Helping Kids Understand Divorce

By Angela Ardolino

Divorce can be one of the most stressful things a person can go through in life, and although oftentimes older kids have an easier time handling it, divorce can shake every family member up. According to a recent study, nearly 45% of marriages end in divorce, leaving quite a few kids confused and upset.

Regardless of the nature of your divorce, there are ways to help kids cope with the fact that mommy and daddy won’t be together anymore.

Tell the Truth About It

Often times this is difficult when the divorce is tumultuous, but it’s imperative to talk to your kids about it rather than let them draw their own conclusions. Dr. Hammond of Hammond Pscyhology says that kids need to be comforted and informed that even though the situation is sad or rough right now it will pass and no matter what you love them.

It may not be appropriate to share all of the details of the divorce with the kids, but having an honest talk with them will help them understand that the divorce is not their fault. They don’t need specific reasons why you are divorcing, especially when they are little, but keeping them informed will help them more easily navigate the scary terrain of divorce and will help them to feel comfortable enough ask questions they may have.

Address Changes That Will Result from Your Decision

Imagine that you are being told out of the blue that you will have to move away and see one of your parents far less. That would be pretty scary, right? So don’t do that to your kids. Divorce expert Ned Holstein advises that one of the best options is to tell your kids from the start that things may change. Explain in a way that doesn’t scare them that you may have to move, or that they may see one of the parents a little bit less but that it doesn’t mean they are any less loved or safe.

Make sure that when you are addressing the coming changes, you try to answer their questions as best as possible. It is okay to tell them if you don’t exactly know what will happen, but encourage them to remember that both parents will still be part of their life.

Break the News Together

For many families, co-parenting after divorce comes naturally. For others, not so much. But no matter which end of the spectrum you fall on, it can help kids understand more easily when they hear the news coming from both parents. Divorce expert Dr. Samantha Rodmansays that when your child feels caught in the middle, it can lead to disaster, so when you break the news show the kids that you are still both united in your commitment to parenting them.

Is is also important not to fight in front of the kids or talk negatively about the other parent to your child. In a lot of instances, things will just slip out, however it can lead the child to having more anxiety. If they hear you saying how horrible their father is, they won’t want to go see him as much which can damage their relationship. Conversely, if they hear daddy say how mean mommy is, they will go home feeling confused and angry. But, when you refrain from placing blame on each other and present a united front, your children will feel more secure and safe.

by Angela Ardolino for DaytimeTV 

Fun with Fruit Kabobs and Fruttare

Back-to-school shopping is finally underway, and as you consider your family’s lunch boxes it is a great time to start thinking about how you will fill them. Will you include gummy bears and quick fixes in their lunches? Or will you strive to keep the family excited about having fun with fruit?

Getting the whole family to enjoy fruit can be as simple as including tasty fruit in their lunch boxes — and don’t forget your own too!

I’ve partnered with Fruttare®, a delicious line of frozen fruit bars, to bring fun with fruit to your whole family. Not only are Fruttare® Fruit Bars delicious and made with real fruit you can taste, the brand is also working towards sustainably farming every piece of fruit that goes into a Fruttare Fruit Bar by year’s end. My favorite flavor is pineapple and I love that everyone in the family can enjoy their favorite flavors like coconut, strawberry, and mango, just to name a few.    

One of the great ways that we have been able to have fun with fruit was when the Fruttare Fruit Farm came to Tampa this summer. We made our final stop at The Suncoast Credit Union 8th Annual Back to School Fair. This gave me the chance to share my favorite flavors of the delicious Fruttare Fruit Bars with families from all over the Bay Area. We also made the famous University of Tampa Minarets with real fruit, which are recognizable in the Tampa skyline. This fun and simple activity is a party favorite, and everyone who made it was proud of their tasty and adorable treat.

Families also were able to get their own strawberry plant to take home at the Fruttare Fruit Farm, as a way to grow their own delicious fruit. I loved seeing families come learn about how to plant their strawberry seeds and of course enjoy a Fruttare Fruit Bar!  

Having fun with fruit is just one of the easy ways to encourage your whole family to eat more of it. An easy way to do this, is allowing your children to come shopping with you and pick out a new fruit to try. This will encourage them to try new fruits. They are also far more likely to eat it if they chose it themselves. Take those same fruits and mix them into a smoothie, or let your family get creative with it so that they can enjoy their creation.

