extent in children. This is more common if they also have a pamphlet or book with them.
•    In fact audio books are also used to develop the listening skill of your kid’s. This can start very early and it is better if you start early. Listening is a very essential skill for children and if they don’t listen well, they will be in a bad position in education and may even fall behind in their lessons. Most of the words we learn is done through the ears.

Other than these things audio books are just a lot of fun and it will help you to instill the love for reading in your children. In fact even parents are not immune to the effect of the audio books and you may also find yourself hearing audio books more than your children.

For more useful information, please visit our website: THE KNOWLEDGE BASE, and look for the ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT section.

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Do you have a good handle on what your aging parents want especially during those nail-biting moments when they can’t voice their medical wishes? What are your responsibilities when it comes time to take care of your aging parents?

It’s about 5:30pm on a typical day at work at the skilled nursing facility. I’m wrapping up my final nutritional assessment of the day as a family member walks into the admissions office. He looks like he had a very long and busy day. He took off his jacket, sat down, plucked out his pen, and asked, “Where do I sign?”

This poor guy looked exhausted. He let out a brief sigh of relief as soon as he sat down and stared at his paperwork. The admissions coordinator gave him a pile of papers to sign, each one giving us permission to do or not do something in regard to caring for his elderly mother. He was on auto-pilot, signing his name to the most critical issues that no son ever wants to face. The papers kept coming and he kept signing without hesitation.

Soon after, the admitting nurse approached the noble son with more paperwork and the more difficult questions kept coming. This guy was cool as a cucumber; he had his act together and appeared that he knew his mother’s wishes and was confident with all his answers. I wanted to give him a “high five” for doing such a great job. He was realistic and he had accepted his mother’s gradually declining condition. Well, he finished all his paperwork and went off to visit his dear mother.

Not all families can easily react as this gentleman. I’m not a lawyer, nor do I plan to be one, but my suggestion is to touch base with an elder care attorney and/or physician before making decisions such as their medical requests for your parents. You really don’t want to address their legal and medical issues on your own.

Just a few weeks ago, I spoke with an elder care attorney in regard to my own parents’ situation. I felt a big burden lift off my shoulders because I knew that there were professionals I could turn to for help and I didn’t need to know everything.

Know what your aging parents want. That way you won’t need to play the guessing game later. And, who wants to deal with critical issues during a crisis?

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        Today, there are hundreds of thousands of people who choose their primary job as a stay at home parent. As parents know, raising children is a job in itself. Although it may not be financially rewarding, it can be just as emotionally satisfying as a 9 to 5, just based on the mere fact that you can care for and raise your child better than anyone else. However, as with everything in life, there should always be a plan B. Being a stay at home parent has great advantages, and your situation as it is right now may allow you the luxury of doing so, but have you ever considered what might happen if that situation changes?

        This revelation was brought to my attention by a personal circumstance. I too was one of the many children in this world that was raised in a household where my father was the “hunter and gatherer” or bread winner per say, and my mother was the loving stay at home mother that nurtured and cared for my brothers and sisters and I, and kept a tidy home. Although this worked fine for many many years, even to the point of emptying their nest, my mother still didn’t have a plan B. She still depended on the financial support of my father. 4 years ago, my father found himself suddenly ill and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with leukemia. His diagnoses made a major impact within my family and within 9 months, my father passed away. As heartbreaking as this event was, it left my mother scrambling. Unfortunately, my father hadn’t had life insurance and left many bills and debts behind. For my mother, mourning was quickly replaced with fear and uncertainty. She hadn’t worked outside the home for over 20 years! Not only had she not worked, but with the advances in technology, it made it that much more difficult for her to grasp the reality of re-entering the workforce. These unfortunate turn of events for my own mother allowed me to understand why it is important that even though you may not have to work now, to keep yourself informed, educated, and ready so that if that time comes, you will be ready to enter the workforce once again.

