Here’s a question for you parents: your kid does something boneheaded. It wasn’t necessarily intentional, but it was entirely preventable. You discuss with him what went wrong and what needs to be done about it. At the end of the conversation the kid asks, “are you angry with me?” What’s your answer? Is there a place in parenting for holding anger over our kid’s head? … Continue reading Question for Parents: “Are you angry?”
It’s a very long story how it all came to be this way, but I am having the odd experience of raising a 16 year old and a 1 year old at the same time. I say odd not so much because it’s that unusual. But often I feel like I’m starting to get a sense of what sort of person my oldest son is turning out to be and … Continue reading Is it my fault he smells like cumin? Thoughts on parenthood
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
In his wonderful book The Happiness Hypothesis Jonathan Haidt talks about the difference between situational ethics and an ethic built on internal character. Situational ethics is pretty much what it sounds like: looking at a situation and trying to apply ethical thinking to it. It says, “in this situation, what is the right thing to do.” He then compares this to an older sort of … Continue reading Raising a bunch of characters
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
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!
I did a little research about the going rate for the services I provide for a family our size in the area I live in and I also looked at Denver Concierge’s affordable maid service to have a comparison. So, here’s my version of one of those “how much does it cost to replace a stay-at-home-mom?” lists that comes out every year around Mother’s Day: Full time, … Continue reading My husband can’t afford me!
The Upside Down World 