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Difficult situations in parenting, tensions in everyday family life, stress with parenthood: who helps with questions and problems when parents feel insecure or overwhelmed? In their search for understanding and solutions, mothers and fathers sometimes need professional help or just a sympathetic ear. Don't be afraid to seek advice from experts. There are many easily accessible advice centers in North Rhine-Westphalia that support families. These include the parent advice service, which you can contact by phone, in person or online. Despite all caution, parents cannot protect their children from all dangers. If, for example, you suspect that your child may be affected by sexualized violence, you will also find specialist advice centres that you can turn to in confidence.

Whether it's a winter jacket or new shoes, daycare fees or sports club, purchases for the nursery or lunch: Parents have to bear not inconsiderable costs for the basic care of their child. Find out here which state benefits provide financial relief for families. Did you know, for example, that you can deduct childcare costs from your taxes? This includes costs for daycare, childminders, au pairs or other caregivers. You can find out how this works on the Familienportal.NRW. School bags, pencil cases, exercise books, pens and much more: purchases for the new school year should not be underestimated. It's good that families with low incomes can receive financial assistance via the school supplies package if the requirements are met. Read more about this here. It is the dream of many parents: Home ownership. A place where your child can grow up happily. Nowadays, however, many mothers and fathers are reluctant to take the step of deciding to buy their own property. Our expert explains how families can use public funding to fulfill their dream of owning their own four walls. Any family can get into financial difficulties - so it's all the more important to know what help and support options are available. In this focus topic, parents also receive helpful tips on how to talk to their children about money worries and give them a healthy financial education. Those who deal with financial responsibility at an early age and actively avoid debt create a solid foundation for the future. On the Familienportal.NRW, you will find practical tips, contact points and advice services to help you solve financial problems and remain worry-free in the long term.

In order to grow up healthy, children between the ages of 6 and 10 need healthy conditions. These include a healthy diet, a good balance between sufficient exercise and relaxation phases, enough sleep, responsible use of media and much more. As parents, you lay the foundation for optimal physical development and stable mental health in early childhood. In your role as a mother and father, you should be a good role model and supportive companion from the very beginning. Communal, balanced family meals at home are just as important as a healthy snack for elementary school. You can find out that this is easier to implement than you think on the Familienportal.NRW. There we have compiled simple tips and nutritional inspiration for young and old. Does your child already tend to be overweight? Then it's time to take action to prevent possible health consequences. Read here what is important for healthy physical development and how you can influence this as a parent. Is your child waking up sick in the morning? In this case, one parent often has to stay at home for a short time. If you have statutory health insurance, you can receive child sick pay. You can find all the information here.

Hand on heart: How is your well-being? Do you feel fit, full of energy and zest for life? Health for the whole family starts with the parents. Especially when everyday family life is turbulent, your own health can quickly take a back seat. So it's all the more important to take care of yourself and do something for your own fitness and well-being every day. Sometimes it is enough to change small habits to live a healthier life. For example, walk to the bakery instead of taking the car. It often doesn't take much longer. Or take some time in the evening, after you have put your child to bed, for a relaxing yoga session or a strenuous strength training session. Did you know that active parents also have active children? Your offspring will learn to take exercise for granted and become more active themselves if you are a good role model. Healthy meals are also important - not only for your child, but also for you. In hectic family life, you often still find the time to chop fruit and vegetables for your offspring. And what about us adults? As parents, we often finish our first coffee of the morning in one go and grab a quick chocolate croissant from the bakery on the way to work. But parents also need to eat healthily to feel good and stay fit. How to look after your well-being, maintain your health, integrate healthy meals and protect yourself from risks and stress - you'll find valuable tips and articles in this guide section.

Raising children is a responsible and enjoyable task. However, it can become a burden if parents have different ideas when it comes to rules and consequences, for example. Then it's easy to say: "But I'm allowed to do that with mom!" or "Dad is much less strict!". And there's already a conflict in the room. But do parents always have to pull together when it comes to parenting? First of all, it's completely normal for parents to disagree when it comes to parenting. Familienportal.NRW has compiled information and useful suggestions to prevent these differences of opinion from becoming a constant source of contention and jeopardizing family coexistence. For a child to grow up well, they need love, security, support and age-appropriate opportunities for co-determination. By observing children's rights in everyday life, you create the best conditions for your child to grow up happy and healthy. You can find out why children's rights are needed, which children's rights are included in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and what this means for parenting here.

