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Parenting Your ChildHas your little darling turned into a real character? They are learning that they can affect the world around them.They love to see your reactions to what they do. Now is the perfect time to set the stage for good behaviour.Waiting until later can make it more difficult.1. Set Limits - Besides safety proofing so your child can safely explore and learn, setting limits and enforcingthem will help your child learn what is allowed and what isn%u2019t. Let them know what is not allowed. %u201cWe don%u2019tclimb on the back of the couch%u201d or %u201cLet%u2019s leave the dog alone while he eats.%u201d2. Distract %u2013 Babies at this age have short attention spans. They may well understand the limit you have set,but they have a hard time controlling and maintaining their impulses and emotions. Remove the temptationor the child from the situation if you need to.3. Re-direct %u2013Pick another activity your child enjoys they can do instead, %u201cLet%u2019s play with the ball instead.%u201d Ifyour child is insistent on the previous task, explain why they can%u2019t have it, and offer the alternative again.4. Provide Positive Encouragement - By encouraging your child, they will feel good about themselves and feelsafe to try new things.5. Create a routine. Routines help children learn what to expect. Your routine will need to be adjusted as yourchild grows.Work-Life IntegrationIf you work and it is now time to return to work, there are many feelings you may have during this time; guiltabout returning to work, sadness about being away from your child, excitement about being back at work oranger at having to return. It is usually an emotional time, and it can take two to three weeks to adjust. You mayneed to share these feelings with your partner or close friends. A good supportive ear is always helpful.Remember, things will get easier.%u2018Work-life integration is the process of blending your work life and your personal life so they complement eachother. When you integrate the different parts of your life instead of trying to %u2018balance%u2019 them, you can focus onwhat%u2019s most important overall and prioritize those things%u2019 (Managing Work and Life Integration(themomproject.com)) Nora Roberts was quoted as saying, %u201cThe key to juggling is knowing that some of theballs you have in the air are plastic and some are glass. The trick is to know what is what%u201d. Think about the ballsas not being %u2018work%u2019 and %u2018home%u2019, but more nuanced than that. A ball could be buying milk on the way home fromwork, mopping the floor, meeting an important project deadline, or booking a dentist appointment. Some ofthese are okay to drop and pick up again another time.According to Statistics Canada, 85% of mothers who work outside the home report they never have enoughtime to accomplish the things which need to be done, so you%u2019re not alone if you are feeling overwhelmed.Be gentle with yourself.