There is a dilemma that accompanies the winter holiday season that is rarely discussed out loud. It certainly is a topic that is dominating my parenting groups this month. That is, how do parents deal with grandparents who want to do as they please with their grandchildren when it comes to celebrating the gift-giving holidays. They might over-gift the grandchild, even though they have been asked to put on the brakes. They might give an item specifically forbidden by the parents. Or they might … [Read more...] about Grandparents and Gift Giving: An Unspoken December Dilemma
Parenting
All Kinds of Feelings: A Child’s Emotional Literacy
In the video, Emotional Baby is Moved to Tears by Mom’s Singing, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/emotional-baby-moved-to-tears-by-moms-singing_n_4173272.html?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents, we witness the power of emotion in even the youngest of babies. At only 10 months old, the baby’s deep feelings spill over in the form of tears when he hears his mother’s beautiful singing. Learning about emotions like these is a long process and a big part of … [Read more...] about All Kinds of Feelings: A Child’s Emotional Literacy
All that Halloween Candy
In a well watched video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQpbzQ6gzs) Jimmy Kimmel shows kids’ reactions to the news that their parents have eaten all their Halloween candy. Kimmel claims he was surprised to see how really upset many kids were. Not I! Kids love their Halloween candy. I repeat, they LOVE it. What an odd holiday is Halloween. On that one day of the year we encourage, if not accompany our kids while they go out at night, knock on strangers’ doors, talk to strangers, and beg for … [Read more...] about All that Halloween Candy
“I Don’t Want To Go To School!”
Now that the school year has begun, it won’t be long before one morning you’ll awaken to the declaration, “I don’t want to go to school.” It’s a cry, actually more of a plea, which every parent is likely to face at least once, if not ten times, each school year. It’s never music to your ears. Not wanting to go to school for the younger child or proclaiming “I’m not going to school” for the older ones, can challenge even the most savvy parent. How easy life would be if there were a one size … [Read more...] about “I Don’t Want To Go To School!”
Kids in Restaurants, Part 2: Lousy Local Conditions
Kids in Restaurants, Part 2: Lousy Local Conditions On Friday I lunched with a colleague at a “grown up” restaurant. The atmosphere was quiet and refined. Seated right next to us was a family of three—mother, father, and, in-between them, their adorable 18 month old child. We wouldn’t even have known he was there were it not for his occasional giggles. Mom and dad quietly spoke to him, played with him, included him in conversation, and redirected when things started to go south. It was a … [Read more...] about Kids in Restaurants, Part 2: Lousy Local Conditions
Kids in Restaurants?
Our dinner at a local sushi restaurant was a bit earlier than we usually dine. So I casually mentioned to my husband that we might overlap “family time” at the eatery. But we decided that it wouldn’t be a problem; we both love kids. Little did we realize it was the parents who would ruin our dinner out on a Friday night. This blog is not about parents who use tech devices during meals. I have previously complained about that. (https://betsybrownbraun.com/2010/10/16/join-the-family/) Nor … [Read more...] about Kids in Restaurants?