7 Good Reasons to Raise Your Kids Bilingual

Does your family use more than one language? Or does your child speak a different language at school from the one spoken at home? This is the first in a series of three posts by Millie Slavidou – today looking at 7 good reasons to raise your kids bilingual.

In the past, bilingualism was often discouraged, and parents were advised to use only one language with their children. Non-native speaker parents would be encouraged to use what was for them a foreign language to communicate with their children. An awkward and false situation, especially for parents without a strong grasp on the dominant community language.

These days, things have changed. Studies have proved that bilingualism is not only possible, but beneficial. Children can easily cope with more than one native language and soon learn to sort out which vocabulary and grammar structures belong to which language.

What is the Right Age to Start Wearing Makeup?

This is a question that my father would answer with the words, “How long is a piece of string”. There is no right age to start wearing makeup, but there is the age that is right for you and your daughter. The question is – are you in agreement?

Simple Tastes – Quick Carbonara Style Pasta

Does this sound familiar? The other week, I opened the fridge to start preparing our evening meal. I had plenty of ingredients, but couldn’t decide what to make. Spaghetti Bolognese, Fish Pie, Lasagne, Pizza, Steak and salad… all the old favourites, that I’ve made week in week out, and am just fed up making, never mind eating. I need some fresh ideas, and thankfully I’ve found someone to provide them to me – and you.

This is the first in a new series of recipe posts by Asha Fowells, called Simple Tastes. Every week or so, she will supply a new recipe that you might want to try and, if successful, then add to your regular rotation of meals. You can join in the discussion on our FB group, and add a photo of your creation.

Help Your Child be Body Confident

We all want our kids to have great self-esteem and to feel good about themselves. Unfortunately kids are bombarded with images of the perfect body from all angles, and at some point in their childhood they will become very aware of their appearance and body shape, and how it differs to others.

Life Skills for Kids

What is your parenting goal? One of mine is that my kids move out before they are 20 years old.

I’m only half joking when I write this. I don’t fear the Empty Nest Syndrome. While I adore my kids, I want them to live their own lives, and to get out and explore the world, in their own way. They’ve a while to go till then, so I’m building the foundations of their future, by ensuring that they have the necessary life skills to become independent adults.

We discussed this recently on our Facebook Group, and came up with a list of Life Skills for Kids

Life Skills – Understanding Debt

During the discussions about our #LifeSkills article,  one of the members of our Facebook Group wrote about children, debt and money management. Understanding debt, not demonising it, is the way to ensure that kids stay safe, Gwen wrote. With her permission, we are sharing her thoughts here.