Modern Parents Messy Kids

We're all about finding ways to make family life better while keeping our sense of humor. Check out our famous MPMK Top Toy Awards, already viewed over 7,000,000 times!

Parenting Styles: Better Than Me

by

Image Credit: © Alton Jefferson II | Horse Stance | CC by 2.0 My kiddos are suddenly old enough to be better than me in certain things, and I’m as humbled about it as I am impressed. I’m not particularly competitive with my children, but as I sat watching my daughter at her martial arts test a few weeks ago, I realized that there is no way I could do what she’s doing. She’s eight. And she’s on the small side for an eight year old. But her Thai kicks are insanely high, her punches are … [Read more...]

Positive Parenting Gold: “Listen, Allow, Support, Repeat”

by

Yesterday was a crazy day (power outages, cancelled activities, melt downs, etc.) and let's just say, I wasn't at my positive parenting best. That afternoon, during a 5-minute period when all three of the kids had miraculously found something to entertain them, I picked up my copy of Parents Magazine. (Do you guys subscribe? I've found it to be surprisingly useful month after month.) Inside I spied an article on great podcasts for parents and immediately picked up my phone and subscribed … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: Hot/Cold Friends Are the Worst

by

I have two daughters, and once upon a time I was a grade school girl myself. I knew girl drama was in the cards, but I was deluded enough to think that between an almost-nine-year-old and a three year old, I had years before we’d be dealing with that. Surprise! Seems everything starts earlier these days, because third grade has been rough. There are twelve or thirteen girls in my daughter’s class, and G has known most of them since kindergarten. One new girl - older and with a mean streak … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: Busy Little Lives, Times Four

by

About four years ago, when we had a seven, six and three-year old and a six-month old baby, I thought life was busy. Between first grade, preschool, diapers and not nearly enough sleep, I did a lot of running around. And I had this idea that things would get easier as all these kiddos got older. I pictured a time - and I’m almost there, actually - when no one would be in diapers and everyone would be in school and able to keep themselves occupied in a non-destructive way that wouldn’t involve … [Read more...]

The Best Potty Training Books: 7 Books to Get You and Your Little One Through

by

Looking for some potty training tips? You might want to start with our super popular post, The 5 Biggest Potty Training Mistakes (and maybe also this potty training tip for some self-sustaining humor).  After that, head over to Amazon or your local library because as with almost all parenting challenges, it's always helpful to have a book for both you and your kiddo to help tackle it!  Here's our resident children's librarian, Janssen, with her best picks on the topic... Are there any … [Read more...]

5 Things Every Parent Should Know About the Emergency Room During Flu Season

by

Image Credit: © anjanettew | Sean at the ER | CC by 2.0 Your child has been sniffling, sneezing and coughing for the last few days. His fever hasn’t gone down and his sore throat seems to be worsening. You know this scenario, right? Your mama bear instincts kick in and you begin preparing yourself for a trip to the emergency department (ED). We get it, bringing a sick child to the ED can be stressful, especially this winter with hospitals nationwide reporting record-breaking admissions. … [Read more...]

How 5 Rings Are Going to Make Me a Better Mom this Year

by

How many of you resolved to yell less at your kids this year? Actually, let me amend that, to just be nicer to your kids? I ask because I've seen a whole lot of stuff going around the web lately about how to stop yelling. Apparently yelling is the new spanking for our generation. I get it. Yelling at your kids totally sucks. Even while you're doing it you are already regretting it, yet you can't seem to make it stop. Nobody wants to parent that way - for sure. But I'd bet that most of … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: The Cavity Club

by

With four kids, the chances that we’d escape childhood with no cavities were pretty slim, right? Still, I admit it, I was getting a little smug. After visits to the dentist every six months for the last five or six years with no trouble at all, I kind of thought we had the tooth thing dialed. I mean, we’re religious about brushing and flossing in the morning, and we do get a little lazy as the day drags on, but they brush and floss more often than not at night. Still, I thought their … [Read more...]

Parenting Styles: Kindergarten Intervention

by

Sounds ominous, right? With our third kiddo in kindergarten this year, we’re old hands at the parent-teacher conference. But this year, after the usual awesome conferences for our oldest two, we heard something we’d never heard before. “We’re lucky this year to have intervention at the kindergarten level, and I hope you’ll be open to letting B participate,” his teacher said matter-of-factly. For a second, I really floundered as I considered what exactly they were intervening in. Refusing … [Read more...]