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
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
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!
I’m pretty sure I’ve had this before, but it never got bad enough for me to seek treatment. It never occurred to me that it was a mom thing – I just figured I had done something to my hand. Who knew? The dangers of being a mommy! Continue reading Mommy Thumb?
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?
If it didn’t involve a real kid, this would be one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard. Down in Texas, a 13 year old kid whose dad was too busy to remember his birthday, ordered an extra copy of daddy’s credit card and used it to live a poorly socialized 13 year old kid’s dream. He and a friend got an Xbox, a hotel … Continue reading See what happens when you work too much?
The Upside Down World 