5 Popular Parenting Trends for 2020

If you like to keep up with the latest trends, have a look at these parenting movements for the new year and see what resonates with you. 2020 is shaping up to be a wonderful year for creativity, acceptance, and raising intelligent, emotionally healthy kids.

1. Parents make a move for less screen time

Today’s kids are being raised in a digital world. While living in high-tech times has plenty of benefits, parents struggle to find a healthy balance when managing family screen time.

A 2017 study revealed that:

• Kids ages 0 to 8 living in the US used screen media 2 hours and 19 minutes per day on average.
• The trend increases as children get older. Kids under age 2 spent about 42 minutes on screen time, but by the time they reached ages 5 to 8 kids were spending nearly 3 hours in front of a screen.
• Nearly all kids ages 0 to 8 (98 percent) lived in homes with access to a mobile device.

Teens spend staggering 7-plus hours a day on their devices!

RELATED: Screen Time for Kids: 3 Questions You Should Be Asking

An interesting 2020 trend is shifting our kids’ screen time from social media and video games to the entertaining and educational world of audiobooks. This platform keeps kids in the digital world they know and love while allowing them to learn something new. Audiobooks continue to grow in popularity and can foster good listening skills.

Make this 2020 parenting trend your own

Audiobooks are a fun way for kids to spend time during car rides. They're also a wonderful tool for busy kids wanting to read more, or for those who may not enjoy reading or have learning disabilities.

Local libraries offer hundreds of free titles for children. Here are six more places to find free audiobooks.

2. Thrift stores are hot

Hands down, two of the biggest expenses in our household are groceries and clothing. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that the average family spends $1,800 per year on clothing. Most financial experts recommend allocating about 5 percent of your budget to wardrobe and accessories.

It...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

4 Psychology Hacks to Help You Stick to Your Goals

There’s something about a new year that feels fresh and motivating. In 2020, we’re not only entering a new year but a whole new decade. What a great opportunity to reflect, refresh, and turn a new leaf! But goal-setting and goal-achieving are surprisingly hard to pull off. How many times have you started a new year feeling gung-ho about exercising only to have your enthusiasm fizzle by February? Or told yourself you were going to meditate daily and then never even get started on your path to inner tranquility?

Motivation is a tricky thing. But there's good news—your past struggles down mean you can't find success in the future. Motivation is like an engine you can tune. As long as you tinker with it the right way, it'll perform better.

Let’s look at four psychological hacks for tinkering with your particular motivation engine as you set your goals for 2020.

1. Set a learning goal instead of an achievement goal

Usually, when we set goals, we think of what we want to achieve, what thresholds we want to be able to say we crossed.

• Lose 20 pounds
• Earn a 3.5 GPA
• Get a promotion at work

These goals are specific and concrete. That's good, at least! But research shows that setting long-term performance goals based on achievement outcomes may not be as effective as setting goals for what you want to learn.

Entering MBA students who set goals for the skills and knowledge they wanted to gain—like learning to network effectively—felt more satisfied by the end of their program and earned higher GPAs compared to their peers who set achievement-based goals like earning a high GPA.

So, let's look at an alternative to the weight loss goal I just mentioned. Instead of setting a goal to lose 20 pounds, a better one might be improving your nutrition knowledge by learning five new healthy lunch recipes. Not only does this offer a more specific target, it feels a lot more achievable.

2. Make sure the goal is attached to a life value

How do you choose your goals? Are they inspired by what your friends are doing? Are they prescribed to you by doctors, bosses, teachers, or other authority figures? Where your goals come from has a big impact on whether you’ll achieve them. One place they could come from is your own life values.

Values are not the same as goals. Imagine you’re sailing a boat on the ocean. Goals are like the islands on the horizon that you...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

7 Surprising Ways to Treat Restless Leg Syndrome

Take a Pre-Slumber Soak

Before you hit the sack, prepare a hot bath and soak for 10-15 minutes. Also try alternating hot and cold: Soak your legs in the bath for a few minutes, then remove them and place an ice pack on them. Go back to the bath, and continue the process a few times.

