To my kids, this Mother's Day
Dear kids, As Mother's Day approaches, I've been thinking about you. I know it's supposed to happen the other way around—you guys thinking about your mom —but that's just how moms are. We can't help it. I want you to know how much I love you. I don't always get it right, but I am trying to be a good mom. Not the best mom, because who knows what the best mom is anyway? I want you to know I think about each of you all day, every day. I'm trying to keep this little family of ours all together and . . .
Using a token economy to encourage good behavior
Last week I posted a picture of our kitchen area and several folks asked about the mason jar/tongue depressor situation. I thought I would share our reward system that we call "Sticks." It works really well for us and is a great motivator to encourage positive behavior. I’ve posted about our screen time sticks in the past and we’ve implemented a similar method for behavior. I am a huge fan of using token economies with children. I think it removes parents from the nagging cycle and . . .
how to negotiate screen time with tech-obsessed kids
It seems like I’ve been writing about screen time all over the web this month, and probably for good reason: many parents are figuring out how to maintain some balance with our tech-obsessed kids. This has been an issue in my house ever since the kids have been old enough to operate the computer. My kids are huge technology fans, which is no big surprise given the fact that they have two parents whose phones are tethered to their hands 24/7. I think technology can provide some great educational . . .
I’m a better aunt than I am a mother
Ever since my nephews were old enough to fly without a parent, we’ve been having them out for part of the summer. I think the first time they came out they were 4 and 7. Now they are 14 and 17. It used to be that we had to pay extra money for them to be escorted to and from their seat by a flight attendant, wearing an Unaccompanied Minor sticker. Now they are old enough to check in themselves, and one of them can drive. (gulp). For many years we hosted them before . . .
the trauma of sports
When my oldest son Jafta was about four and a half, he began begging to attend a basketball camp he heard about for a friend. I signed him up for one through our city for preschool-aged kids. For three months, he asked about it every day. Despite his shoddy math skills at the ripe age of four, he was inexplicably able to count down the days until this camp started. It was supposed to start on a Monday in April. On Saturday, I got a call telling me it had been cancelled due to low enrollment. The . . .
the tattle tally, explained
Several people have asked me to explain the Tattle Tally. Before I share the details of this elaborate scheme, let me say this: Prior to having kids, I remember hearing moms correct their children for tattling, and I always thought, what’s the big deal? I mean, don’t you want your kid to come and tell you if someone else is doing something wrong? (Cue maniacal laughing of experienced parents everywhere). My kids started dabbling with the tattle routine when they started . . .
gun control
I spend a lot of time pondering the disparity between the mom I thoughy I would be, and the mom I am. I was such a good mom before having kids. I had dreams of my children playing with quaint wooden toys, learning piano at a young age, and having picnics in meadows (eating only organic food, of course). Somehow my reality of motherhood involved a lot more plastic, McDonalds, and trips to Target than I ever imagined. That meadow picnic? Yeah, that's never happened. Also in my dreams of . . .
the first rule about block club . . .
I got back from my conference late last night, and I must brag on my husband. Jafta and I came home to a spotless house, and three bathed and peacefully sleeping children. I don't know what happened while I was gone (I'm guessing that bath before my arrival was the only one of the weekend), but from all outward appearances, Mark and the kids had a great time in my absence. There were really only two dire consequences from my time away: 1. Mark allowed a Veggie Tales . . .
What Am I Doing Wrong Here?
There are so many days where, as a mom, I feel completely unequipped. I am often looking around and feeling like I am the ONLY mom fumbling this much and in so much chaos. I am the mom who forgets water bottles at playgroup, who forgets sunscreen at the beach, who forgets to pack lunch for preschool, who forgets the helmet at the skate park. I try very hard to overcompensate for this by being "intentionally organized". I know my weaknesses, and try very hard to plan for things well ahead of . . .
Happiness at the Misfortune of Others
DEF schadenfreude SHOD-n-froy-duh, noun: a malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others.My kids love a book called "No, David". It is the first choice for reading of both my toddler and preschooler. I first saw this book in a bookstore, and thought that the depictions of this rascly little boy and the trouble he gets in to portrayed a negative message to kids. On every page, David is doing something naughty and being chastised by his mother. I thought, what a negative book, and . . .