Parenting

South Beach, Hollywood and Scarsdale are fine places for kids to visit, unless those locales have the word “diet” in them. In a world where carbs and sugar have been so vilified, it’s important for parents to lay the groundwork for a healthy attitude toward food.

Donna Fish, a social worker specializing in eating disorders and the author of Take the Fight Out of Food: How to Prevent and Solve Your Child’s Eating Problems, offers tips on how children can enjoy real food for real life:

Super Bad: When eating diet-challenged foods such as fries or a donut, try not to say “This is bad for me” in front of your child (no matter how you feel).

Model Citizen: Set a good example. Stop eating after one portion. Show enthusiasm for your food.

Adults Only: Being a good role model doesn’t mean you can’t be on your own, say, low-carb diet. But your mini-me shouldn’t have the same food restrictions.

Clear Signals: Teach kids to stay connected to their body signals. Eat when hungry. Stop when full.

Intervention: Some kids have trouble self-regulating. It’s acceptable to tell a child who has trouble with intuitive eating, “It’s OK. You’ve had enough.” Many parents are held hostage by a fear of creating an eating disorder when in fact, a little parental guidance is in order.

Mirror, Mirror: Keep your vanity hidden inside your walk-in closet. Never say, “Do I look fat?” “I feel fat,” or variations thereof.

Forbidden Fruit (Or Cupcake): Prohibiting a child from eating junk food makes those treats all the more desirable. And when kids do have access to the banned treats at school or on a playdate, they become fixated on them, and all hopes of portion control go out the window.

Food for Thought: Be kid-relevant when explaining nutrition — for example, “You need to eat protein so you can concentrate during your soccer game,” or “Eat well and you’ll grow into those rollerblades.”

Enough: Kids should learn the concept of moderation. When parents lay the right foundation for good eating, children can navigate well for themselves.

Piece of cake.

In those lazy, hazy days of summer, boredom can set in whenever camp, the beach or a play-date is not on the agenda.

Don’t let precious free time go to waste. Every Monday Matters is guidebook of simple activities families can do to give back to the community and raise social awareness. The list of 52 free (or nearly free) ways to make a difference will keep those whines of “I’m boooored” at bay. And there’s no time like the present: Help your kids get started on the weekly to-do list with one of these ideas.

Donate books. Go through your bookshelves and pull out books that you will never read again or have owned for more than 2 years and haven’t read yet. Call your local library, school, foster home or children’s organization to see if they need books.

Turn off the TV. Make a list of activities to do besides watching TV — reading, biking, swimming, walking, gardening or socializing with friends. Then start doing them.

Show your smile. Smile at everyone you see. Keep track of how many times you smile and laugh. At the end of your day of smiling, notice how you feel and whether people acted differently around you.

Mom’s not the only one with beach reads in her bag. This Father’s Day, help him be an even prouder pop with these new books.

The Baby Bonding Book For Dads: Building A Closer Connection With Your Baby
By James di Properzio and Jennifer Margulis
Husband and wife authors share honest, helpful and humorous stories and advice for new fathers.

Daddy’s Little Girl: Stories of the Special Bond Between Fathers and Daughters
By Gregory Lang
The New York Times bestselling author showcases real-life dad-daughter stories, illustrated by simple black-and-white photos.

Husband-Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth
By Robert A. Bradley, M.D.
This fifth edition updates obstetrician Dr. Bradley’s partner-oriented approach through the prenatal stage, labor and birth.

The Perfect Book For Dad: The Astonishingly Complete Guide to Fatherhood
By Paul Barker
New age dad or dangerous pursuits dad? This irreverent identification guide is full of quizzes, lists and tongue-in-cheek illustrations that leave no fatherly question unanswered.

There When He Needs You: How to Be an Available, Involved, and Emotionally Connected Father to Your Son
By Dr. Neil Bernstein, Ph.D.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Bernstein gives step-by-step methods to help dads bond with their sons.

Whether it’s French, Mandarin or your family’s oft-neglected native tongue, knowing another language is a skill many parents want their (obviously brilliant) tots to have under their belt.

Author and linguistics expert Barbara Zurer Pearson, Ph.D., delves into the various reasons behind bilingualism in her new book, Raising a Bilingual Child: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents. Below are some of her tips for getting started.

Start young if you can. You want your language habits–in two languages–to be well established by the time your child is aware of choices.

Keep it fun. Children have to speak one language, but they must want to speak another one.

Praise, praise, praise. Remark often how wonderful and special it is to speak two languages. Praise the child’s (and other people’s) bilingual abilities.

Make time for the minority language. You don’t need extra time for it, but in the course of the activities of daily life, some routines should take place in the “other” language–consistently, routinely, and over a long period of time.

Don’t do it all by yourself. Language is a group activity. Find others to be language models for your child–other children are often the best motivators. Take advantage of immersion schools, camps, playgroups and travel opportunities.

Some might call it a plasma or LCD, but in your house it’s “Super Nanny.” How else can you describe a device that never calls in sick or fails to keep kids blissfully occupied? Of course there’s the guilt associated with rubber-stamping all that SpongeBob and studies that suggest too much tube can lead to behavioral problems. So how do you curb the habit?

With the TV Time kit. It includes a piggy bank-like box, 15-minute sand timer and tickets good for 15-minutes worth of television or a DVD. When a child wants to watch something, she has to flip the timer and put a ticket in the box — the gig is up when the week’s allotted tickets are gone. Designed for 2 to 5-year-olds, the system can also work with older kids, especially when it comes to limiting video games and Internet surfing.

Who knows — it may even help with someone’s late-night Bravo addiction.

Available at mytvtime.com.

See if you answer yes to any of these:

• You have an image of your child silk-screened onto a tote bag.
• If asked, you might describe your role as executive manager of your child’s life.
• You have a life plan mapped out for your 3-year-old.
• You believe that free play is a waste of time that detracts from achievement.
• Your baby is more than 3 months old but you won’t leave him even with your own parents.
• You’ve hired a psychologist to test your child in the hopes of finding a problem.

“Wake up!” says author Hara Estroff Marano, editor-at-large at Psychology Today and mother of two. Her compelling new book, A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting, investigates how helicopter parenting has hit the mainstream – with adverse effects. (By now everyone has heard stories of parents who go on job interviews with their twenty-something offspring – then call HR to negotiate a raise.)

After delving into the what and how of the issue (parental over-involvement, even with the best intentions, hinders a child’s development, socially and emotionally), Marano offers guidance on how to be supportive without being overprotective – and how to prepare kids for the real world.

Don’t wimp out.

Available online at amazon.com.