        There are many events that may take place in which you should consider, that may put you in the very same circumstance my mother found herself in:

Your spouse or partner may be laid off or terminated from their place of employment

Divorce/Separation                     

Your spouse or partner may become ill and unable to work/Increase in Medical Expenses

Your spouse or partner may suddenly pass away

Investments may take a turn for the worse

        The above circumstances may not be the only ones to cause you to have to re-enter the workforce, but they are the most common. Even though these events are many times unexpected you can still prepare yourself in other ways. It is no secret that there is and will continue to be a decrease in employment that demands physical labor and an increase in jobs that require more cognitive skills. This means that the individuals seeking employment will need to be more prepared to use computers or some type of technology to do their scope of their job. So as you can see why it is important to stay relevant with the current job market and where is predicted to go in the near future. I will now go into detail the ways in which you can prevent career suicide as a stay at home parent:

Read – As a stay at home parent, books and magazines can be your best friend. I’m not talking about romance novels and tabloid magazines! There are tons of books that educate you on the latest in technology and how to use it. Reading will keep you prepared for the next step.

Computer/Software Purchase and Usage – The next best thing to reading is actual hands on experience. If you have an old computer with dust on it in the corner with a Windows 97 operating system still on it, shame on you! You should familiarize yourself with the internet and keep your operating systems up to date. If you should have to re-enter the workforce, trust me, your potential employer will most likely have the most up to date operating systems and will want you to be familiar with them at bare minimum.

Computer, Software and Typing Classes – If you should need a little more assistance then your own trial and error techniques, you can always research classes that are offered by your local community centers, churches and schools. Many times these classes are free or offered for very reasonable prices. They are usually once or twice a week and can also give you some much needed “me time” away from home while doing something very productive. You will be more familiar with your way around a computer and it’s software, and soon your hunt and peck typing will be a thing of the past! They can also often recommend programs that you can install on your computer at home that will help you tackle many of your technology woes. Many of these classes will give certificates upon completion in which you can add to your resume or portfolio.

Window Shopping – Don’t have a computer and/or aren’t ready to make the investment yet? Don’t allow yourself to feel overwhelmed when that time comes, do a little window shopping in the meantime. When the  time comes to buy, you can choose to do so anywhere, even online, but while your window shopping, you will want to go to a store that specializes in computers. Here, you will find many tech savvy employees with extensive knowledge of the products they are selling, computers. Eager for a sale, they will allow you to pick their brains as much as you like. You might find it helpful to compile a list of questions you might have gathered from reading or other sources.  This will help you to make a better and more informed decision when that time comes.

The Old School Way is the Better Way? – This may reign true in many situations, however, the “old school” way of doing things are more quickly becoming antiquated with the advancement of technology. To help you to make the transition you can start out by familiarizing yourself with a few of the many great services you can now perform on your computer. You can try paying a few of your bills online, doing some online banking or simply doing some online research. These days, financial institutions are using advanced encryption technology that protects your information that is transmitted over the internet and as technology advances, it may one day be the safest way to complete transactions.

Kill Two Birds with One Stone! – So you have learned your way around a computer or have always been technologically savvy? Great, with spare time at home, you can take advantage of online classes offered by your local colleges or other accredited institutions. This is a great way to stay current on computer technology while earning and certificate or degree as well.

        So if you came across this article as you were starting your journey to becoming more tech savvy or a close friend or family member found this information useful to pass along to you, the point of this article is to help empower you to make choices in your life now that you may need to fall back on later. In an already technologically driven world, it is more important than ever to keep yourself informed, educated, and ready so that if that day were to come, you will be ready.

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Latest national poll is contradictory to the traditional perception that most teenagers like their parents to let them live their own life, actually American teens say they want quality time with parents. Opinion Research Corporation conducted an online survey of 1,250 teens and adults and according to it about 67 percent of the teens in America want to have some more time with parents.

