Guest Post: Emotions of the Married, Single Mom

A recent survey done by TheBump.com and ForbesWoman.com reveals that between 25% and 65% of both working and stay-at-home moms sometimes feel like married single moms. Reading the responses to this report and comments on blogs, it is quite clear that emotions run high. The deeply felt emotions these women deal with may have been birthed in an unequal distribution of chores, however as time goes on these emotions reveal there is something more significant going on. It’s no longer just about the chores. The emotions reveal cracks in fabric of the relationship. These emotions – loneliness, anger, jealousy, grief, etc – can have a profound impact on a married single mom and her marriage.

No girl grows up dreaming of a marriage where she feels abandoned by her man. Perhaps his job pulls him away from home for days, weeks or months at a time. Maybe he is gaming his time away, or drinking away the possibility of an intimate relationship. Regardless of why husbands are absent (or uninvolved), their wives experience a roller-coaster of emotions that can wreck havoc and disaster within their marriage.

Loneliness is a painful wound many married single moms quietly carry every day. Companionship and conversation are critical components of a happy marriage. When this isn’t available, a wife feels lonely and separated from her husband.

Disney Princesses trained us for ‘happily ever after’, but when Prince Charming doesn’t come home our hearts ache for our unmet expectations. Those unmet expectations become dashed dreams that may never be fulfilled and need to be grieved. There is a deep sense of loss and often questions and fears about what the future will hold.

Fear also raises its ugly head in other ways. She wonders about his activities. She worries about his safety and health. Concern for her kids becomes paramount. She becomes insecure in her role as a wife and mother. Insecurity in her marriage, in her purpose, and in her belief system begins to erode her confidence. Married single moms wonder if they still have what it takes to attract their husband’s love and attention.

It doesn’t take long for the twinges of insecurity to grow into soul-shaking jealousy. Husbands who are home every evening, who co-parent their children and date their wives become objects of comparison. Watching a husband and wife deep in intimate conversation can ignite a spark of jealousy. This envy can become a consuming fire tearing down whatever good might exist in her marriage.

Then shame sets in. When others question her situation, it validates her pain and points out the failure she feels. She’s embarrassed about her husband’s choices, often feeling she must make excuses for him. Blog comments regarding married single moms contain some deeply wounding words that cast blame on her because she chose to marry and stay with him.

For many, this growing burden of emotional pain becomes a cancer deep in the heart. All the emotional pain is fashioned into a sharpened sword called anger. They are angry with their husband’s choices. Angry about living married life alone. Angry about how Daddy’s absence affects the kids. Angry about everything.

There is so much grief that fills the heart of a married single mom. She’s said good-bye to dreams for herself and her children. She’s sad about the hours, days, and special moments that will never happen. She needs to grieve the what-if’s and the dreams she had as a bride. This grief needs to be addressed. Grieving our dreams includes being honest about those dreams, realizing they may never be fulfilled, and asking God for new dreams firmly planted in reality and truth.

Married single moms are not a new phenomenon. I have lived this life and many others have, too. We even find examples of married single moms throughout the Old and New Testaments. We can no longer avoid reality – married single moms are prevalent and their situations and burdens are real. But how have they survived and even thrived? Through the strength God provides. Through Christian community. Through the healing of wounded hearts. Through the hope provided by Jesus Christ.

Carla Anne Coroy runs the Married Single Mom blog at www.carlaannecoroy.blogspot.com. She speaks regularly and serves as a staff writer for an online Christian women’s magazine Mentoring Moments for Christian Women. Carla Anne lives in Canada with her husband and four homeschooled children. For more information, visit www.carlaanne.com.

4 Tips for Getting in Shape for the Spring

Katie Boyd, Reality TV Star of Wicked Fit has tips for us to help us get into shape this year:

Spring Fever is right around the corner! You know that feeling where it gets a little warmer, the sun starts shining brighter and while outside you close your eyes, take a deep breath and welcome it! Crocuses are popping up from the soil, the snow is melting away and so should your fat deposits that have been accumulating and storing as if you were a hibernating grizzly bear during an extra-long winter slumber.  

