Dawn Ramsberg
Articles
Living in a Stepfamily: Neither Cinderella Nor the Brady Bunch
In 1995, 40 percent of all marriages in the United States were remarriages for at least one of the partners, with approximately 65 percent of remarriages involving children from a prior... [more]
Balancing Family Life with Work
While we have focused on the workplace in many recent articles, it is important as well to consider how to balance life at home with your job. Ease the Transition from Work to Home * Give [more]
Schools and Communities: Looking beyond the Classroom
We commonly hear about how important it is for parents to be involved with their child and school. Yet both teachers and parents often feel frustrated over what is expected in terms of parent... [more]
Understanding Parent Involvement from a Parent's Perspective
Continued research on parent involvement shows that parents who are involved in their child's education can improve their child's chances of succeeding in school (Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler, 1997).... [more]
Getting Your Preschoolers To Clean Their Rooms
So, you've worked all day and now there's laundry to do and dinner to make, but what about your children's bedrooms? Often this is the last thing on the list, if it's there at all. However, it is... [more]
Children and Sports: Don't Forget to Practice Sportsmanship!
As the weather grows warmer, memories of spending hours in my backyard with my parents and my sisters come flooding back. The game of choice for us was softball, although there were many games of... [more]
Getting the Most Out of Parent-Teacher Conferences
Conference time is just around the corner for some parents, and it may already be here for others. Parent-teacher conferences are traditionally the most formal means of communication between parents... [more]
The Debate over Spanking
Spanking is one of the most controversial discipline methods. On one side of the debate are the parents who believe that it is all right to spank their children. At the other end are those who think... [more]
"To Spank or Not to Spank"
The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) held its annual conference called "Fatherhood and Motherhood" on November 5-10, 1997, in Crystal City, Virginia. At this conference, I was invited to... [more]
Brain Development in Young Children: The Early Years ARE Learning Years
IntroductionEarly Years are Learning Year. . . Make Them Count! This is the theme of this year's Week of the Young Child (WOYC), an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the... [more]
Separation Anxiety in Young Children
As a former infant and toddler teacher, I have witnessed on numerous mornings a young child, who was previously comfortable coming to day care, suddenly throwing a tantrum as the parent tries to... [more]
Temper Tantrums: What Causes Them and How Can You Respond?
Why Do Children Have Tantrums?Temper tantrums can be frustrating and embarrassing for parents, especially when they occur in public places. Parents may find it helpful to remember that tantrums are... [more]
Update on Early Childhood Events and Resources
Last month, we featured several articles on the numerous activities that supported young children and their development. To follow-up, we wanted to highlight where to find resources related to these... [more]
Building Community Collaborations to Support Young Children
The theme of this year's Week of the Young Child encourages us to make the early years in young children's lives count. But what does this mean? Many organizations are learning that in times of... [more]
The Debate over Spanking.
Spanking is one of the most controversial discipline methods. On one side of the debate are parents who believe it is all right to spank their children. On the other side are those who think that... [more]
Making the First Day of School a Holiday for Parents
One town in southwest Vermont has a new twist on the concept of "school holidays." Instead of a traditional school holiday for children, this year 124 employers provided employees with time off to... [more]
Parent Involvement from Teacher and Student Perspectives
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company released the Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher: 1998 in May. This series of surveys has been conducted yearly since 1984, with the 1998 survey... [more]
No-Recess Policies Being Implemented in U.S. School Districts
A trend seems to be affecting school districts in the United States-many are beginning to implement "no recess" policies under the belief that "recess is a waste of time that would be better spent on... [more]
Preparing a Family Safety Plan for Emergency Situations
No community is immune to the natural disasters and emergencies that can arise throughout the year. Already this year, there have been tornadoes in the South and Midwest, floods and landslides in... [more]
The Changing Roles of Fathers
"A marketing manager parks in a back lot, away from the boss's office, so that at 5:30 when it is time to leave to pick up daughter Suzie at daycare, no one will think the manager is uncommitted to... [more]
