In elementary school, I watched the kids who lined up to go home for lunch, or the one whose mom was room mother, or the kids whose parents picked them up in front of the school every day. I promised myself that when I had kids, I would stay home, too. I was 32-years-old when I had my first child. Staying at home was not economically feasible.The day before I had to return to work, I sat in a rocker and held my 3-month-old all day. I didn’t think I’d live through the separation—but of course I … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Guide on How to Fly with Toddlers When They Outnumber You
Traveling with young children this holiday? We know it can be daunting but don't worry! We've totally got your back... The Prime Directive: Realize it is you against them, and you’re outnumbered. Like in any hostage situation, appeasement is your best option. Remember, it’s just one day. It does not define your parenthood. Forget about eating vegetables or avoiding materialism or any other things that parents love and children hate. The goal is to keep them gruntled … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: My Biggest Birthday Party Success Was Also My Biggest Failure
I finished grad school a month before my youngest’s eighth birthday, so I had extra time (and guilt) on my hands. I was finally going to mother the way I had intended way back when I was pregnant—by doing everything with loving hands at home. This was going to make up for all the hours I’d done homework and only played half-heartedly with my children. I would emerge the Ultimate Queen of Birthday Mayhem. I would teach my children that making things really could be better than buying them. … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: 7 Tips to on How to Really Talk to Your Kids About Gender Equality
Wow, it's been a rough few months and, if you're like me, current events have brought up a lot of questions on how to talk to my kids about all kinds of stuff. Today, our contributor, Lara, is here sharing her thoughts on how to address the topic of gender equality. I feel teaching gender equality is essential, even though (and maybe especially because) I have boys, not girls. Yet, I’m historically awkward when it comes to large and important discussions on character development. However, … [Read more...]
7 Things Your Kids Say You’re Getting Wrong About YouTube
My kids rarely watch TV. They get their entertainment from YouTube, and they aren’t the only ones. Dubbed The YouTube Generation, one estimate puts them in league with over one hundred trillion other young people who feel the same way. On a family trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park this summer, the park broadcasted YouTube compilations to entertain people who were waiting in line for rides. This was my view of YouTube—funny fail videos and cat compilations. I was wrong. #1 … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Have I Overdone the Internet Safety Lectures?
Like many parents, I'm terrified of allowing my kids on social media. We have all read the horrific stories of cyber-bullying, and it would destroy me to watch either of my kids being harassed online, or in real life for that matter. We talk about internet safety often—perhaps too much, it turned out. Lats week my kids were watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul in the backseat as we began the first leg of our summer road trip. I overheard some dialog about the main character trying to … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: My Son is Starting High School as a 12-Year-Old and I’m Not Scared at All
OK, maybe I’m a little scared, I can’t lie. But overall, I’m a lot more comfortable with the idea than I ever imagined I would be. I hadn’t planned on grade-skipping my son. My son’s September birthday meant that he was already young for his grade. Here in Ohio, the cut-off date for kindergarten varies by district—anywhere from August 15thto September 30th —so many kids in his class were already a full year older than him. But when we switched from a self-contained gifted school … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Should You Send Your Ex A Father’s Day Card?
This will be our tenth Father’s Day since the divorce. Like every other year, I’ll take my two sons to the store and help them pick out gifts for their father. Some years I’m surprised I didn’t get lock jaw from forcing myself to smile as I helped them wrap their presents, and I can’t say I’ve never stooped to passive aggressive gifting. (Please don’t ask me about the garden gnome.) It wasn’t always a joy to spend money on my ex-husband, particularly since I was mothering on a … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: How I became a Hockey Mom against my Better Judgement
I walked into the hockey rink at 6:30 am on a Saturday. Now, school didn’t even start until 8:00 am, so 6:30 was not a time I was normally awake, nor was it a time I wanted to be awake. The coach had promised to bring coffee, but I didn’t see anything resembling coffee anywhere and the concession stand was closed because the people who ran concessions were home in bed—where all good people belonged at 6:30 am on a Saturday. I hadn’t intended on becoming a hockey mother. Unlike when … [Read more...]