Almost half the teens who took part in this felt that they will be able to adjust better and be happier, if they got more time with adults who take care of them like aunts, grandparents etc or their parents. American teens say they want quality time with parents.  It is true that most teenagers manage to get through adolescence age with little stress, they are at a higher risk of dropping out from school, drug abuse as well as psychological disorders compared to other people of other ages according to a research associate at the Harvard Family Research Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Dr. Holly Kreider. This is the time when adults are needed in their lives, to help them understand the good and bad and realize that they have an opportunity to make a wonderful future.

It has been showcased by the survey, that there is a detachment in many American families. One fourth of the teens thought that the parents don’t have the time to spend with the kids but most of the parents who were surveyed did not say that they had any problem finding time for their children. This disconnect according to Dr. Kreider can be the result of parents miscalculating the time which is needed by their kids.

Parents also have a number of time demands, like careers, activities, their hobbies or even caring for their parents. All this takes up time which they could have spent with their kids. Kids of single parents may even get less time. What is the way for parents to spend more quality time with kids as American teens say they want quality time with parents?

Dr. Kreider, has done a lot of work trying to improve involvement of parents, suggests them to look for neighboring family resources. She has also worked as an advisor at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which is a group which has understood and responded to the parents’ requirements with the help of local assistance. BGCA’s Family P.L.U.S. (Parents Leading, Uniting Serving) plan, was funded from the million grant by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and it offers activities  for strengthening the family and funds it in communities to assist families become more secure, connected and unified. You can get added information on bgca.org/pro grams/specialized.asp.

There is some happy news for parents as teens believe that even simple activities such as eating, walking, playing games or watching TV together helps. They want to talk more with everyone and especially with their parents. According to Kreider, parents will be surprised to hear that teens don’t want any lavish activities but only time for the family time and like some quality time at home.  This can be a beginning for several parents who are hesitant to ask if their teen if they want to do things together at home or go for a movie as  American teens say they want quality time with parents.

For more useful information, please visit our website: THE KNOWLEDGE BASE, and look for the FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS section.

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If the child, adolescent, or teenager is embarrassed about wearing the diapers and plastic pants to bed there are a number of different ways you can encourage them. First, you can stress how much more comfortable it will be waking up in a dry bed. Second,you can have them go to different chat rooms and online forums(with a younger child it’s a good idea to supervise them while they are doing this) so they can talk to people in similar circumstances. There are many online forums and chat rooms dealing with bed-wetting and other incontinence issues. Sometimes it helps to have a sympathetic ear and to realize there are other people in the same boat.

Third, you should tell them that there are a large number of adults that wet the bed and many of them also wear night diapers. I would let the child know that many adult bed-wetters probably feel a bit self-conscious wearing diapers to bed also, but they understand that ultimately it’s in their best interest to wear them. I’ve also read about cases where one or more parents have bed-wetting problems but their children don’t. The parent might originally feel embarrassed about wearing diapers to bed(especially if their children are out of diapers) but many times the children are understanding and supportive of their parents. You can also mention that there are plenty of cases of adults who purchase diapers for other adults. An example of this is when a person buys diapers for their parent or parents that have medical problems that require them. For instance many people are caregivers for parents( or other relatives) that suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Incontinence is one of the symptoms of this disorder and the person has to purchase diapers for the individual who has Alzheimer’s disease. Another example is if a married couple deals with bed-wetting. In this case the spouse of the bed-wetter encourages them to wear diapers to bed. Although they might feel embarrassed at the prospect of wearing diapers, they realize it’s for their own good in addition to being considerate of the person sharing the bed with them. These are points that should be brought up to the older child,adolescent,or teenager that needs to wear overnight diapers but are reluctant to wear them.

A fourth strategy that you might want to consider is this. If your budget permits I would order a large or extra large, adult size pair of plastic pants and/or diapers. By showing the youngster an actual adult size pair of plastic pants or diapers in a a size that is larger than what they would normally wear, it might help them feel better about wearing diapers to bed. By actually seeing an adult size it reinforces the fact that adults wear them to bed also. This will help them more psychologically as opposed to just seeing something on a web site.

