Life Lessons
What’s Your Greatest Accomplishment As A Parent?
I think that moms and dads spend too much time worrying about what they’re not accomplishing as parents and not enough time high-fiving themselves for what they have accomplished. So, right now, as of this moment, what do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a parent? Really, take a second to consider this and give yourself some credit for…
04/03
2013
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Don’t Just Be Positive, Be Constructive
There was an article on Babble the other day entitled Using Positive Statements to Help Toddlers Obey. The gist of it was that you should use (you guessed it) “positive” statements to instruct your toddler instead of “negative” statements. Eg, say “Stay in your seat,” instead of “Don’t stand up,” or, “Put your hands at your sides,” instead of,…
03/05
2013
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Another BS Participation Trophy…Or Not?
If you’re a regular on my blog, you can probably guess how I feel about participation trophies. If you’re new, let me tell you: I think they’re ridiculous. This directly relates to my issue with rewarding vs bribing kids: kids should not be bribed into or rewarded for doing what is expected or normal. Rewards are for exceptional…
02/26
2013
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Bikini Double Standard
RealGirl asked for a bikini. I’m a little freaked out.
It went like this:
RealMom: You need a new bathing suit this summer.
RealGirl: I want one…with the panties. And the thing…the thing…the green thing that covers your nipples, Mama.
She was describing my bikini.
Her previous bathing suits were one pieces or tankinis with sleeves. Nothing flashy, and certainly…
02/11
2013
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Defending the Defenseless
Bullying is a hot topic these days. While we all can all argue about what qualifies as bullying, I’ll make the sweeping statement that physical assault is the most obvious example and is completely intolerable. So, we’re all telling our kids not to let anyone hurt them, but are we telling them to look out for other kids? Are…
02/07
2013
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Dress Like a Hippie Rag Doll Now, Make Good Decisions Later
I was cracking up the other day at Momaical‘s post The March of the Freakshows, which was about how her toddler daughter generally looks homeless because of the crazy way she dresses herself. RealGirl is pretty similar. She doesn’t dress like she’s homeless, though. She dresses like she is blind. Some days she clashes so horribly that…
01/31
2013
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A Quick Rant: Rewarding vs Bribing Children
Last time I was at the grocery store, I witnessed a mother trying to persuade her son to get off the floor and walk so she could finish shopping. She was trying to reason with him, and I heard her offer him candy, French fries, and hours of TV to get him to get him moving. As soon as…
05/06
2013
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