I have a 20 month old baby girl named Olivia. And she cracks me up. When I tell her “no” she says, “oohhh.” She does it just like someone going, “aw man!” She has this laugh that sounds like whatever she’s laughing at is the funniest thing ever. She also has an unusual command of her body. She’s been walking since 8 1/2 months and … Continue reading What Olivia is Teaching Me
Last week, I wrote about my irate child who was very unhappy about being back at the local public school. As I basically said, I can’t say that I blame him. But, I have been uncomfortable with the idea of him returning to homeschooling because I still think he could have a good school experience. So, here’s the update: After thinking about it for a … Continue reading Today I’m thinking about school – Update
It’s the start of a new school year and 2 of my children are happy to be going to school, 1 is irate at having to go to school and 1 is happy to be starting online-schooling just as soon as his computer arrives. My irate child went to school last year, was miserable and comforted himself with the idea that he would not, would … Continue reading Today I am thinking about school
I think I’m going to write a book titled “Things I always tell my kids”. Samples: Dumb people never learn from their mistakes. Smart people learn from their mistakes. Wise people learn from the mistakes other people make. If this is the worst thing that happens to you today, you’re having a pretty good day. As you go through life, you are going to make … Continue reading Things I always tell my kids
I homeschooled my boys for years and have always caught flack for it. However, the one group of people who rarely criticized my decision were other parents with school-aged children. More often than not, they seemed to feel compelled to offer an apologetic explanation for why they weren’t homeschooling their own kids. Why? Because they were well aware that we live in a world where … Continue reading Jiu-Jitsu for the Bullied
This article about decision fatigue gives a very interesting account of how we make decisions and why making a decision can be so mentally tiring. I’m glad to see it because the one thing that my kids do which is more likely to make me blow a gasket than anything else is ask questions from morning to night: “Can you make pancakes for breakfast?” “Can … Continue reading Why Moms Like Wine So Much!
The other day I was scolding my girls for their habit of changing their clothes multiple times a day. The laundry! Sophia replied, “if we were real princesses, we could do it.” “You’re not that kind of princess, honey,” I explained, “if you were that kind of princess, a maid would be doing the wash. Instead, the queen has to do it and she is … Continue reading The Laundry!
From Parenting Magazing – 7 Discipline Mistakes All Moms [And Dads!] Make: 1. We’re too negative. 2. We expect too much from our kids. 3. We model behavior we don’t want to see. 4. We intervene when our kids simply annoy us. 5. We’re all talk and no action. 6. We use time-out ineffectively. 7. We assume what works for one kid will work for … Continue reading Normal Mistakes – pass it on!
Today I was reading through a fairly fluffy article offering advice to parents of teens. (Because with two teens in the house and a whole lot of future teens coming down the pipeline I need all the help I can get!) In the middle of this fluffy little article, I found the best parenting advice I’ve read all year. In the for-parents-of-teens version it goes: If … Continue reading The best parenting advice I’ve heard all year!
Interesting story in the NY Magazine this weekend about how praising kids harms and sometimes helps them. Much of the research about praise isn’t new to those of us to pay attention to such things, but for many people the reality of how praise can help and harm kids runs counter to what we’ve been taught to believe. The first thing that researchers have discovered … Continue reading All Praise the Kids?
The Upside Down World 