Today's world is smaller than ever – far more connected than anyone could have imagined it would be when we were kids. That is why one of the best things you can do to prepare your kids for the future is to raise them as citizens of the world.

You don't have to travel the globe to give your children a broad perspective of other cultures and world affairs. There are so many things that you can do right at home to encourage their curiosity about, and understanding of, the world.
The first step is to be curious about the world yourself; your kids will pick up on it. Here are some other ways that you can start to bring various cultures into the lives of your children.

Invite the world into your home by hosting an exchange student.
There are few things that can broaden a child's world view like getting to know someone from another country. Hosting a high school international exchange student goes beyond a brief meeting and forges a lifelong bond between your children and students from abroad. The opportunities for interaction are almost endless, and it's a chance to not only bring the world into your home, but to share the best of America with someone from another country.
Laurie Scott of Nevada has hosted a number of exchange students. "What these kids share with us is enormous," she says. "We have learned as much from them as they have learned from us ... this is more than just a 'neat' program; it really does positively impact global attitudes and increases understanding among families, schools and communities." Families that want to host a student can contact EF Foundation for Foreign Study, which brings more students to the United States than any other exchange program, at www.effoundation.org.

Explore other cultures right in your own backyard.
In America's melting pot, there are almost endless options for getting a taste of other cultures. Take a trip to a museum where you can find out about other countries and cultures. Art museums are often a great way to learn about cultures from around the globe, through artworks and crafts that have specific uses and meanings.

Sample cuisine from other countries.
Take the family out for a meal at a restaurant that serves food from different countries or consider preparing world cuisine recipes together at home. Visit ethnic food blogs written by cooks around the globe, or search recipe databases, to find something that you can make in your own kitchen. Whether it's Indian, Mexican, Japanese or German, you can learn a lot about a country from its food.

Learn another language as a family.
There are a lot of cultural subtleties hidden in foreign languages, and learning to speak one (or more) is a great way to connect with people from around the world. Consider learning a language as a family through a community education course or a local cultural organization - you can even download language instruction podcasts or mp3s from iTunes and other places on the Web.

Make the most of media.
There are endless opportunities to learn about the world, right at your fingertips. Using the media to gain perspective about the world can take many forms -- from reading a blog written by someone living in another country to signing up at an e-mail pen pal exchange site.
 
Look for movies that are set in other countries and can provide insight about what has happened or is currently happening there.
Search your TV listings for travel programs or history shows that are valuable learning tools, then watch and discuss them as a family. And of course, the simple, transporting experience of reading books about far-off places will always be a great way to learn more about the world.

Learning about the cultures and people of the world really does begin at home. If you host an international exchange student, consider sharing the experience with people that you know - and maybe those who you don't know - by creating a shared blog that includes entries from your family and the student you host. It's a fun way to help others gain global perspective, too. Whether you talk to your kids about current world events or pique their interest through photos of places you've traveled to, by helping them develop a broad worldview, you're giving them a world of possibilities.

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By David Swanson, Psy.D.

