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My 3 year old son has recently commented on his Best Friends. Usually he names Grandpa and Mommy as his friends. But it’s not as easy as we think it is to make new friends. Here’s some great tips from our friends at Calgary’s Child Magazine.

Making friends sounds as simple as child’s play, but if you watch any young child, you’ll see how hard it really is …

Learning social skills is one of the most difficult developmental tasks a child faces and one of the most critical for future success in life. While the skills of friendship usually come naturally as children mature, parents can and should take steps to help the process along.

· Open your home to their friends and encourage your child to join a group of kids with similar interests.

· Try to leave some free time during the week so your child has the time for friendships to develop.

· Allow a reasonable amount of telephone time, as it’s often easier for kids to talk on the phone than in person.

· Help your child feel that he can fit in with his peers, that may mean occasionally giving into the designer jeans or branded sports gear.

· Positive group involvement often prevents the need for kids to get involved in a group whose interests are negative. So help your child get involved with positive groups such as sports, scouts, hobbies or church.

One friend can make a difference. If your child has no friends, seek the help from a teacher to link them up with a good playmate. One positive experience may be enough to renew your child’s confidence and make having friends as easy as child’s play.

For more informations visit www.calgaryschild.com

Bonus Code: FRIEND

Calgary’s Child Magazine has all kinds of information on what’s happening in our fine city! Here’s a few you DON’T want to miss out on!

May 24 to 28; 25th Annual Calgary International Children’s Festival! Theatre, music, dance, puppetry and more! To view the full schedule lineup and to purchase tickets, visit calgarychildfest.org.

May 28, 11 to 3pm; Pre-Summer Showcase Event at Southland Leisure Centre. Visit Southland’s main and arena lobbies where there will be carnival games, the Calgary Vipers will be throwing balls and so much more! Calgary’s Child Magazine will see you there, stop by and say hi!

May 29; 4th Street Lilac Festival. The Lilac Festival has something for everyone, including great food, entertainment, vendors and activities for kids. For more information, visit 4streetcalgary.com/lilacfestival.

For more visit www.calgaryschild.com/ or www.facebook.com/calgaryschild

Bonus Code: FUN

“They” say that too many people are STILL providing too much online information about themselves on social network sites such as Facebook.

There’s over 600 Million users world wide on Facebook, and almost 10 million users are still not using privacy controls. Technology Editor Jeff Fox with consumerreports.org says there’s also still carelessness like posting your child’s name and face on Facebook, adding that it’s not a good idea. Millions of people are just exposing too much information online with Facebook.

I agree we really do live in a world of Too Much Information!!! But there is some satisfaction with Facebook. And I am guilty of posting pictures of my kids online. But I have high privacy settings, post pictures to Friends Only and usually tag my kids as my husband. It’s a great way to “showoff” your kids to the people you care about. It’s a great way to share with family around the world. What are your thoughts… is that too much, with high privacy settings, or am I setting myself up for trouble down the road?

Most of the kids of today will all have parents who’ve posted the silly pictures and videos of their kids on the internet. Is this wrong? Should we go back to the old fashioned way of sharing pictures… and actually print them and mail them to family? Or should we EMBRASE the ways of today, and go with the flow?

Bonus Code: INFORMATION

Over the weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day. And now that I’m a mom, it gives the day a whole new meaning. Not only is it a day to celebrate your own mom, but it’s a day to recognize all the exceptional mother’s in our lives. They may be your new best friend, your neighbor, a woman in the news and maybe… even you!

I want to extend a heart felt hug to all mother’s who make this world a better place. The mother’s who give unconditionally from their heart to make children feel loved, to validate teenagers, and to lend a hand to their adult children. Biological mothers, adopted mothers, foster mothers, and Grandmother’s who always give! We’ve known since the beginning of time that it’s not easy to be a mother; it’s just something we do.

Whether we have a good day or bad, at the end of the day we tried our best. And if today wasn’t our best, then tomorrow we’ll do better. So thank you Mom’s of the world for being you!

If ever you’ve wondered if you’ve found your soul mate, have a child.
If ever you’ve wondered if you’ve been blessed in your life, have a child.
If ever you’ve wondered if you’ve made a difference in the world, look through the eyes of a child.
If ever you wondered if you are loved, be a mother.
~ Christina Rowsell ~

Bonus Code: Exceptional