Fifth, you can explain to them that people have different needs in terms of managing their incontinence-that’s why they have so many different styles of incontinence garments. There are different levels of incontinence-some wet more than others. You need to stress to the youngster that what works for one person might not be as effective for another. Also people can even experience the same types of incontinence differently. For example,some bed-wetters sleep on their sides and might experience problems with urine leakage in this area. With that in mind it would make sense to purchase a certain brand or style of diaper specifically designed to address this particular issue.Sixth, emphasize to the child or teen that they are only wearing the diapers at night. Unlike during the day it is much easier to conceal the use of diapers at night.

Another suggestion I have for helping an older child,adolescent,or teen adjust to the prospect of wearing nighttime diapers is to have the youngster see a mental health professional such as a child psychologist. Many psychologists have experience dealing with this issue and might be able to provide therapy specifically designed to help them deal with the emotional effects of the bed-wetting such as the feelings of shame they experience. If you have the financial means to try this option it would be worthwhile to consider this. You can talk to the mental health professional beforehand to see if they are able to offer counseling in this area.

The last idea I have is to implement a reward system designed to encourage the child or teen to wear diapers to bed. You can offer to increase their allowance by a certain amount. You could also say that if they agree to wear the diapers to bed for at least 6 months they can earn a certain amount of money per month such as .00(or whatever amount the parents can afford and are willing to pay them).If they don’t wear the diapers and plastic pants to bed you can deduct a dollar for each night they don’t wear them. In addition to having a specific amount they can earn per month, if financially feasible it might be a good idea to purchase a present for them which you can give them after the 6 month trial period. Or they can earn a specified number of gold stars or points per month which they can cash in for presents. Again they will be deducted a gold star or point each night they did not wear the diapers to bed.

I think that verbal praise is an important part of the reward system. There is always the possibility that some older children and teens might get discouraged and not put on the diapers some nights. If this is the case it’s very important to encourage them. Remind them of how proud you are for trying them out and also remind them of the reward system. I would say something along these lines: “We’re real proud of you for trying the diapers and plastic pants out. I realize that it’s no fun wearing them but just keep in mind the advantages of wearing them-you’ll wake up nice and dry. Also remember that the more nights you wear them to bed the more money you’ll make. I know it’s hard but try to hang in there.”

It’s my contention that in order to motivate them to wear the diapers to bed for the long term it’s important to have some small rewards they can earn along the way while waiting for the big reward at the end. In my opinion, after the 6 months is up they’ll feel so accustomed to wearing them and so comfortable wearing them, that they will want to wear the diapers to bed of their own volition and not need rewards anymore. After that period of time they’ll most likely realize how comfortable it is to wake up nice and dry. At this point many parents are probably asking the following question- “Suppose we try this reward system for 6 months and they’re still resistant about wearing the diapers to bed?” This is a judgment call but in this situation the parents can say the following to the youngster: “So you still don’t feel comfortable with the idea of wearing diapers at night.? We understand that it’s difficult getting used to them but just remember what we told you-plenty of adults wear them also. There are millions of people all over the world of all age groups who have to wear diapers for various reasons. Some of them have to wear them during the day and night and some have to wear them only at night. There are also many types and levels of incontinence and some products are more effective at managing certain forms of incontinence. That’s why there are so many different types and brands of diapers available. We appreciate you trying these out. How would you feel about wearing them to bed for a few more months? We thought it might be a good idea if you continue to wear them for another 3 to 6 months. An important thing to keep in mind is that even with adults it can take them a while to get used to wearing the diapers.” There is no guarantee that this will work but it’s worth a try. A second thing the parents might be wondering about is the following-suppose the child gets used to the diapers but pretends they haven’t to see if the parents might be willing to extend the reward system? While many people might say this is being somewhat cynical, the possibility of this occurring(at least with some children) should be considered. I’m not a parent but I do work with children in the school system so I know that kids can be manipulative. I think that in a situation such as this the parent has to make a judgment based on what they know about the personality and temperament of the child and their previous actions in different situations. In this case the parents intuition should serve as a fairly reliable guide. A third possibility is that the rewards might eventually become a crutch. The parents need to make it clear to the child upfront that the purpose of the reward system is to encourage them to wear the diapers to bed, to help them adjust to putting on the protection every night,and to get them to understand that even though they might be a little embarrassed about wearing diapers, it’s more embarrassing sleeping in wet sheets and clothing(not to mention more uncomfortable). The child needs to accept the fact that this is not a permanent solution .After a suitable period of time the parents have to wean the child off the reward system and this can vary with different children.

