February 22, 2012

The Effects of Debt on Families

Debt is one of the unrecognized four letter words. It’s in widespread use, but its connotation is nearly as bad as any actual swear word employed by an angry individual. Debt affects families in far worse ways than its competing four letter words. Owing substantial sums of money can cause parents to become angry or otherwise resentful of “the man.” This anger trickles down to the entire household, eventually affecting everyone under the roof as if they owed the money themselves. Soon, the kids will start engaging in rebellion to act out beneath the tyranny they feel.

To bypass this traumatic scenario, it’s important to escape debt. Car refinance loans can provide cash in hand, which creates a sense of relief. When one can stop scrounging around in the corners for spare change, tension levels automatically drop. As for those whose family members don’t make the responsible effort to drop their debt level, serious consequences remain. The kids often start acting out, which can come in many forms. The most common form involves drugs and alcohol, which lead to addiction and costly treatment.

For those who manage to sidestep the paths that lead to addiction, there are still many roadblocks in life. That’s because carrying debt infiltrates every aspect of a life, particularly relationships. Not only are those who come into infrequent contact with the debtor aware that something is not quite right with their mood, but those who live in the same house just can’t forget it, either. Most marriages won’t survive debts that last for many years (excluding the typical mortgage).

 

The Allure of a My American Girl Doll

When you get a few little girls together for a play date, the first thing they want to do is play house, dress up, and ultimately have a tea party. This form of play is their way of emulating their mothers, who they see as stay-at-home moms, housewives, businesswomen, and party hosts. This flattering imitation of reality always includes a favorite doll that the little girl sees as her own baby and confidant.

The My American Girl doll, which was introduced in 1995 by Pleasant Company a subsidiary of Mattel, is a contemporary line of dolls with matching doll clothes and accessories. This unique line includes more than fifty different dolls, many of which can be customized with different combinations of face mold including:

  • _______ Skin tone
  • _______ Eye color
  • _______ Hair color
  • _______ Length and style of hair
  • _ _____ Braces
  • _______ Eye glasses
  • _______ Pierced ears

The allure of the My American Girl doll is that a little girl can go to any of the American Girl Place stores and boutiques to pick out a doll that represents her individualized and diversified style. She has the ability to create a special and meaningful doll that is only one of its kind as she is.

When you purchase a My American Girl doll, she comes with a standard outfit that is updated every few years to reflect current fashion trends. There are many stores and boutiques that specialize in clothing, shoes, and accessories for this 18-inch doll making it possible for the little girl to stylize her doll with outfits and accessories that reflect her favorite interests and activities.

The Ever Growing Cost of Higher Education

Comparison of inflation of college tuition and... 

Image via Wikipedia

College educational costs have skyrocketed in the past ten years to a point that is obscene. Yet, the institutions have a captive audience because of the plain truth that to get a good job, one must have a degree. Students are caught in a nasty catch-22. On the one hand, they want to go to school to get that degree. On the other, they have to deal with crippling student debt upon graduation, with no guarantee that they will get the job they need to pay the bills.

So where is all of this money that is being paid in tuition going to? Not the teachers, although tenured professors can make a good salary. But that has always been the case, regardless of tuition costs. Certainly there are other legitimate costs that a school needs to stay current. However, colleges and universities can leverage favorable discounts because of their size and captive customer base. So who is really to blame?

In most cases, look no further than the administrators. Year after year, they make excuses for why they need to raise costs. And in all probability, they squander the funds through poor accounting and pet projects. Spending money that does not or should not be spent, but it is. And who suffers but the student. They get a degree, but then their working lives are stunted for at least ten years while they pay off their student loans. Some pay as much as 20% of their post-graduate income on loans. The cost of higher education will cause a lost generation in terms of the financial impact.

Ways to Enjoy the Miraculous Experience of Pregnancy

Preparing for the birth of a child can be fun and exciting with the prospect of someone new joining the family. It can also be very scary to some as they are overcome with feelings of inadequacy and unpreparedness, but it doesn’t have to be. For instance, as soon as you learn that a new addition is going to be born into the family in the upcoming months, if there is another child or children in the family, they should be made aware of this as soon as possible. Talk to your child about the new baby so they feel like they are a part of the event and that you all will be a big happy family. Assure them that you will continue to be there for them.

