The mother unwrapped the straw, poked it into the little box, and handed the drink to her toddler as they walked out of the grocery store. The sliver of straw paper slipped from the mother’s hand. I doubt that she even noticed it. Rolling my grocery cart back to its stable, I looked around to see how many carts were randomly parked, willy-nilly throughout the lot, nowhere near the stable. Who leaves her cart to roll into the next parked car? Since my greatest interest and life’s work … [Read more...] about You Are Who You Are When No One is Looking
Parenting
The Odd Life of Parents Who Laugh at Their Children
The viral video of the two boys emoting after seeing The Odd Life of Timothy Green made my blood boil. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aFV1r45sAQ In the video two boys, perhaps 7 and 9 years old, are crying as they try to discuss the movie they had just seen, and the parents, filming the scene, can be heard laughing. I saw the film last week. My husband and I might have been the only adults in the theater unaccompanied by children. No matter to me. Is this really a kids’ movie? I wondered. … [Read more...] about The Odd Life of Parents Who Laugh at Their Children
When a Vacation is a Trip
Summer time and the livin’ is easy…well, sort of. The Dog Days are laced with so many expectations—relaxed schedules, lazy days, warm evening bar-b-ques, no homework, lighter responsibilities, and vacations. Many parents have memories of fabulous family vacations from their youth. And for the kids, vacations are usually just that— fabulous! But that’s not always the case for mom and dad. Do you know the difference between a vacation and a trip? A trip is what you do with children; a … [Read more...] about When a Vacation is a Trip
Why You Should Watch the Olympics with Your Kids: Olympic Lessons
Olympic fever is starting to rise, and here is the good news: There are enough benefits to watching the Olympics as a family that you can throw your standard TV rules out the window. Beyond sheer entertainment, there’s much to be learned by watching the games on the demon screen—exposure to different sports and their rules, learning about other cultures, and experiencing the more subtle points of competition like effort, loss, and sometimes winning. Let’s start here: The Olympics provide a … [Read more...] about Why You Should Watch the Olympics with Your Kids: Olympic Lessons
The Aurora Shooting: How to Talk to Kids About What Happened in Colorado
The horrific tragedy in Colorado has left us all speechless, shaking our heads in disbelief. How could this have happened? Could anything have been done to stop this mad man? And what can we possibly tell our children…if they ask? Parents are rendered tongue-tied when it comes to talking to their kids about many different kinds of things—sex, death, God. But when it is a topic that is terrifying and may create fear where none existed previously, then we are dumbstruck, reduced to being … [Read more...] about The Aurora Shooting: How to Talk to Kids About What Happened in Colorado
If Not Spanking, Then What?
Seems like almost every parent today knows that spanking is verboten. Everyone except that parent who says, “My father spanked me, and I turned out fine.” To him I want to say, You don’t remember how you felt while you were being spanked—the terror, the helplessness, the anger. Working with parents for 40 years has demonstrated to me that parents spank because they don’t know what else to do that “really works.” It is out of their simmering frustration that they resort to harsh physical … [Read more...] about If Not Spanking, Then What?