In combination with using a reward system there are certain scripts(as the mental health professionals say) that an older child, adolescent, teen, or adult can say to themselves in order to feel more comfortable with the idea of wearing diapers and plastic pants to bed. For example he or she could say something like this to themselves: “This is just a garment designed to absorb urine and prevent it from getting myself and my bed wet. Wearing this is no reflection on my maturity. In fact by taking the appropriate precautions in dealing with the situation I am acting more mature. It doesn’t matter what most people think. I am doing what’s best for me in my particular situation and circumstances” or “I’m just wearing these at night-no one but myself and my family know I have them on. I’m asleep while I have them on so it’s not like I’m going to notice them much anyway except when I put them on at night and take them off in the morning. It’s like having a tooth pulled under anesthesia-I won’t even notice it.”

Another thing a person could say is the following: “Everyone’s body develops at different rates-some people are potty trained later than others and some wet the bed later than others. My bladder has just not developed enough where I can stay dry at night unlike during the day. I wore diapers during both the day and night to protect me when I was a baby so why should it be any different now-I still have the problem of wetting. Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I still don’t need them. Besides, they make diapers and plastic pants in my size so there must be a need for them-I am not the only one who wears them for bed-wetting.”

If the child is younger you can tell them to play a little game. You can tell them to imagine that the diapers and plastic pants are a like dam and the bed is like a city. The dam(in this case the diapers and plastic pants) keeps the city(in this case the bed) from being flooded. Or they can pretend they’re a superhero and the diapers and plastic pants give them special powers-in this case the power to prevent their bed from getting wet. Finally they can look at the diapers and plastic pants in the same way as a raincoat.

Right now I’d like to talk about one other factor that should be considered about approaching your youngster about wearing diapers to bed. In some cases the child or teen might be closer to one parent and as a result they feel more comfortable discussing personal matters with them. In a situation such as this, both parents should get together with each other before talking to the child to make sure they’re on the same page in terms of the best way to approach the youngster about wearing protection. When you’ve both mapped out the best strategy and the parent is ready to talk to the child, I would say something along these lines: “We realize you might feel embarrassed about your bed-wetting. We just want you to know that there’s nothing to be ashamed of. People of all ages(including many adults) have this problem also. Both your father(or mother depending on who is talking to the child)and I came up with a plan to help you manage the problem. We both came up with a reward system designed to encourage and motivate you to try wearing diapers to bed for a while. I’d like to talk to you about it now.” In my opinion it’s a good idea to stress to the youngster that both of you decided that it would be best for the child or teen to wear diapers to bed so he or she doesn’t think it’s some arbitrary decision. I think in general it might make a youngster feel better if both parents are in agreement because it shows the youth that there was more thought put into the decision, which in turn will most likely make he or she feel more comfortable with the idea of wearing diapers to bed.

