Image Credit: © Jon DeJong | The Elf is Shelved | CC by 2.0 I watched my son lose a little bit of his childhood the other day, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop it. Two years ago – maybe three – we caved to the elf on the shelf hysteria, primarily because our kids were bewildered and a little hurt that no elves invaded our house come Christmas time to spy and create mischief. Fine. Bring on the elf, even though I find the whole idea a little creepy and I have a real aversion … [Read more...]
The Terrible Twos Really Are Terrible!
About a year and a half ago, I wrote about my crazy-naughty three-year-old son. I pissed and moaned about the terrible threes and complained that the terrible twos were nothing. Well. About that. It turns out, you can have four kids and know nothing about anything. Because I’m here to tell you that the terrible twos are not only real, they are no joke. I’m navigating this two-year-old like I would a grenade, something that could go off any second and obliterate everything in a two-mile … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Competitive Sports for Kids? Not in Our House.
Ah, kids and sports- who knew before becoming a parent they could become so all-consuming so early on?! If there's one thing I've learned, though, it's that there are flexible options to be found. For example, in the spring we are all in with Little League- my second grader will have 90 minute practices twice a week along with a game every Saturday that will take up several hours. Because I know this is coming, I like to keep a lighter schedule the rest of the year. That means we look … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: When You Know You’re Done
Last night, we went to the tenth anniversary bash of some old friends. One of the other guests had her baby in tow, a classic Gerber baby but with no hair and no teeth. She was all drooling smiles and wide eyes and baby perfection. I rubbed her warm, silken little head and played peekaboo, and then I watched as she turned the full force of her attention to my husband. He smiled and wiggled his fingers and did all the things that come so naturally to the guys who have been there, done that, … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: The Sex Talk
How and when to have the sex talk with your kids is a very personal parenting decision- one I wouldn't dream of trying to tell you how to make for your family. What I will say from my own experience is that two things really help: Answering questions directly, using proper terminology, without going into any more detail than is necessary. High quality books that you can read and look at with your kids during the discussion- for that, I highly recommend these titles from author Robie … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: When You Get in the Car & Drive Away Without Me
Today's 'Parenting Styles' post could not resonate with me more. Our youngest son, M, will also have his first drop-off experience this fall... and I'm so anxious. Like you wouldn't think a mama going through it for the third time would be. The thing is, the baby of our family is used to being just that- the baby. He's used to being doted on and constantly surrounded by siblings and parents. This fall not only will his beloved sis (and best bud) be leaving him in the dust as she heads off … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: The Child Who Worries
I’ve written before about my oldest son – smart, athletic, a total slob – he’s an interesting little dude. He fits the mold of the first born in many ways, and maybe that’s also why he doesn’t handle stress particularly well. He’s nine, and he’s a worrier. And I’m not talking about school worries, or do-you-think-I’ll-be-able-to-get-my-grappling-tip-today worries. These are big-time worries, the kind that make kids grow up way too fast. My son tells me things like, “I’m worried that I’m … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: My Son is a Slob
I adored this latest submission in our 'Parenting Styles' series- because this is TOTALLY me! It's taken a long, long, LONG time but I've finally realized that being such a big believer in teaching my kids to do for themselves means that it's not going to be done up to my standards. And that's ok. In fact it's as it should be. I've finally realized it, but living it and being cool with it is something I'm still working on. Every. Single. Day. The struggle is real people. Here's Jessica with … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Preschool Deal-Breakers
Image Credit: © Jason Lander | Play date | CC by 2.0 It's that time of year again when parents of preschool-aged kids have to lock-in their decision about what kind of school their kids will (or won't) be attending next year. While our journey has been a lot different than today's contributor, (between them, my kids have attended play-based, religious, secular, outdoor, and montessori preschools). One thing I can definitely relate to is the surprise at having to wrestle with the decision … [Read more...]
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