See Also: Grammar Girl and House Call Doctor Discuss Restless Leg Syndrome

Don’t Buy That!

A drug called quinine was once a top treatment for RLS. But after reports of serious blood-related side effects (including death), in 2010 the FDA banned the use of quinine to treat leg cramps. The good news? There are low-dose “homeopathic” quinine products marketed to people who suffer from leg cramps. But even better news: You can get a low dose of quinine without buying any of them! Tonic water—yep, the light carbonated beverage—contains quinine, and just one glass before bed can help relax your muscles and encourage blood flow. Money saved: $10.

Snack Before Bed

Treat yourself to a small, high-protein snack before you go to sleep. Opt for sugar-free foods: A small cube of cheese or a few bites of chicken should do the trick. Research shows that a nightly nibble might reduce the frequency of your Restless Leg Syndrome, since the condition can be linked with low blood sugar.

Low Temps

Cool down your body temperature to encourage deep sleep. To do this, simply lower the thermostat to around 65 degrees.

Take an Evening Stroll

Enhance your chances of getting a good night’s rest by taking a stroll after dinner. Even a short, relaxed walk can calm your legs and make you more likely to catch those Zs.

...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Yes, You Can Still Write Your First Novel

In this interview, I talked with Bourne Morris about starting a writing career after you've retired. Bourne is the author of four novels including her newest, "A Woman of Two Minds," which describes the fallout after a young woman gets a brain transplant from a powerful older woman and then murders her mother.

We talked about:

• First novels.
• Going back to an idea that has been simmering your whole life.
• Talking to experts to get the science or technology right in your fiction.
• Getting support through writing classes and writing groups.
• Why you should write a terrible first draft.
• How to find an agent.

You can listen to the entire interview by clicking the player above or by finding the Grammar Girl podcast on any podcasting app, but if you prefer to read it, we also have a complete (rough) transcript.

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips

Play Grammar Pop Free on the Web

Transcript: An Interview With Bourne Morris

7 Ways the SECURE Act Changes Your Retirement and Savings

Just before the holidays got into full swing, when saving for retirement probably wasn’t on your mind, Congress passed a massive spending bill. While that may not sound like something important for your personal finances, it is.

The SECURE Act is the most significant overhaul of retirement and other saving rules passed by Congress in more than a decade.

The SECURE Act, which is an acronym for Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement, was attached to the bill and signed into law on December 20, 2019. It’s the most significant overhaul of retirement and other saving rules passed in more than a decade.

In this post, I’ll cover seven significant ways the SECURE Act changes retirement for individuals and the self-employed. The law makes many updates, but the regulations I’ll highlight affect typical Americans the most.

How the SECURE Act affects your retirement

Here’s what you should know about seven main ways the SECURE Act affects your savings and retirement starting as early as 2020.

1. Traditional IRAs can be used longer

One of the most notable changes in the SECURE Act is the opportunity to save more money. Now, you can make contributions to a traditional IRA for your entire life—or at least for as long as you have earned income—just like you can with a Roth IRA. Previously, the cut-off for making traditional IRA contributions was age 70½.

If you plan on working into your 70s, you can continue saving money in a traditional IRA. If you have earned income of $7,000, those over age 50 can contribute up to that maximum amount to a traditional IRA for 2020. If you’re younger than 50, you can contribute up to $6,000.

Now, you can make contributions to a traditional IRA for your entire life as long as you have earned income. Previously, the cut-off for making traditional IRA contributions was age 70½.

The spousal IRA rule also applies, which allows a married couple filing taxes jointly to each max out a traditional IRA, even if one spouse doesn’t earn any income. If you have household earnings of at least $14,000, both spouses over age 50 can contribute up to $7,000.

Making traditional IRA contributions for a more extended period allows you to save more and get valuable tax deductions. Since contributions are tax-deductible and reduce your modified adjusted gross income, they help older workers cut taxes, reduce Medicare premiums, and get the most out of their Social Security benefits. This new regulation can make a big difference for...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips