Winning over the hearts of little children is such a priceless achievement. This feat doesn’t even have to wait until you have your own kids. The best thing about an aunt is you still get to be single while enjoying the love and adoration of your nieces and nephews. It’s a great thing that family relationships are still essential here in Singapore. You don’t have to be Peter Pan or Tinker Bell to become your little nieces and nephews’ favorite playmate. You don’t have to wear Elsa or Princess Sofia’s costumes, either. You just have to follow a few practical steps to win the hearts of these adorable kids.

Play With Them As Much As You Can

The best part about being with children is you get to be a kid again. So relive your childhood by playing with your nieces and nephews whenever there’s an opportunity. The children’s world is limited to play time and their essential needs so this is the fastest way to their hearts. Find out what toys are your niece’s or nephew’s favorite. Find out how they talk to their toys or how they play with them and imitate them. Or how about teaching them a new game?

Talk to Them As If They’re Your Friend

Treat them as your friends if you want to be considered as their friend, too. The best way to do this is by talking to them as you would to other adults. Show them the same respect and importance as you give the adults. Share conversations with them no matter how trivial. Or how about telling them new stories they haven’t heard of before?

Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep

One of the worst things an adult can do is to break promises. So don’t make promises as much as possible. Don’t break their little hearts by not sticking to your word. Promises are big stuff for these little kids. If you find yourself in a compromised situation, better avoid using words that guarantee and stick to words that offer possibilities such as “I may” or “I may not” as opposed to “I will” or “I won’t.”

Shower Them with Little Presents

Children love presents so shower them even with little gifts as much as you can. You don’t have to spend a lot just to give them gifts. You can give them gifts that you made yourself. Or how about a piece of their favorite chocolate or candy each time you visit?

Shower Them with Your Love and Affection

The best way to win your nieces’ and nephews’ love and affection is by showering them with your love and affection. You heard it when they say you get what you give. These kids are best at reciprocating so you can expect the same level of love given back at you or even more. Before you know it you’re already their favorite Aunt, friend, and playmate all rolled into one.

It is natural that couples argue – some overtly bellow at each other while there are others who clandestinely avoid conversation and contact. However you put it, the results of argument are the same – pain and embitterment. Arguments can be a positive experience or otherwise. If in this case you want the argument to positively solve problems, here are some tips that you can consider:

1. Understand anger: You argue because you are angry. You have to understand that anger in essence is not damaging. Anger is different from rage. When you are angry, you merely state your feelings whether you say it calmly or shout but if you break things then that is rage.
2. Discuss your feelings: Before you get angry, it is important that you discuss your feelings. When your partner hears you out and deal with it right there and then, it may not lead to argument. You have to verbalize your feelings so your partner can understand.
3. Never raise your voice: When you are angry, shouting is easy and to others, shouting is how they express their feelings. However, raising your voice or shouting is destructive enough. It can intensify the hostility. This time, try whispering or speaking normally whenever you are faced by an argument and you will be surprised of its outcome. Needless to say, it is better to speak calmly.
4. Avoid emotional blackmail: You are furious to your partner that is why you threaten the relationship. Just know that emotional blackmail will only make things worse. If you consider breaking the relationship, your partner may panic or give in to deep depression.
5. Do not stockpile: Arguments turn nasty when your partner bring up past issues and use it to hammer you. The trick here is to deal with issues one by one and talk about it. If there are unresolved issues from the past, you have to consider it to avoid stockpiling it. If things amass, it will blow and it cannot be mended.
6. Do not allow abuse: Abuse can be in different forms not only physical. If your partner turns physical like slamming the door or breaking plates, for that moment, leave the house. If your partner starts hitting you, filing a police report is best. No one deserves abuse.
7. Do not engage: There are people who always want to argue because they are gratified by it. If your partner at the moment entices you to an argument, do not yield. Wait for things to calm down but never engage.

When you ask a person what he or she envisions to be in life, a lot of them would answer that they want to be free and independent. We want to show others that we are mature individuals capable of doing things, surviving by ourselves and making big decisions in our life.

This can be really hard to do, especially for teens and young adults, if they have a controlling parent. A lot of parent-children arguments and fights stem from parents who are too involved in their children’s lives that the children would feel suffocated, restrained and too dependent.

Here are some applicable tips in dealing with a controlling parent.

Observe and tell

Usually, controlling behavior from parents can start from the smallest things- what to have for dinner, what you wear and how you act in front of other people. Ask yourself why they are acting this way and recall instances in the past where they have been too controlling and stifling.

If you spent enough time thinking about it, you can now talk about this with them. There are a lot of cases where parents tend to be too controlling and they don’t even notice this themselves. Make them aware of their behavior and how this is affecting or hurting you. Bringing awareness to their behavior os the first step to them being less controlling.

Assurance

One way to assure parents that their children are mature and independent individuals capable of making their own decisions and facing the consequences of their actions is by showing them. Follow their rules. If the agreement is to be home before midnight, be sure to follow so that they can see that you are responsible and trustworthy.