I often discuss with my friends the pros and cons of the technology that’s available today as it relates to youngsters. Even though technology seems to make things much easier for us, it also opens the world up for our kids, probably a little more than many of us parents would like it to be opened. Take cell phones, for example. Let’s say that you have a kid who likes to push the limits or, okay, one who likes to break rules. (There, I said it.) She could use the cell phone to fib about her whereabouts. She could use a cell phone to access things she isn’t supposed to,…
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Mountain Time
I have never been a mushy-gushy type of mom: it’s just not me. I have never worried about my kids as much as other moms do. When my boys used to hurt themselves as little ones tend to do when they’re young and clumsy (or don’t make the best decisions!), I was pretty good at remaining calm and not worrying myself into the stratosphere. Where other moms can’t sleep until their teenager gets home in the evening–no matter how late it is–I have always been the “I’m going to bed: just wake me up when you get home so I know you made it back” type. I’m especially thankful to…
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Old Friends
I was on the phone with D the other day when he asked me to go to our local Big Box Toy Store to pick up a specific Star Wars toy that would be part of a thank you gift for his fraternity “dad” (it was meant to be funny). I was happy to do it: the combination of getting out of the house and away from my LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER to-do list and doing a small favor for him–when he typically doesn’t ask for much at all–made this kind of errand a pleasure rather than a chore. Yesterday I headed out to the store and as I drove…
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Spring break
D is home from college this week because it’s his spring break week. (J’s high school spring break is next week. It’s a good thing we weren’t making big vacation plans!) The funny thing about a* college kid coming home for spring break is that he thinks everybody is on spring break. At 11:00, as Jim and I head up to bed for a 5:30 a.m. wake-up: “Why are you going to bed? It’s spring break!” In the morning, noticing his brother isn’t at home: “Where’s J?” I answer, “He’s at school.” D: “But it’s spring break!” When I ask him how it’s possible he could sleep until 1:00 p.m.…
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The Lesson I Never Thought I’d Have To Teach My Son
It never occurred to me in a million years that I’d have to deal with this issue. Not with MY kid. Everything started out innocently enough: he was invited to a big party. The house was practically full of his friends, all his age. It was just your typical, run-of-the-mill birthday party. The mood was festive but not over the top; all of the party attendees were on their best behavior. Well, they were on their best behavior at first, until the stimulants made their appearance, thanks to one of the guests. In fact, that guest was a little overzealous about it and in an instant, almost everything ended up…
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Pamela Druckerman’s “Bringing Up Bebe” Stirs The Pot On Parenting
There’s been another dust-up in the news this week, and this time the big story is how great the French are at parenting. I mentioned it briefly in yesterday’s vlog, and I really need to expand on it because parenting and its various styles is a topic for which I have endless passion. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here to read the Wall Street Journal essay/excerpt by Pamela Druckerman, author of “Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting”.) First, let me give you the disclaimer: I am not ragging on the author OR the book, which I have not read.…
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Mission Accomplished.
When it comes to the stereotypical teenager-parent relationship, it would seem that there is non-stop eye-rolling, sarcasm, and lying on the teens’ part. On the other side of the coin, parents are “supposed to” enjoy embarrassing their teens on a daily basis, intentionally. Jim and I never fed into that. From the time the boys were very little, we have insisted upon mutual respect. MUTUAL respect. When the boys became tweens (11-12 years old) and were influenced a little more by their friends, they both became a little suspicious of us. It seems as though tweens start to talk with their friends about parents’ motives when it comes to everything,…
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Are You Teaching Your Kid That Stealing Is Okay?
Before I begin this post, let me apologize in advance because I may end up sounding a little judgmental. I have very strong feelings about this issue and though I do believe that my opinion is the right one (of course I do!), I do encourage respectful conversation in the comment section, from both sides. I would guess that every parent in the world (except for Madonna, I’m sure) has had the experience of bringing their child(ren) along to the grocery store. It’s not always a fun time, especially when the child is very young. (I always found the toddler age to be most challenging because I had to focus…
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Parenting Secrets From Behind the Tiara
I wrote this post a couple of years ago, for a friend who needed a guest post on her blog. She has since shut down her site, so I thought I’d post it here! My husband Jim and I are successful parents. Really. If we were in Oprah’s magazine, our mad parenting skillz would be featured on her “What I Know For Sure” page. Of course we are not the only successful parents in the world, but we’re the only ones that matter…to our kids. I am happy to report that our boys are fine, upstanding young men–and it’s not only because we think so: that’s the general consensus from…