By Nicole Sadighpour
Parents can help their children start the school year on the right track by planning ahead, being realistic, and most importantly, by maintaining a positive attitude.
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Review the materials sent by your child’s school as soon as it arrives. These packets include important information about your child’s teacher, room number, school supply requirements, sign ups for after-school sports and activities, school calendar dates, bus transportation, health and emergency forms, and volunteer opportunities.
We all wonder “at what age should I teach my child to swim?” On the long list of things we must do for our kids “before they turn 5,” swimming is important. You may be surprised to find out that you can start water training your child as early as a few months old. They won’t be able to swim when they are so young because they don’t have the necessary motor skills, but there are many things we can do right now to prepare them for the swimming they will learn when they are a little older. 
Other than you and your significant other, your nanny is one of the most important people in your child’s life. It may be hard for some parents to think of their nannies in this way for various reasons, many related to your own feelings about being separated from your child, however your nanny’s relationship with your child is an incredibly important one. One of the most important aspects of the nanny-family relationship is being on the same page so that your child is guaranteed to be living in the most nurturing and healthy environment possible. If you and your nanny have a harmonious relationship, your child will benefit ten-fold! 
Our girls are up against some fearsome foes. Images of beauty are everywhere, and the brainwashing begins at a very young age. Media, fashion trends, culture, heritage, friends, family and even religious beliefs set and reset our and our daughters’ standards of beauty.
Reading aloud is one of the most enjoyable activities that a parent and child do together. It is also one of the most important. Snuggling up to read bedtime stories is an important bonding time at the end of the day which sets the stage for a good night of sleep. You can share in your child’s excitement as their imagination is sparked by the story transporting them to a different place and time. The benefits of reading aloud go well beyond the simple pleasure of time spent together. Even as your child begins to grow up, and there is less time in the day to read aloud, it is important to make time for it, even just 30 minutes a day. The educational benefits of reading aloud will pay off in many ways. 
For many of us, Valentine’s Day is a chance to sit down with our kids to make cards for their classmates, think of fun ways to surprise our partner or have an excuse to eat that box of chocolates. However, for many Valentine’s Day is another opportunity to have a million expectations that are so often dashed by our clueless spouses and our inability to express our wants. Here are a few suggestions to make sure that your Valentine’s Day is a happy one filled with whatever your heart desires. 
Among many school leaders, the ‘crazy parents’ are the bane of their existence. Crazy parents are the ones who are always at the school, questioning the staff about things and sometimes stretching the limits by obnoxiously fighting for their child. As young parents consider how to best provide a quality education for their children, they need to adopt many of the ‘crazy parent’ approaches, minus the obnoxiousness.
In the accelerated rush of our society today, it has taken me a decade to see what has been forgotten in Peace Learning Parenting. Parenting with the focus and the intention of knowing and feeling that we are all connected and that families do much better collectively when interacting and sharing values rather than perceiving each other as competitors in a highly individualistic society. To achieve this healthy emotional and social balance, and in order to stay connected, I suggest we add to our daily vitamins the following 5 Cs: