By Robert Baird | On December 22, 2005 | In Parenting | Rated

Perhaps I could make a lot of money by founding a Thinker’s Anonymous organization. It surely is the rage to eschew thinking.

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By Richard Chapo | On December 21, 2005 | In Parenting | Rated

Vacations and trips are great family events, but how do you keep kids interested and busy during the down times? Have them keep journals of the trips and their impressions.

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By Barbara Hemphill | On December 4, 2005 | In Parenting | Rated

Memorabilia – Children can create enough artwork for an entire gallery in a few short weeks. The key here is choices; establish a particular place—e.g., basket, drawer, or shelf – for each child to put artwork. When that space is full, have one-on-one time with Mom and select your “three favorites”. This is a lesson in life, which is continually full of choices. Then create a Memorabilia Box for each child where the favorites are kept. Keep the box in a convenient place, with the lid off, so it’s easy to add new items. Use the same approach for photographs. A great parent-child activity is “scrap booking” – have your child help make a family album, or get double prints, and let the children make their own. If you’re not into albums, use attractive boxes. If you’re on a tight budget you can use shoeboxes. Label the outside of each packet with the contents (e.g., Lee’s 5th birthday, Mary’s soccer outfit, etc.) with the date. At the end of the year, store your calendar with the photos in case you decide you want to create albums when the children are grown and you need to retrieve more specific dates. The key here is “Less is more.” A few great photos are far superior to boxes of unidentified ones! One of the biggest causes of clutter – and family disagreements -- is paper. Create a filing system for important papers. Create one file for each child for each area. For example, Medical Records – Mary, St. John’s High School – Tom. Children can begin their own filing systems as soon as they start school. The key to any effective filing system is a File Index. This can be a handwritten list, a word processing document, a spreadsheet, or you can use Taming the Paper Tiger software (see below). A File Index will help you avoid making a file for “Summer Camp” when you already have one for “Camp Wesley.” Here’s a sample of some other file headings for information that children might like to file: Cartoons I like English Homework Family Information Friends Fun Things to Keep Gift Ideas for me Gift Ideas for others Hairstyles I like Math Homework New Year’s Resolutions Phone Numbers/Addresses Recipes I can make Savings Account Scouting Information Summer Camp Information

We live in an age when children spend a significant amount

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