With smartphone games to play and social media status updates to read, not to mention juggling all their work, home, and family responsibilities, parents are more distracted than ever before. A 2014 Highlights study found that 62% of kids between the ages of 6 and 12 feel their parents are distracted. To avoid being in that group: Try to be present when you're around your kids. Put the phone away when you go to the park. Log off of social media when it's homework time. Please

Sometimes when kids chew with their mouth open, pick their nose, or bite their nails, parents let these behaviours slide. And while it is true that some bad habits will disappear over time, you may need to partner with your child to break the habit, especially if they are experiencing some adverse effects from it. For instance, nail-biting may lead to infected nails, or nose picking may cause nosebleeds (or teasing from peers). To help your child break their bad habits, you w

The flip side of not liking your children's friends occurs when you end up forcing another child on your kid. You schedule play dates, enrol them in the same activities, and nag your child to text them because you're just so giddy about this friendship. However, if your child is less enthusiastic about the friendship than you are, you need to lighten up. While it's fine to help them establish friendships, forcing your child into a relationship with a person they don't connect

Being street smart goes beyond looking both ways before you cross the street. Talk to your kids about how to stay safe when they are riding their bikes, visiting the mall, and hanging out with friends. Ensure they know how to be aware of their surroundings and what to do if a stranger approaches them. Require that they go places with a friend and keep you informed of their whereabouts. Stress that they trust their instincts. If something feels wrong or unsafe, it probably is.

Overall, if you're like most parents, you're probably pretty skilled at teaching your kids to say "please" and write thank you notes, but do your kids know what it means to be thankful? Would you please make sure the words they are speaking aren't empty? Making an effort to raise grateful kids who appreciate everything and everyone around them is one of your most important jobs as a parent. Being grateful allows kids to step outside of their self-interests and recognize that

Parent guilt is a real thing and not uncommon. Some parents even guilt themselves into trying to spend every waking moment with their kids. But not only is this not humanly possible, but it's also not healthy. Instead, try to enjoy quality time with your family, but also recognize the importance of letting your kids play alone or with their siblings. Not only will time apart allow your kids to develop autonomy and independence, but it also will lift a burden from you. Everyon

Do your best to slow down and appreciate the little things in your child's life. Before you know it, they will be a busy teenager and then heading off to college. Consciously take a breath and enjoy watching your toddler colour or all of your children working together to build the most significant fort. Remind yourself, too, that you don't need big vacations or expensive toys to create family memories. Some of your best memories may come from mundane events like cooking dinne

Overscheduling your Kids We want our kids to enjoy life, learn how to do new things, and experience everything they want. But that also can lead to overscheduling them. Please resist the urge to cram sports, dance, piano lessons, scouts, and other activities into their lives at one time. Not only will you run yourself ragged, overscheduling your kids doesn't give them any free time to be kids. Research suggests that unstructured play can have a positive impact on a child's de