Aside from getting the nursery ready and loading up on items such as diapers, wipes, baby clothes, and more, many women have found learning all they can about how the baby is forming and developing inside them to be an educational and helpful way to get closer to their unborn child. A helpful tool to keep up with your pregnancy week by week is weekly pregnancy guide. Guides like this are great because each week you can learn how your body is handling pregnancy in order to support the new life growing inside you and how the baby is developing. With this exciting tool, you can check the weekly pregnancy guide each week or you can get automatic updates to understand how the baby is developing in you week by week.

Another great way to enjoy your pregnancy and create long-lasting memories of this experience is to keep a pregnancy journal. There are several ways to do this, such as blogging, scrapbooking, creating a memory box, or photo journaling. Additional information on a pregnancy journal can help you understand which method is best for you.

Behavior Has Consequences

One of the most important jobs a parent has, and which has the worst outcome if failed, is teaching that behavior has consequences. All too often a parent starts taking this seriously far later than they should when they are suddenly faced with a rebellious teen. Consequences are something even the smallest child can be taught; even before they are fully capable of deductive reasoning.

For example, for the parent potty-training their toddler, it will be of no good to try to explain to the child that they can avoid diaper rash if they would simply use the toilet. However, if they see a frown when they use the diaper and a bright smile with words of encouragement when they use the toilet, they will quickly see the consequences of their decision.

Carrying this through the school age years with irresponsible and counter-productive actions having obvious negative consequences and there are far less chances that your child will turn into a rebellious teenager. One of the key components of this training lies with consistency.  If you at one point ignore a bad behavior yet at another time do not, you are sending the message that poor behavior is not always with consequence. While this may be true in adulthood, it is not something a responsible adult counts on. We don’t go driving around town at 30 miles over the speed limit because we know that we won’t get a ticket every single time.

Absence of accountability may make them your friend at first, but that is likely to pale when they determine their failures are your fault for not teaching them boundaries.

Helping your child understand the connection between behavior and consequences is the best gift a parent can give.  Doing so sets a foundation that will allow their child to become the best person in life that they can be.

Are You Supporting Your Teen’s Drug Habit?

You have talked to your teenager about the dangers of street drugs; of cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy and the like. You may even think you have convinced them of all the dangers. However, you may have unknowingly taught them to abuse another type of drug – prescription drugs. Alarmingly our nation’s teens are seeing prescription drugs as a safe way to solve problems after seeing their parents use them for ailments. Even if they do not learn this at home, they may learn it from their friends that did.

Sometimes a teenager tries a prescription drug for the most innocent of reasons. A drug meant to treat one disorder can have a side effect that may be desired. For example, a teenage girl that wishes to lose some weight may think a prescription that has the side effect of a decreased appetite would be great. They do not perceive a prescription as risky even though it was not prescribed for them.

Other times they will have listened to a friend report the “high” they received from taking a prescription drug such as a pain killer. Again, they think this is a safe way to obtain a feeling of euphoria, calmness or whatever result they are looking for. They may also not realize the fact that a prescription drug can be as addictive as a street drug.

There are two strategies a parent should incorporate to protect their children. First, keep all prescriptions locked up and encourage grandparents and other relatives your teenager visits to do the same. At the very least, keep count and let your teenager know that you are doing so.

Secondly, and probably the most important, is to educate your teenager about the dangers involved, including that it is illegal. Communication is key in many aspects of parenting but is especially true when it comes to the dangers of prescription drugs.

Give Your Teen Great Gifts to Take to College

There are plenty of things you can give your teenagers, but when they go off to college, it’s very important that they have the things they need. Cash is always a great gift, but you don’t want to just give them money – especially if they’re not yet that good at managing it. Prepaid debit and/or credit cards might be a better choice, because they can’t be spent as easily. Of course, you’ll want to look for some fun gifts and some practical gifts, too. Home decor is a good choice, because it can let your teen decorate his or her dorm room so it feels more like home.

Also, consider a subscription to a favorite magazine or computer tools and games that your teen can play. All of that can be found at Subscription.com, so you can buy your teen anything that’s really needed to make college a good experience. Studying is important, but there is plenty of down time when your teen may feel homesick, and when he or she will want something to do. If you’ve provided a lot of great options that can be used in the dorm room, that can keep your teen from leaving campus for parties and things that you might not want him or her going to.

College is a great time for people to learn about their world and explore who they are, but it can also be a time where teens who are far from home can get into trouble. You can’t watch your teen every minute of every day, but you can impart good values and also make sure that there are plenty of great things to do. By providing some games that can be played with friends, you give your teen an opportunity to get to know people while staying safe and secure in the dorm.