Do you have an argumentative, short-tempered child who is quick to blame others and is easily annoyed? These are characteristics of what I call an "oppositional child." The psychological diagnosis is "oppositional defiant disorder," and its key clinical features, as listed in the DSM-IV, are:
1. Often loses temper.
2. Often argues with adults.
3. Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules.
4. Often deliberately annoys people.
5. Often blames others for own mistakes or misbehavior.
6. Often is touchy or easily annoyed by others.
7. Often is angry and resentful.
8. Often is spiteful or vindictive.
Notice the word often. Every child displays some of these traits some of the time. But if your child is often oppositional, your parenting skills have probably been tested to the limits many times.
When dealing with an oppositional child, any situation can become a crisis. There doesn't have  to be a rational reason. Many parents I work with make statements like, "I don't know what happened. First he said he wanted to go to his friend's house, then he said he wanted to have his friend come here. I told him he needed to make up his mind, and then he totally blew up."
The oppositional child tells you a lot about how he is feeling through his behavior. The problem is that you don't get any warning — you only get the chaos.
The first piece of advice I have is this: You need professional help if you are raising a child who is extremely and often oppositional. You can make the changes I am about to suggest, but be aware that the oppositional child is the most difficult child to raise. If you have an oppositional child, you and your family are at heightened risk for anxiety, physical abuse, divorce and substance abuse. I strongly suggest intervention for families living with an oppositional child.
Although the oppositional child is one of the toughest parenting challenges, there are things you can do to decrease the frequency with which you will be subjected to your child's use of manipulative strategies.  Below are 10 proactive parenting measures I recommend.
1. Choose your battles wisely. Sometimes it's beneficial to simply walk away, especially if your child has you in a trap you can't possibly get out of.
2. Always avoid power struggles.  Power struggles are distractions from the issue at hand.
3. Develop your ability to appear calm when faced with frustration. Watching you fall apart is gratifying to children, and shows them they have gained the upper hand.
4. Develop and maintain a consistent environment. Devise an itinerary for the day and adhere to it. Create routines and rituals — such as focusing on homework as soon as the child gets home. Such habitual practices diminish power struggles.
5. Develop your ability to predict difficult times and situational triggers for your child. Plan ahead for tough situations so you can maintain calm and integrity when they erupt. For example, if getting a child ready for school is routinely a struggle with Mom, have Dad do it instead.
6. Develop plans to deal with inappropriate behaviors before your child engages in them (and post these plans in the home). Oppositional children are quick to pick up on — and exploit — parents' inconsistent responses and behaviors. Determine consequences ahead of time, and always enforce them.
7. Work on changing only one or two behaviors at a time. Be patient. If you are always focusing on the behavior of the day, your child will feel overwhelmed and criticized. Instead, have a talk with him, tell him the one or two behaviors that you will be focusing on, and then do just that. Praise him when he does well. When he is 80 to 90 percent responsive in those areas, have another talk with him and set two more behavioral goals.
8. Use responsibilities to reward your child. Giving your child the privilege of having power and control over her own environment will help here want to earn this privilege. Responsibility equals reward.
9. Seek out social support. Social interaction is a clear antidote to parenting stress.
10. Take time off from parenting. Vacations are a great way to replenish your parental battery. Find someone to watch the kids, and head out of town.
Granted, the oppositional child is a difficult challenge. Try some of the solutions above, but if they don't work, don't despair. It may be beyond your immediate skills. If so, get help from an expert in oppositional defiant disorder.

David Swanson, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in children and teens suffering from ADHD, oppositional and defiant behavior, anxiety, depression and social problems. His new book is “Help! My Kid Is Driving Me Crazy: The 17 Ways Kids Manipulate Their Parents and What You Can Do About It” (Perigee, September 2009). You can learn more about him at www.DrDavidSwanson.com.
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Some typical answers to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” are: firefighter, princess or an athlete.
But when it comes to dream jobs, an overwhelming 85 percent of kids say they are not interested in a future engineering career — a profession critical to the infrastructure of the country.  That’s according to a survey by Harris Interactive commissioned by American Society for Quality, a global membership organization of quality professionals in all industries and fields including engineering.
Two key reasons that kids are saying “no” to engineering is that they don’t feel confident enough in their math and science skills to be good at it and they believe that it’s not an exciting career choice.
Speaking to the National Academy of Sciences in April, President Barack Obama announced “a renewed commitment to education in mathematics and science,” fulfilling a campaign promise to train 100,000 scientists and engineers during his presidency. Math and science are subjects that provide critical problem solving and thinking skills crucial not only to engineering, but to the 21st century workforce in general.
How are parents influencing their kids? The findings show that although parents believe math and science will help their children be successful, only 20 percent have encouraged their kids to explore engineering as a career option. In fact, girls say their parents are more likely to encourage them to become an actress than an engineer.
Maurice Ghysels, chair of ASQ’s K-12 Education Advisory Committee, says that lessons about the value of math and science should start early and continue as students reach high school. “Encouraging exploration and curiosity is vital to budding engineers. Parents can help younger kids build a bridge using toothpicks and let their teens tear apart and rebuild that old toaster,” states Ghysels.
A useful tool for parents and students is ASQ’s free Real World of Engineering Webinar www.asq.org/education where you can hear engineers’ career stories, and get an idea of the exciting aspects of engineering such as designing bridges and cell phones to inventing medical breakthroughs that save lives.  
Some of ASQ’s nearly 14,000 engineer members offer these tips on how parents can help to build a love of math and science with their kids:
• Take children on a tour of local manufacturing companies where they can see first-hand how fun toys and products with which they’re familiar — like bicycles, candy and baseballs — are made. Learn the role an engineer plays in getting the product from the idea stage to store shelves. Suggestions: Jelly Belly Factory tour (www.jellybelly.com) and the Louisville Slugger Museum Factory tour (www.sluggermuseum. com).
• Research vacation spots for geology, technology and science-related attractions and explore manufactured products specific to the area, so you can teach your kids in a fun setting. Suggestions: National Air and Space Museum (www.nasm.si.edu); Computer History Museum (www.computerhistory.org) and the Harley Davidson Museum (www.harley-davidson.com/museum).  
• Encourage curiosity in younger children with building blocks, puzzles and Legos. Challenge older children with remote control vehicles, robots, or work together to build a tree house.
• Take them to a FIRST Robotics Competition (www.usfirst.org) or get them involved with National Science Olympiad competitions (www.soinc.org).
• Get older kids a subscription to magazines such as Fast Company which profiles young entrepreneurs using their tech knowledge or Scientific American, which unique insights about developments in science and technology.
• Seek out coworkers, family and friends who are engineers, and let them share stories with your children about what they do. Have your engineer friends speak at PTA meetings and school career fairs.
One of the simplest and most important things that parents can do is maintain a positive attitude about math and science, encourage curiosity and keep an open mind as your child explores potential careers.
– Source: ARAcontent
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There is nothing more promising than summer! Your kids are excited and you are excited about all the possibilities and activities that you can experience together. You optimistically plan your first activity, a trip to the park. You and your sweet child have a great time, until the dreaded words “It’s time to go” are spoken, and then your little sweetheart turns very sour and has an all out meltdown. You begin pleading, then yelling and finally dragging your child to the car. The excitement of summer vacation fades quickly – but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Kathy Royal, mother of six, and Patty Emerson, former teacher and mother of two, provide parenting strategies designed to lower the stress of dealing with day-to-day issues with your children. In their DVD, Raising Responsible Kids, they demonstrate methods to use for all age groups. You will learn how to talk to your kids in a way that increases cooperation and stops the arguing. Here is just one of their ideas from the DVD.