After they’ve selected their favorite fruits, a great way to get them to enjoy it is to make fruit kabobs. They make an easy snack to include in a lunch box and, most importantly, taste yummy!

Fun with Fruit Kababos

Letting your kids use their unique personalities to create something crafty and fun can be a great opportunity to let them shine! And, when you let them pick which fruits they like, their tastes might be as different as their unique selves. Making kabobs is a great way to let everyone use the fruits they like, while allowing the kids to showcase their colorful personality and style.

Here is what you will need:

• Kabob sticks
• Assorted fruits (strawberries, mangoes, bananas, cherries, and pineapples are great for this)
• Small cookie cutters in varying shapes

Instructions:

• Layout the fruit your family selected, and use the cookie cutters to create a variety of shapes. Note: Cookie cutter won’t work on citrus fruits
• Stack the fruit onto the kabob stick

When you want to let your kids show their unique personalities, creating something crafty and fun can often be a great time to let them shine. And, when you let your kids pick which fruit they like, their tastes might be as different as their unique selves. Making kabobs is a great way to let everyone get something they like, and to let you see the colorful attitudes of each of your kids.

For this craft, you will need (2 servings):

About two cups of Assorted fruits (strawberries, mangoes, bananas, cherries, and pineapples are great for this).

All you will need to do is have your kids cut their favorite fruits into fun shapes, like hearts or stars, using cookie cutters or a Pop Chef which cuts fruit into fun shapes.

Have your kids stack and layer their favorite fruits onto the kabob stick, and you are done! They can save their kabobs for lunches during the school year, or for treats at home.

I am Angela Ardolino writing on behalf of Fruttare Fruit Bars.

Child Passenger Safety

By Angela Ardolino

September 16-22 is National Child Passenger Safety Week and with it brings a somber statistic that in the United States, the number one killer of children between 1 and 12 years of age is car accidents. So making sure that kids are using the right car restraint, at the right time and using it correctly is the best way to protect them. Now, with all the options available from car seats to car boosters understanding the options and what you need will allow you to implement a safe car environment for the kids.

Types of Seats

Your child’s age and size will dictate what type of safety restraint she uses in the car. Newborns up to one year should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. They use harnesses and move with your child, lowering the chance of head and spinal cord injuries. SafeCar.gov suggests moving onto forward-facing restraints only when your child exceeds the height or weight limit on the rear-facing seat, generally around age 3. Once they reach the limits of these seats it will be time to move them to a booster seat.

Although not required by the state of Florida, moving onto a belt-positioning booster seat, as opposed to seat belt alone, will lower injury risks for your child by 59 percent according to a national study conducted by Safe Kids USA published in 2010.

Choosing the Right Car Seat

Once you’ve figured out what type of seat your child requires, you’ll need to make sure that any seats you’re interested in will work in your car. One of the most common mistakes is buying a seat that is either too small or too big for your car.

You’ll also want to find ratings on safety and ease-of-use by organizations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The administration is constantly ranking car seats to help parents find the best options. From evaluation of labels, installations and overall ease of use, the ratings can be found online at NHTSA.gov.

Installation and Asking For Help

More than 60% of car and booster seats are installed incorrectly. So before installing its important to read the seat’s instruction manual completely. Also read any information that might be in your car’s manual on installing safety restraints.

If you’re still not sure about the installation there are local programs and classes in Tampa Bay like the one at All Children’s Hospital where you can meet with a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and they can show you how to properly install and use your car seat. To register for a class, visit AllKids.org/carseats.

The most important thing to remember is that parents are not the only one that Child Passenger Safety applies to. Anyone that will be transporting your kids from school or anywhere else should be trained to property install and restrain your child.

Whether it be a car seat, booster seat or seat belt everyone should always be restrained in the car.  Doing so is not only important for your child’s safety, it could also save their life.

Find good car and booster seats at www.Seedlings.com

More Information visit:   www.TBParenting.com

www.AllKids.org/CarSeats

www.NHTSA.gov

www.SafeKids.org

www.CPSBoard.org