As soon as you know for sure that a baby is on the way, everything revolves around having a healthy pregnancy. Week by week, not only does your belly grow, but so does your anticipation of the new arrival. During this exciting time, expectant parents have a particularly strong need for information. Will our child be healthy? What do the routine prenatal appointments involve? Where should our baby be born? At a hospital? At home? Or perhaps at a birthing center? What should we consider when choosing a birth location? You’ll find answers to these and many other questions here on the Familienportal.NRW. How do we find a midwife with availability in our area? Get valuable tips for finding a midwife who will provide you with competent and loving support before, during, and after the birth. By the way, you shouldn’t wait too long to start your search. Also, learn about important details regarding prenatal care, medical support, and prenatal diagnostics.  Good to know: Expectant mothers and parents with a disability receive special support from the state. We explain what supported parenting is, how it works, and where to find counseling centers in North Rhine-Westphalia.

It is not easy for working parents to meet the demands of their job and at the same time meet the needs of their family. This raises many questions: How can we reconcile work and childcare? How can we find the right balance between work and family? Where can we look for support so that the constant stress doesn't make us ill? It is above all the many small, often invisible tasks in the organization of everyday life that can lead to stress and excessive demands. When was the parents' evening at elementary school again? The laundry still needs to be done. And who will pick up the children from soccer tomorrow? You probably know the feeling and your thoughts are revolving around upcoming to-do's. Here on the family portal, you can find out what is meant by the term "mental load" in this context and how you can work with your partner to find sustainable solutions for organizing your everyday life and thus achieve a healthy work-life balance.

When children start school, they begin to engage more with their environment, they show new interests and their friendships become more intense and enduring. Laughing together, experiencing adventures and sharing secrets: Friendships at primary school age are particularly important when it comes to your child's development. This is when the first deeper friendships are formed. They provide emotional support and are an important training ground for developing social skills - to name just two positive characteristics. On the Familienportal.NRW you will find helpful and varied suggestions on the topic of friendship in childhood. An important task for parents now is to strengthen their child and support them in building self-esteem and self-confidence. This makes it easier for them to face challenges and form relationships with other people more quickly. In this section of the family portal, you can read about how to give your child inner strength and which tricks you should look out for as parents.

From a gentle start to school to the transition to secondary school, parents and children have four eventful primary school years ahead of them. How exciting! If your child is about to start school, it's important to prepare for the transition from kindergarten to elementary school early on and ease your child's fears. You can find lots of advice and tips on how to make it easier for your child to settle in, how to encourage and motivate them to learn with joy and curiosity on the Familienportal.NRW. In North Rhine-Westphalia, parents can decide which elementary school their child attends. There are different school concepts to ensure that your needs as a family and parent are optimally met. You can find out everything about school registration, an overview of all school concepts in NRW and which aspects you should pay attention to when making your choice here. Before the first day of school arrives, there are other very practical questions that you will have to answer: Have you already thought about the right school bag? And what about school route training so that your child can soon make their way to elementary school safely on their own? Below you will find information and recommendations on all of these topics. Family centers are a place to promote and support children and families. They offer easily accessible services and advice for almost all aspects of everyday family life. We have summarized for you how you can benefit from this and how you can get help there.

"What are we doing today?" This is probably the most frequently asked question by children of primary school age at weekends, on public holidays and during vacations. At this age, children are particularly curious, adventurous and keen to have fun with their parents. Luckily, North Rhine-Westphalia has so much to offer. The varied nature, exciting museums, natural wildlife parks and many sights are just waiting to be discovered - whether on foot or by bike. And if the weather doesn't really want to play along, you can download free classic games from us - including sinking ships and cheese boxes. The Familienportal.NRW has all kinds of tips and ideas for joint activities that are also easy on the wallet. The summer vacations are coming up - hooray! But what if you haven't planned a vacation with the family? No problem, we've collected some tips for fun-filled vacations at home. From forest bingo and geocaching to moonlight hikes. These family adventures are guaranteed to keep boredom at bay. As wonderful as vacations are, they are always a challenge for working parents. You may ask yourself: "How do we bridge the time off school?" Find out how you can ensure reliable childcare for your child during the school vacations in our article on vacation care.