This post is sponsored by the Center for Parent and Teen Communication. All opinions (and memories!) are my own.Then The thing I remember most about Jake's birth was how scared I felt bringing him home from the hospital. There's no guide book for being a parent. I wonder if first born babies sense the way new parents approach every task with uncertainty.The good news is that babies are resilient.They forgive us for putting the diaper on wrong or being a little too over protective … [Read more...]
7 Books to Get Your Kids to Stop Fighting All the Time
One of the things I want most for our family is a loving family culture, where unkindness and fighting isn't part of the daily makeup of our lives.But with three children all fairly close in age (they are each about two years apart), this can be a tall order.Probably just about every parent can relate to those moment where you can't take the bickering and teasing any longer and you just want to scream, "Can't you all just get along?!"I know I'm not alone in that because there are … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Should I Stop My Kid’s Weird Habit?
Little kids have weird - sometimes super gross - habits, and any parent will tell you so. A lot of them are pretty standard. At one point or another over the last eleven years, I’ve asked my kids to please stop biting that toenail, or to get their finger out of their nose and use a tissue, or to stop sucking on the collar of that shirt or that chunk of hair.But over the last six months or so, I’ve repeatedly asked our almost four-year-old to stop twirling. Sounds like no big deal, right? But … [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: 9 Ways to Squeeze in One-on-One Time with Your Kid
Some days when I'm at work, I feel guilty that I'm not with my kids. And some days when I'm with my kids, I'm feeling guilty that I'm falling behind on my workload.As I've gotten older, I've learned to be present. At least, I'm getting better at it. When I'm at home, I'm trying not to think about work. And when I'm at work, I know my kids are going to a great school they love and they're being influenced by their wonderful teachers.In an effort to be present, I'm trying to squeeze in … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: When You’re the Last One Standing
We’ve been hammered around here lately - pneumonia, a broken arm, miserable weather and the start of our kids’ insane new sports schedule.As we all know, moms aren’t allowed to get sick, or maybe my obsessive hand-washing and frantic hand waving gestures whenever someone coughed their infectious germs right in my face actually did the trick. Whatever the reason, I got stuck running this pneumonia-and-broken-bone-ridden show solo, after my poor husband wound up sicker than he’s been probably … [Read more...]
Parenting Hacks: 4 Must-Dos Before Hosting Your Kids’ First Sleep-Over
As exciting as it is to host a kids’ sleepover for the first time, it can also feel a little overwhelming to imagine your home filled with a group of children you need to feed, entertain and—somehow—put to bed sometime before the next sunrise. But don't worry, with just a little bit of planning, you can make your child's first sleepover a rousing success. #1 - Get Creative with the Sleeping Arrangements A large part of hosting a sleepover is understanding how many kids you can … [Read more...]
Good Idea: Start a Family Spring Cleaning Tradition
Spring is in the air! Or at least right around the corner for most of us. With the arrival of warmer temperatures, blooming foliage, and Little League Baseball, your house might still be crowded with the remnants of winter.Are there still cardboard boxes from Christmas in the garage? Are the blinds heavy with dust after months of the windows being closed? Have the kids’ toys begun to take over the house?It’s time to kick spring cleaning into gear.Sure, Mom and Dad may be motivated … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Better Than Me
Image Credit: © Alton Jefferson II | Horse Stance | CC by 2.0My 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...]