Iceberg Ahead!
When we see SuperMom go sailing by, perfectly put together, with her perfect children behaving perfectly... we sometimes judge ourselves, and come up lacking. But this isn't fair.
Free Parenting Resources, part One–BOOKS!
This post is intended to be a resource for anyone who would like to learn & focus on their parenting via FREE methods. :^)
Recommended Books about Death or Grief & Loss
Always & Forever, by Alan Durant, is reviewed in detail here. It is one of my favorite books about grief for kids. Highly recommended. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn isn't about grief or loss, but it is a book about how hard it is to separate or say goodbye. That's certainly a related theme when we are talking about [...]
Why did you do that?
Ever ask your kid why they did some (dumb, unwanted, whatever) thing? Yeah, me too. But! When I'm running my parenting "A" game, I try not to--for at least 2 good reasons.
De Jure versus De Facto Parenting
We parents often say things like "She needs to understand that no means no" or simply "He doesn't listen!" Behind these complaints is often a big ugly truth that just happens to have a Latin description: sometimes what we parents say isn't what we actually do.
Q: What should I do when my child unbuckles his seatbelt?
Question: My child keeps unbuckling his carseat, what should I do? Answer: This is a great opportunity to fabricate a teachable moment. Make sure to do these things ahead of time:
Oracles
On his travel blog, Rick Steves once explained the 'secret' of the Oracles at Delphi, saying this: Two thousand five hundred years ago, movers and shakers from throughout the ancient world went to Delphi to get advice from the Delphi priests. The priests weren't in cahoots with the gods. They just interviewed everyone who came to them, thinking that [...]
3 Parenting Tips Worth Repeating
Who has time to read an entire parenting book these days? It's amazing how much time & energy it takes to chew through a 350 page epic on how you "should" parent.
Book Review: When I Feel Sad
"When I Feel Sad," by Cornelia Maude Spelman, is a great book that I frequently recommend to parents. It's a book for children, ages 2-9 or so... There are only a few words on each page, and the book starts with descriptions of times that kids feel sad: "Sometimes I feel sad. I feel sad when someone won't let me play."