That being said there are a couple universal rules that all walks of life can do to help tone up and shed body fat.  Here are my four no fail sure-fire tips for Springing into Fitness:

1. The biggest lesson I have ever learned in my life: Your best bet to shock your body into change is to do an 8 week stint of High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT training consists of upper and lower body movements at the same time with Isometric or holding contractions in static electricity in the muscle fiber and Plyometric exercises, which are explosive movements in between every two exercise combos. For example: Bicep Hammer Curl with Plie Squats, then Alternating Side to Side Lunges with Upright Rows, then a Plyometric Jump Squat. A workout like this should be done 4-6 days a week depending on how much body fat you are looking/needing to lose. 45 minutes tops! Workouts that are hyperexplosive get the job done.

2.Eat six small meals a day! Never say the word DIET... Food is nourishment and fuel for an active lifestyle and if you follow the 80/20 rule - meaning 80% of the time eat what I am going to show you and then 20 % eat some nachos or have a cocktail...do not  beat yourself up over it. Eating every three hours makes sure your body is always working to metabolize. Thus burning calories. I like to use the analogy of making a fire. If you are making a fire you feed the fire kindling and some newspaper or brush and that usually ensures a bright burning fire that you can add larger items to like the occasional log.  It is the same with your body. Most people starve themselves until dinner time and drink coffee to keep themselves going until they eat a dinner the size of Manhattan, then go to bed with all that junk just waiting to be stored as body fat. How is that ever going to work for you? Exactly...it never will! Adapting the twigs and newspaper idea for your body as you would starting a fire is the way to go. Always have some kind of a protein at every meal. It doesn't always have to be food you chew...it can be a shake. You can also get protein from legumes like hummus or nut protein like raw almonds or all natural peanut butter as well. Tapering your starchy carbs off as the day comes to an end is also going to really help you shed that body fat because your body does not need carbs at night for energy. Just protein for repairing muscles and fibrous carbs like green veggies. 

Sample Meal Plan

Meal One at 7 am~ Greek Frittata with an Ezekiel Bread English Muffin with coffee with 2 Truvia and a splash of So Delicious Coconut Creamer (comes in three flavors, Hazelnut, French Vanilla and Regular)

Meal Two at 10 am~ 1 cup of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, one or combo of all) with Muscle Milk Lite Vanilla Latte It is tasty, has mono and poly saturated fat which studies have shown help burn fat and is lactose free for those who have milk issues.

Meal Three at 12/1pm~ 1/2 of a cup (cooked) of Tricolor Quinoa, 1 cup of greens(broccoli, asparagus, or my favorite recipe right now, green beans, I love haricovert ...the baby string beans with pine nuts and dill with some type of protein whether it is chicken, steak or fish, or if you are a vegetarian VeggiePatch Makes wonderful meatless meatballs and veggie burgers.

Meal Four at 4pm~ 2 tablespoons of Tribe Hummus, they have a plethora of amazing flavors from Mediterranean style to Cilantro Chimmichurri with 1 cup of green veggies. My fave mix is broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, cucumbers, celery. No carrots and no tomatoes...too sugary for that time of day.

Meal Five at 6/7pm~ baked haddock or cod fish around 4-6 oz. with 2 cups of KB's green beans. No starches at night...no pasta, bread rice potatoes of any kind and certainly not fruit.

Meal Six at 9pm~ some kind of Protein. I love Muscle Milk Lite Cookies N Cream Ice Cream.

3.Cardio: HIIT on the treadmill.

Warm up for 5 minutes on the treadmill at 3.0 MPH at a 0 Incline. Then 3.5 MPH at a15 Incline...hold on for dear life it's going to get really real right now! Do this for 2 minutes. Recover at 3.0 MPH at a 0 Incline for 1 minute. Then, walk side to side first starting on your less dominant side step together step together at 1.8 MPH at a 5 Incline. 1 minute on each side. Then recover at 3.0MPH at a 0 Incline. Sprint at 6.0 MPH at a 5 Incline for 2 minutes then recover at 3.0MPH at 0 Incline...that is always going to be your recovery zone. Then, to finish the round you will walk backwards at 2.0 MPH at a 7 Incline for 2 minutes. You will repeat this for either a half an hour or 45 minutes or an entire hour depending on what your goals are for body fat burn. You are getting a full blown all-around leg workout without the boredom of just blankly staring into space.

4.To find the recipes for food, products and juice www.KBMFC.com.

Guest Post: Author Amy Spencer's Happiness Idea for the Day

Hi Kimberly and Moms!

