Sometimes parents don’t even realize the effect they have on their kids. Be sure to express your feelings to your parents when the argument is over. Avoid bringing it up during the argument, which may only make things worse if they feel guilty. They may also blame the other parent if emotions are high. Try to be calm while expressing yourself. Avoid egging them on or trying to guilt trip them. Your aim is to help them understand what you’re feeling so they will reconsider their actions. You're not trying to get payback. Research shows that bitter disputes between parents can impair the emotional development of children. Psychologists have known for years that a secure attachment between parent and child is important for healthy development. Recent research suggests that perceived security between caregivers is also significant. Unresolved conflict between parents can cause anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. Some disagreements are natural and may help to solve problems. Other kinds of fighting hurt everyone involved, damaging relationships and creating feelings of insecurity. Here are the characteristics of different kinds of fighting:  Good: compromise. Good fights end with people agreeing to do something differently in order to make things better. For example, if they think dinner should start at different times, they can compromise by choosing a new time that they can both agree on. Good: positive statements despite having a difference of opinion. Disagreeing doesn’t have to mean disliking each other or not appreciating things about each other. For example, one of your parents might say, “I’m angry that you forgot to take out the trash, but you normally do a good job helping out around the house.” Bad: personal insults. For example, name-calling and insulting each other’s ability to be a good parent/partner are harmful ways to handle conflict. Bad: stonewalling, or refusing to acknowledge the other person. The silent treatment can be just as bad as yelling, because it leaves unresolved tension in the air and teaches poor communication skills. This reasonable request can help spare you from the emotionally damaging impact of your parents' arguments. Your parents fighting in front of you disrupts the stability of your home environment. It also teaches you that it’s okay to engage in “bad fighting” with people as a way of trying to resolve conflict. Tell your parents that it would be less painful for you if they took arguments to their room or another private place. Parents who have difficulty expressing their needs without engaging in “bad fighting” can benefit from seeing a professional therapist. Couples counseling can help people address many different issues they may be having, such as:  Communication difficulties and not understanding each other. Practical issues such as finances. Conflicts about how to raise children.
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One-sentence summary -- Tell your parents it hurts to see them fight. Educate them about the effects of fighting. Ask them to learn about good and bad fighting. Suggest they argue in private. Mention couples counseling or family therapy.


Pour a small amount of salt on a plate, then press the fleshy part of the lemon or lime into the salt. Apply a thin layer of salt over the fruit flesh. Leave some salt on the plate so you can dip the fruit in more salt as needed. Hold the copper item under a stream of warm water until you don’t see anymore fruit flesh or salt. Turn the item over in your hands as you rinse it so that it’s thoroughly cleaned.
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One-sentence summary -- Dip 1 half of the lemon or lime in salt. Rinse off the copper piece with warm water.


One of the first and easiest steps to warm up your body and your throat before you sing is to open your throat and diaphragm by yawning.  Gently force yourself to yawn by opening your mouth as though you were about to yawn. As you do this, think about yawning, or watch a video of someone yawning to initiate your own yawn.  Repeat this two or three times to fully open your throat and diaphragm. You can also open up your throat with some light physical activity. Try doing some quick exercises, like jumping jacks or a short walk or jog, take a short break, and then do your vocal warm-up. Using your abdominal muscles and singing from the right place in your body are very important when you sing. To engage the muscles you should be using, very gently force yourself to let out a small cough. Pay attention to which muscles are involved in that action, as these are the muscles you should be using when you sing. The muscles of the core include the psoas, the pelvic floor, and the diaphragm, among others. Engaging these muscles during singing will help you achieve your fullest voice. You want your entire body to be relaxed when you sing, because you don’t want to strain your body or your muscles when you sing high notes. To relax your upper body, simply shrug your shoulders, hold them in a hunched position for five seconds, then relax them. Repeat four or five times.  Your voice should always come from your diaphragm, but sometimes people will try to push from a higher place on their body instead of the belly when reaching for high notes. To prevent this, continue relaxing your neck and shoulders throughout your warm up, especially when going for high notes. Because the breath is the mechanism that creates your voice, it’s also important to do a few breathing exercises before singing as well. Two exercises you can do are:  As you keep your shoulders and chest relaxed, inhale deeply into your diaphragm, so that your stomach rises slightly. Then exhale slowly from this same place, so that your belly flattens out again. Continue breathing this way for two minutes. Inhale like before, but when you exhale, practice allowing the breath to escape slowly as you make a hissing sound with your mouth. Repeat for one minute. Tension in your jaw and mouth can also affect your singing, so relax this area before singing. To release this tension:  Place your palms on your cheeks and allow your jaw to open to a natural position. Slowly and gently move your hands around to massage the jaw and facial muscles for one to two minutes.
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One-sentence summary -- Open up your throat. Engage your core. Relax your neck and shoulders. Do a breathing exercise. Release tension in your jaw.


Ask a representative at the store if there is a dedicated section for baby-themed items. Peruse the items the store has to offer. Work inside of your theme or color scheme to help narrow your options and keep you from becoming overwhelmed.  Select different colors or textures of cardstock to be the base of your invitation. Then, look for any additional items you want to use to decorate it, like stickers, stamps, or ribbon. To make the shopping process easier, outline or sketch a rough drawing of what you would like the invitation to look like. Note what colors you want each piece or layer to be. Then, ask for a representative in the store to help you locate items to match the sketch. Create layers using patterned, textured, and solid colored cardstock. Choose colors and patterns of cardstock that will reflect the theme of the baby shower.  Take a decorative piece of cardstock and cut it into a 5 by 7 in (13 by 18 cm) rectangle. This will make a standard-sized invitation. Layer the decorative cardstock with a matching piece that is a solid color. Make the length and width of the top layer about 1⁄2–1 in (1.3–2.5 cm) smaller than the bottom layer. Add some texture to the edging of each piece of the cardstock by trimming it with decorative scissors. Bring the invitation to life by including 1 or 2 personal photos. This is a great alternative to using stock photos or simple clipart images. Use a picture of the most recent sonogram or even pictures from any maternity photoshoots that were done. For example, simply print a copy of the photo you want to use and display it alongside the invitation information on a piece of cardstock.
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One-sentence summary --
Visit a craft store to buy cardstock and decorating items for the invitations. Layer different colored cardstock to frame the invitation information. Include copies of photographs to personalize the invitation.