The following section talks about how bed-wetting and diaper use can effect teenagers. Teenagers can be particularly sensitive about this issue. This section talks about one teenager’s feelings regarding wearing pin-on diapers and plastic pants to bed.When reading about the teen’s difficulties I was struck by how poignant it was and how sad it is that other children and teenagers feel the same way. The teen feels that certain aspects of the diapers make him feel like a baby. The pins,the bulk of the diapers between the legs,and the sound of the plastic as he moved around were triggers in his mind that made him feel this way. As mentioned, many older children and teens probably feel the same way but instead of viewing these aspects in a negative light it is conceivable to put a positive spin on the situation-instead of seeing the glass as half empty with the right attitude one can see the glass as half full. For instance the bulk of the diapers can be looked at as an advantage-it provides more absorbency and therefore better protection. Regarding a teen’s embarrassment about the rustling of the plastic pants as they move around, it’s important to remember that since the diapers are worn only at night this shouldn’t be a concern. The parents should let him or her know that it’s not unusual for a certain degree of noise to be associated with some diapers. Instead of viewing the plastic pants in a negative way,the person can view them in a positive light-they make the diapers waterproof which keeps the user dry and comfortable. If however the bed wetter shares a room with a sibling and is concerned that the sibling will notice the crinkling sound the diapers and plastic pants make when he or she moves around in bed, that concern can be addressed beforehand by the parents. As far as the safety pins are concerned, these should be viewed no differently than other tools for fastening clothes such as snaps,buttons,or zippers.

There are people with bed-wetting problems who buy disposable briefs to manage their bed-wetting. Disposable briefs are the term used for disposable diapers for older children, adolescents, teenagers, and adults. They have the same fit, style, and design as baby diapers. Disposable diapers can make a crinkling sound when the user moves around which makes some people feel self-conscious about wearing these types of garments. This generally happens with disposable briefs with a plastic outer cover, although it can also happen to a certain extent with some brands of disposable briefs with a cloth like outer layer. The same strategies designed to make a person feel more comfortable with the idea of wearing pin-on diapers covered with plastic pants can also be used with disposable briefs. Again the parents can tell the child or teenager that the tapes should be looked at the same way as other methods for fastening clothing such as zippers, buttons, or snaps. As far as the rustling sound the plastic makes, it should be mentioned that since the diapers are worn only at night this shouldn’t be a concern. Finally, the parents need to point out that the plastic is an important part of the diapers because it makes the diapers waterproof. This in turn provides more comfort and security for the person wearing the diapers. At this point I’d like to mention that there are instances of bed-wetters using both pin-on cloth diapers covered with plastic pants and disposable briefs to manage their bed-wetting. For instance, there are cases of people who alternate using both types of diapers. On some nights they wear the pin-on diapers and plastic pants and on other nights they wear the disposable diapers. Also there are cases of people who find the cloth diapers and plastic pants too hot to wear during the summer months and switch to disposable diapers during this time. The reason for mentioning this is that it’s good for people to consider different options for managing bed-wetting. It’s not at all uncommon for people to use both reusable and disposable diapers. By being open to experimenting with different styles and brands of diapers, it makes it more likely you’ll find the best type of diapers(or combination of diapers) to manage your youngster’s bed-wetting. Also there are parents who use both pin-on diapers covered by plastic pants and disposable diapers for their babies so it might be a good idea to consider the possibility of trying this combination out to see what works best for you. I emphasize this point in many of my articles discussing the different types and brands of plastic pants,cloth diapers,and disposable diapers available to manage bed-wetting with older children, adolescents, teenagers, and adults.

I strongly feel that it’s a good idea to combine the methods discussed in this article. By doing this,you’re more likely to have success in motivating your youngster to wear the diapers at night. How you do this will have to be tailored to the individual needs of the child-everyone is different and some of the ideas discussed in this article will have different rates of success with different individuals,but I believe that with the right methods(and combination of methods) and persistence,you’ll have luck with even the most stubborn and resistant youngster.

Whatever you do it’s important to not get frustrated or discouraged if the youngster is having difficulty adjusting to wearing the diapers to bed. This will not happen overnight but with the right amount of support and encouragement they will eventually get used to putting them on. With many medical issues it can take some effort getting used to the particular treatment. For instance when a person gets glasses or braces it feels a little awkward and unnatural at first but the individual gets used to them over time. As I mentioned before I would remind the youngster that plenty of adults also wear diapers for their bed-wetting and although they might be embarrassed by having to put them on before going to bed they realize it’s for their own good.

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