I hope my happiness idea for the day can add a little optimism to your life. It’s based on my new book Bright Side Up: 100 Ways to Be Happier Right Now. See, the way I look at it, happiness isn’t about the situation we’re in, but how we see and feel about the situation we’re in. So if we can see our situation from a more positive perspective, we can be happier right now without really having to change a single thing!

And because Moms could use help seeing the bright side of life sometimes more than ever, here’s one idea from the book that might change how you see your day:

Do the can-can. Here’s what I mean. There are so many things on your To-Do list that by the end of the day, looking at all the things you “can’t” squeeze in, it’s easy to start focusing on the negative: You can’t find the time, can’t stick to the diet, can’t find the energy, can’t find your keys, and now you can’t stop thinking about all the things you can’t do! And we all know that once you’re making that list, it can start to overwhelm you. It's natural for us to think about what we can't do. But what if you flipped the list? Because you'll have an entirely different experience when you ask, instead what you can do. Do the can-can. And marvel when you realize this: the list of what you can do is so much bigger than what you can’t!

You can’t find the time to make homemade applesauce this week? Well, you can find the time to give the kids apples…and pears and oranges and bananas. You can’t do the diet every day, but you can do it five days this week, which is better than none at all! You can get a lot done, you can give your family what they need, and you can be proud of surviving a crazy week with all the little cans you’ve accomplished along the way. The next time you hear yourself talking about the “can’ts” do the can-can again, and dance your way to a more positive perspective.

I hope this helps you see your next challenging situation Bright Side Up! And hopefully, you’re already feeling a little happier right now.

Amy

If you want more ideas on how to see the positive, check out BRIGHT SIDE UP: 100 Ways to Be Happier Right Now (Perigee), full of practical strategies for seeing our everyday challenging experiences from a more positive place. To read free chapter excerpts from the book and watch the one-minute book trailer, go to brightsideup.com. For positivity on the go, get the companion iPhone and iPad app BRIGHT SIDE APP! And follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/datingoptimist.

Guest Post: Ways to include children in a wedding ceremony

When you bring your kids to your wedding ceremony, you let them transition to the new relationship. On this special day, the bride and the groom not only tie the knot, but they also form a family with their partner's children. So, without a doubt, this day is special not even as a couple, but as a family. Listed below are the ways to include children in your wedding ceremony:

1. Include family vows

Including family vows in your wedding ceremony is as important as saying the wedding vows. Like you’re would be, his/her children are going to be a major part of your life. Say vows to your son or daughter after the exchanging the wedding vows. The family vows say that you all are a part of a family now. The groom promises the bride's son or daughter that he will give him/her endless love and care and vice-versa. You tell them that they are special for both of you. This way he feels comfortable and happy!

2. Gift a watch

After exchanging the wedding and family vows, you can gift a watch to the child from both of you. It would be a perfect idea if you engrave it on the back. This special gift will mark the important day of you and your child's life. He will cherish this special day, every time he will look at this watch.

3. Gift red roses

Red rose is a symbol of love. If your kids are grown up, they'll understand its meaning well. After exchanging the rings and the wedding vows, you can gift him/her a rose. By this gesture, you tell them how much you love and care. Hold the rose together while gifting it and do not forget to mark a kiss on his forehead and give him a warm hug.

4. Put children's names in vows

Ask your officiant in advance to put the names of children in the vows. As you both say them vows including their names, they will feel special and will consider your would be as a family. They are going to be a major part of your partner's life, so putting their names in vows creates an emotional bond.

5. Sand ceremony

Including the sand ceremony in your wedding is a cute idea for a strong bonding. It goes like this: if your partner has one child, then you will need four vessels - one large and three small and three different colored sands. Then saying vows, the bride, groom and the child pour sand on the containers. Their names are included in the vows.

The separate vessels represent each member's individual life at that moment. They then pour their sands from the separate vessels into the big one. This symbolizes the unity of that family. The message of this ceremony is, like the combined sand cannot be separated and poured again into the separate vessels, in the same way, a family once united cannot be separated. This ceremony is sweet and leaves a message in your and your children's heart.

Be very careful while involving your kids in your wedding ceremony. A little mistake can spoil your relationship with them. Let them play a crucial role on this very special day.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

About the author: Rebeccais a blogger by profession. She is fond of TissotWatches . These days she is busy in writing an article on PurpleBridesmaid Dresses.

Guest Post: Cozy Winter Afternoons with the Kids!

Cozy Winter Afternoons with the Kids!

