Something I have been trying to focus on as a parent of a preschooler is not to make my child feel ashamed about bad behavior and herself. That’s a hard thing to do. However, I want her to grow up to be a strong, confident woman, that loves herself. I feel like shaming can harm the spirit of young children. It seems like I’ve heard a lot in the media lately about mothers doing just that. There was one Mom who made her teenage son stand on a street corner with a sign for several hours a day, reading, “I … Continue reading →

I’ve been lucky because up until about 4 or 5 months ago, my 4 year old was still napping everyday. She has definitely outgrown the naps. Occasionally when she is really tired she will lay down and take one, but that time is rare. Since I also have a toddler that still naps, we are in the house during nap time still. I have explained to my daughter that nap time is now quiet time for both her and Mommy. The rules of our new “quiet time” are that she has to stay in her room, and play quietly or … Continue reading →

Time out has been the accepted form of parenting and discipline for a while now. Parents all over turn to this technique now instead of spanking. Thank goodness! But, I heard of a different kind of parenting technique that is similar, but puts a little more positive spin on time out. A friend of mine is going to become a foster parent. In doing this, she and her husband are required to take courses to prepare them to take in kids. I think fostering is a noble, and wonderful thing to do. They are hoping that they will be able … Continue reading →

Everywhere I turn, people are asking me what my daughter and I want for Christmas. Since the only thing I usually want is plants for my garden, it’s hard to make a real stunner of a Christmas list. Maybe gift cards for plants? My daughter also has just about everything she needs. I tend to buy her the basics at thrift stores. She has enough clothes and unless she’s going through a growth spurt, there are usually some that still fit well. Other than that, her toys are rather static: lego, playmobil, a play kitchen, dress ups, dolls, and a … Continue reading →

It’s the time of year when the inflow becomes more than the outflow, and that worries me. Yes, we like getting Christmas gifts. However, the sheer number of Christmas gifts can be staggering if we don’t control the flow. We’re lucky. Between doting grandparents, doting parents and doting everyone else, our daughter has a lot. At Christmas time, this translates into a lot of stuff. I am guilty of much of the household inflow as well. You see, in the summer time we go to garage sales. The rest of the year we go to thrift stores when we need … Continue reading →

I’ve been sick this week, and that always poses a parenting challenge. How do I act at my best when I feel at my worst (or at least, fairly bad)? My darling daughter always brings home bugs to share with me, so the same scenario replays itself all fall and winter long, in spite of copious quantities of fish oil, vitamin C, water and rest. How can you entertain your preschooler when you’re sick? There’s always television, of course. Sometimes I relent on a sick day and declare that it is a movie afternoon. We make popcorn and hot chocolate … Continue reading →

As parents, we all slip up sometimes. I know that I do, and regularly. While I love to think of myself as an attached and nurturing parent, to be honest, I slip. When I am sick and tired and stressed out, I become a cranky, normal, not-very-nice all the time human being. That’s just life, and we all need to forgive ourselves mistakes from time to time. Yesterday we went to a wonderful event, an apple festival. We had to take a very short bus ride to get to the main festival area, and the bus was quite full. There … Continue reading →

Here’s where I get all ranty. If you’re not in the mood to listen to a rant, tune out right here. Ready? Go. My husband is back at school. He is a teacher. From all of the media outlets this time of year, I hear many murmurings about our education system. Most of what I hear is blame placed squarely on the curriculum, or often on teachers themselves. Our system is failing our children, they say. Everything from lack of budgeting skills to drugs is the part of the failure of the educational system and must be addressed by that … Continue reading →

Who are you as a parent? When we are pregnant, our paths do not often obviously diverge from the norm a lot. Yes, some of us may choose to have our babies at home or in a birthing center. But the majority of us try to make good food choices and remove alcohol and other substances from our lives for the good of our baby. That’s the cultural norm. What if you don’t follow the cultural norm as your child gets older? We certainly didn’t. When my daughter came into the world, I said that I would respond to her … Continue reading →

My daughter plays with older kids. By older, I mean a couple of years over five. Really, really old. These children play beautifully together, and I am really grateful. There are a number of only children in the mix and I think that it is especially wonderful that they get the time together, acting as one giant sort of family. Except sometimes I’m not. There is an abundance of girls in the place where we live, and there are just a few boys. The boys act like little brothers, teasing the girls, chasing them, taking their stuff. Just the things … Continue reading →