MANAGING CHRONIC BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
Chronic problems such as “time to leave,” bedtime, whining and tantrums don’t have to be a negative. The positive thing about chronic problems is that these challenges will happen again and you can plan for them.
The Chronic Problem Scenario: You’re at a play date, the pool or the park. Your child has a hard time leaving. You know what to expect, so why not try using some skills and techniques that will increase the odds that your child will cooperate?
The Set Up: Before heading out to the park, while you and your little one are still in a great mood, ask your child, “What would make going to the park fun for you?” Listen to all the things that make the park fun for your child and then tell your child what would make the park fun for you. Many parents don’t expect the activity to be fun for both the child and the parent. Usually parents will go out of their way to ensure that the child has a good time, but they forget that they should enjoy the outing as well. This way you’re modeling how a good relationship works: a mutually fun time for kids and parents.
The Method: Begin telling your child what would make the park fun for you. Most parents would say, “You know what would make the park fun for me? I think it would be really fun if, when it’s time to leave, you would be able to leave without throwing a fit. Do you think that’s something you could do?” Most children will quickly assure their parent that leaving will not be an issue – sealed with a promise! Continue the conversation with, “Well, that’s good to hear, but I’ve noticed that leaving can be kind of hard. Would it help if we came up with some ideas to make leaving easier?”
When you have a discussion like this, you are setting the standard prior to the activity. You are letting your child know that you want to have a good time too, and by discussing it together with your child, you are increasing the odds that he will cooperate.
So, when you are at the park, and you have given notice and it is time to leave and your child hesitates or begins to complain, throw in a question: “Wow. Is this fun for me?” Your voice isn’t filled with anger; instead be shocked, as if you can’t believe that this is really going to happen. Then take action, start heading for the exit. This is your way of sending an unstated message that of course your child is coming without a fit!
Other techniques you can try to keep your child moving in the right direction is to ask your child for assistance, like carrying your keys, or distract her focus; ask her to visualize the next fun activity. “What’s the first thing we should do when we get home?” Get her excited about the next fun activity, so she is not so focused on the fact that this fun activity is over.
These methods will help you and your family take full advantage of the summer and keep the summer fun for both you and your kids.

Kathy Royal and Patty Emerson have been helping parents learn and implement these same strategies for more than five years with great success. In their DVD “Raising Responsible Kids,” the above techniques and more are discussed and demonstrated – all designed to take some of the parenting stress out of summer-time activities and the rest of the year too! Go to www.rrkids.com to order your copy of “Raising Responsible Kids” and keep the excitement for summer alive.

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