There is very little more exciting to a child than the arrival of Christmas, and with it, those precious days away from school. What could be more worthy of anticipation than long days spent at home in pajamas, watching cartoons, eating cookies and shaking presents? But, for mom, those long days can provide some sources of anxiety when it comes to planning activities for the kids and finding things to do to keep them busy and not sucked into the TV for the majority of the day. If you’re looking for some fun holiday activities you can do with your kids this season, here are a few of my favorites to share with you!

Make an Advent Calendar
You don’t have to do this in advance, you can use it this year and just start off where you are in the month, or you can save it completely for next year. Either way, crafting an advent together is a wonderful way to while away chilly winter afternoons and get in the holiday spirit too! Get out some felt, some buttons, some boxes, you name it! You can even make one with just paper, whatever you happen to have on hand. Let the kids draw and craft and help you think up ideas for a theme. One of my favorites is a calendar of one thing to do every day, ie: “make a snow angel,” “do something helpful for a neighbor” or “bake cookies.” Once you’ve got a theme, let the kids come up with 25 things!

Have a Baking Day!
Baking was my ultimate favorite holiday activity. Create a list of different cookies and treats that the kids can get involved with for starters, make sure you have all the ingredients on hand and then bring them in for a day of fun in the kitchen! For little, little ones consider things like pretzels dipped in white chocolate and covered in sprinkles. For the older ones, let them cut out sugar cookies with cookie cutters and get carried away decorating gingerbread men!

Gift Your Treats
If you make some extra treats on your baking day (which I highly suggest you do!) take an afternoon to wrap up goodie plates or place a yummy variety in a holiday tin. These make wonderful holiday gifts, especially for those who are unlikely to be able to make their own. Send them to the kids’ cousins in college, friends who might not have any nearby family this year or maybe even grandma and grandpa.

Visit the Elderly
Consider taking some of your treats to your local assisted living center as well (just make sure to get approval from the resident manager first) and you can make an afternoon of visiting the elderly and perhaps even playing card games or singing them carols. You’ll make their day and your kids will get a chance to experience Christmas giving in a new way.

Create a Skit to Share
In this new age of technology, there’s absolutely no limit to how carried away you can get with sending out some holiday e-cards to your family and friends! This is an activity you can stretch out over numerous days if you’d like, depending on how in-depth you want to go. The first step is to find a skit online or create your own (or even singing Christmas carols works!). Come up with some fun accessories (reindeer antlers, Santa Clause hats, etc.), even props if you’re feeling ambitious, and then let the kids have fun in front of your camera! (Even your phone camera will work, there’s no need for anything fancy if you don’t have one!) Upload to your computer and you’ve got an instant hit that the extended family will adore!

All it Comes Down to
In the end, the main thing that your kids are going to remember are the things you all did together. So whether your activities consist of baking cookies, taking strolls through the snowy neighborhood or driving around together at night and scouting out the best Christmas light displays, it’s really just the time together that matters. There’s simply no need to stress about what to come up with, just have fun together and cherish those extra days with your extra time with them!

Freelancer Jocelyn writes for an online heating/cooling site and is focused on writing their winter content for electric floor heaters at the moment but branches out to write family related content whenever she gets a chance!

My Guest Post for Allstate: Volunteer Opportunities for Kids: Teaching Your Children Empathy Through Social Service

I recently wrote a guest post for Allstate that I want to share with you.  I love doing social service projects with both my daughter and my students.  I think it's such a wonderful way to foster empathy and character development.  Within this article, I list a variety of ways in which you and your children can be involved in various social service projects.  Please read my full article here. 

My guest post on the importance of life insurance

I was in a terrible car accident a few years ago.  As any accident would, I was affected in more ways than one.  I have more anxiety on the road at night and in moderate to severe weather than I have in the past.  I am also more conscious and nervous regarding others' driving.  I also purchased life insurance as a result.  I recently wrote a guest post for Allstate Insurance.  You can read my article here!

Guest Post: Five Tips for Choosing a Wedding Guest Outfit

Family events and special occasions are a great time to show your style credentials but first you need to find that all important outfit. Luckily today there is plenty of advice on how best to dress for your shape, size and skin tone to get the right ingredients for a real show stopper. A-list star spangled gowns and red carpet maxi dresses are a must for night time glamour, for daytime it’s a completely different ball game. There’s lots to consider such as location, time of year and colour theme. Here are some tips on how to look and feel great in the perfect wedding outfit.

