Chime School

Posts Tagged ‘stressful’

Buying a new cat or a kitten can often be an impulsive action. Once you see a new cat, more especially a kitten, it is hard to resist their charm; this makes it important you answer a few important questions before you finally make your choice.

Just before I continue on my merry way I would like to make it clear that I am not the owner of a pet store and I do not even work with cats. I personally work as a speech coach primarily helping people who have stuttering problems. I also work on a part time basis on projects to do with DVD duplication and offering specialist web promotion advice.

Cat or Kitten?

First establish whether you want a fully grown cat or a kitten. Kittens are obviously cute, cuddly and playful but they can be stressful and make great demands on you as an owner, they will initially require a lot of your attention and time so if you are not able to give them this full attention from the start you should consider getting a more mature or adult cat.

Older cats are invariably already domesticated and will have some established behaviour patterns. Ideally you should try and discuss with the previous owner details about the eating habits, disposition, toilet behaviour and any other habits the new cat may have.

Male or Female?

There is a widespread belief that male cats are usually more independent and females are more friendly and loving towards their owners, however there is little difference in behaviour between the sexes once they have been neutered. Unless you intending to let your cat breed, neutering is advisable as this will result in a better pet with less “anti social” habits which are associated with cats used for breeding.

Non-Pedigree or Pedigree?

An important advantage of pedigree cats is that you can usually easier to predict the sort of cat you are going to end up with, especially how it will look and to some extent what temperament it may have.

If you intend showing or using your cat for breeding purposes then you should buy a cat that has a proven pedigree.

Their will obviously be more factors you will need to take into consideration and there is a wealth of useful information to help you, this can come from magazines and books, friends and other cat owners, the internet or your local vet.

As a parent it is important that we understand what potential problems our child has. It goes without saying that many children have various anxieties and worries; I know that I certainly had quite a few as I was growing up. In this article, I write about the types of fears that this might be and about how we can help our children to cope and to get through life in the best possible and stress-free way.

I am by now a child social worker and what I write within this article is just my own personal opinion. I actually work within the stammering therapy industry; I am also involved with a DVD authoring company and with a group of cost reduction consultants.

Many children are able to pick up on what their parents are worrying about. Money is a perfect example; the child may have listened to its parents discussing their money worries, this can then potentially make the child start to become anxious about the family’s financial situation. I am a parent myself and try where possible to only discuss serious issues with my partner when the children are out or are asleep. If I believe that one of my children has overheard a conversation which I would have rather they hadn’t, I then talk to them to attempt to reassure them that everything is OK.

Children may also worry that their parents may break up and that they will end up living apart. They will no doubt hear that this has happened to their friends and may wonder and stress about how their lives would change if this happened to them.

My children have told me that they worry and that they fear that one of their parents may die in the near future. It is quite difficult to explain to them that this is unlikely to happen as it obviously could. I try and laugh it off which may not be the best policy, by stating that I am still very young and that I have no plans to leave this planet in the near future. I explain to them the age that the average male will live to in our country and that normally, I hope, makes them feel better.

Another form of stress and anxiety for many children, is of course, attending school. Will they be able to comprehend all of the work that they are given? Will they be able to obtain a good examination mark and a good report? Will they be able to make their parents proud of them? I have told my own children not to worry about these issues and to just try their best.

Socialising and meeting friends can also bring its own tensions. I am sure that we all remember our own childhoods and the fact that we regularly break friends but that we normally, eventually, make up again. When friends fall out this can be a very stressful time for any child. When this happens to my children, I make a point of saying that it has been the fourth time in a month that you and Amy as an example, have had a falling out. Your sure to make friends again in the near future.

As children get a bit older there is then the challenge of meeting a member of the opposite sex. We all know the problems and strains that this can bring. At this time I think it is just a matter of being there for your children and getting them through these difficult years the best and easiest way possible.