1. Choose an outfit befitting the location
2. Take a change of shoes
3. Check out the colour theme
4. Shop for your shape
5. Dress for the season

Location - Where is the Venue?

Choose an outfit to suit the location. This is essential if you want to feel comfortable and confident in your choice of clothes. In addition to traditional church weddings, ceremonies are often performed in unusual locations and magical places such as castles, country houses, abbeys and popular attractions such as theme parks and sports stadiums.

These alternative wedding venues can have a more relaxed dress code giving you greater flexibility in colour and style. Beach weddings in particular are fun and less formal than a church or register office so shopping for an outfit will be like looking for some chic cruise-wear fashion more suitable for the Captain’s table.

Footwear - Glam Heels to Fabulous Flats

You may have found the perfect outfit for an outdoor wedding but give a little thought to your feet. Beach weddings are a growing trend where friends and family can enjoy the event as well as a vacation.  But how will you feel walking on a beach or on grass in high heels?  Be street wise and make sure you have a pair of designer flats or ballerina pumps handy for a quick change into something comfy yet just as stylish.

Colour Confidence - Is there a Theme?

Whether you are part of the wedding party, the mother of the bride (or groom) or an invited guest it is vital to find out if there is a particular theme for the wedding. The season’s penchant for colour clashing may work on the catwalk but it’s not recommended for weddings. Keep everyone happy including the bride and check out colour themes and the overall style and tone of the event.

Shop for your Shape

Experiment with different shades and colour tones that compliment you. You’ll be amazed how getting this right can transform the way you look and feel. Self help books and in store style advisors can help you find the colour groupings and the style of clothes that best suit your shape. This might be a dress that shows off an hourglass figure or two piece suits and shift styles for less curvaceous and petite ladies.

Occasion Dressing - Summer Through to Winter

The timing of the wedding will often determine the style of garment so the earlier you start looking the more likely you’ll find designs suitable for the season. Light floaty chiffon, lace and silk, pastels, florals and prints look lovely in spring and summer while velvet, brocade and thick satin look great in autumn and winter.
Rich warm shades, shawls and fur stoles tap into the winter scene too with the dress and matching coat a popular royal combination. Summertime dressing is more versatile with a myriad of colours and style options that can be worn not only to weddings but to a day at the races, christenings, black tie events and exotic holiday destinations.

Complete the Look

You have your outfit now its time for the fun bit. Finishing touches such as fancy feather fascinators is a favourite for many but the hat is making a comeback. Try out different types of hats and headbands to see what suits you but make sure you don’t disappear under a high crown of a small brimmed hat. If you’re going to wear a hat invest in a truly a spectacular one that you will enjoy wearing to other occasions. The next step is to buy some killer heels and a dainty clutch to complete the look.

After hours of shopping trips and trying on outfit after outfit you’ve finally found the look you feel happy and comfortable in. The great thing about shopping for a special occasion outfit is you get to explore the many ways clothing can be used to enhance or conceal to your advantage. Your choice of clothes and how you wear them shows your style, personality and will have a stunning impact. Everyone remembers a well dressed women so discovering what suits your body lines, shape and colouring will be time well spent.

Looking for inspiration when buying Mother of the Bride Outfits? We aim to find the best seasonal fashion for ladies throughout the year and are currently highlighting summer wedding outfits

Guest Post: Do Acai Berry Weight Loss Supplements Really Work?

The Acai Berry is, if its fans are to be believed, a cure for almost everything. Whether you're feeling down, tired, or just a few pounds over-weight, the Acai Berry can apparently help you. You can even get an Acai Berry weight loss supplement that will help you to get in shape for the summer.  The question is, how many of the touted claims of this super-fruit are real, and how many are just ways to make you part with your cash.

How Does Acai Berry Weight Loss Weight Loss Supplement Work?
The Acai Berry is rich in anti-oxidants, and proponents of Acai Berry weight loss say that these anti-oxidants can help to protect cells from damage. Those anti-oxidants can help prevent a number of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Many Acai Berry diet promoters suggest that these anti-oxidants can also help you to "de-tox", essentially flushing out all the bad stuff in your system. Another thing that Acai Berry weight loss supporters believe is that the Mono-Unsaturated-Fatty-Acids (MUFAS) in the Acai Berry help to make you feel fuller for longer, preventing over-eating, and promoting weight loss.

Acai Berry Weight Loss - Fact or Fiction?
It's certainly true that the Acai Berry is a really healthy food, and it does contain a small amount of healthy fats in the form of MUFAS. The anti-oxidants are real too - although there isn't much in the form of evidence from clinical trials to support some of the grander claims as to the powers of those anti-oxidants. The question remains, though, how real are the Acai Berry weight loss claims?

Well, there is no quick fix for healthy, sustainable weight loss. Any person claiming otherwise is at best, misguided, and at worst, trying to scam people. With that said, the Acai Berry is a great food. It's tasty, it's healthy, and a serving has just 100 calories. It's hard to beat that. In conjunction with a healthy diet, Acai Berry weight loss supplements could be helpful. The health benefits of the berry in general are a big plus, and anything that is healthy and tasty is going to be a great help towards weight loss. If you're choosing berries over chocolate because the berries taste really good then you probably will lose weight. Not because the berries are magic, but because you end up consuming fewer calories.

If you do decide to try Acai products, be sure to read the label carefully. Many companies are trying to take advantage of the current super-foods trend by putting miniscule amounts of said foods into their processed and sugar-laden products, then selling their stuff as health food, for a massive mark-up. The health-food market is full of scammers, but if you take your time, do lots of research, and look for Acai Berry products that have a good reputation, you should be able to enjoy Acai Berry weight loss supplements as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Hopefully the extra energy from your new favourite smoothies will help you to get more exercise too.

This article was written by Amy Fowler on behalf of Which Acai Berry? Amy writes on many topics including acai berry weight loss supplements and other issues related to diet and slimming.

Guest Article by Kathleen Thomas of Primrose Schools

I would like to introduce you to Kathleen Thomas from Primrose Schools. I agreed to post this article because I am a firm believer in finding a certified day care when it is necessary. I have not had the ability to stay home with my children and finding a certified, quality day care was of the upmost importance to me (as I'm sure it is for all working moms).

Certified Educational Daycare

In such difficult economic times many parents would see it as a privilege to be a stay-at-home parent in America, and would be considered truly lucky. With thirty years of economic policies that have decimated the middle class, the majority of American households today require two incomes, meaning that young children must usually be relegated to daycare facilities or preschools.

Of those fortunate parents raising their children naturally, many wish to take full advantage of this opportunity by attempting to give their children a head start on learning; reading to them, engaging in educational play activities, encouraging them to read, and more. Unfortunately, very few parents can do it all.

Young children can greatly benefit from attendance at a certified day care, operated by trained, certified early childhood educators. A preschool teacher cannot replace a parent and that is not the goal of a certified day care program, but the experience of learning in a school setting during the early years can be a valuable supplement to a child's experience at a time when the brain is being shaped and developed.

Closing the Gaps

There is arguably no substitute for a loving parent-child relationship and daily interactions – but scientific methodology has an important place. This is where trained, certified early childhood educators can "fill the gaps" when it comes to a young child's development. For example, were you as a parent aware that there are five equally important areas of a young child's development? These are summed up by the acronym, "SPICE" – Social, Physical, Intellectual, Creative and Emotional.

The way a child relates to others and functions in a group setting involves social development. If you are among the increasing number of parents choosing to limit their family size to one child, the importance of socialization in a structured environment becomes apparent.

Physical development refers to building motor skills, from the gross (basic movements such as walking and running) to the fine (such as holding a writing implement).

Intellectual development is achieved through structured play, and of course means development of language and math skills as well as the child's innate sense of curiosity and wonder; Intellectual development is central to success in school later on.

Creative development addresses artistic talents in visual arts, music, storytelling and even theatrics. Although it is popular in American culture to dismiss creativity and the arts as unnecessary, creativity is the foundation self-expression and problem solving. It is arguable that without creativity, there would be no innovation nor entrepreneurship. (It was Einstein himself who said "Creativity is more important than knowledge.")

Emotional development is also frequently overlooked, even by the most devoted parents. Yet, without a sense of self, including self confidence and the discipline to deal with one's own emotional responses, a child will have difficulty functioning in society later in life.

What the future will hold

It is likely that most parents are aware of these developmental domains on an instinctive level. However, certified preschool educators are trained in the scientific theory and methodology that can make the difference between a child succeeding – and succeeding brilliantly.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Atlanta day care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of day care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.