Tag Archives: aging

Those Three Little Letters–M.O.M.

There is nothing like those three little letters, M.O.M. The word mom can convey so much and it may depend on the particular circumstances at hand. For instance, the shrill sound of “MOM!” may cause a chill to pass through you, because it is the sound of your child being hurt or scared. Or it may be that the word mom is shrieked because little brother or sister has taken a toy away. It could also be said with a whine, as your child begins to beg for something. So the reality is that the word mom isn’t always welcomed. … Continue reading →

Old-Fashioned Parenting

Since everyone has differing opinions, some might consider my parenting to be old-fashioned. But others might think it’s too lenient. It all depends on what you believe and what makes up your standards. Considering the day and age we live in, I do think that my parenting might be a bit more old-fashioned than what we typically see. I contribute that to lessons learned growing up, my faith and what I have observed in others. The biggest demonstration of this has been our latest adventure, my daughter’s first boyfriend. Thankfully she at least has a respect and appreciation for some … Continue reading →

Are You A Victim?

I read so many articles about single parenting and the tone is never good. Just about every article you read is negative, either they are telling you how badly the children are going to turn out or about how bad the single parents have it. They always talk about surviving; I don’t like the sound of that. I’m not surviving my daughter’s childhood, I’m enjoying it. Yes we struggle at times, as do many two parent families. I refuse to think of myself as a victim, there are so many people in this world who have gone through worse things … Continue reading →

Do You Know Who Is Babysitting Your Children?

Do you know who is babysitting your children? Well if you live in Illinois, you just might want to do some digging. Recently the “Chicago Tribune” uncovered something pretty shocking and disturbing. Apparently Illinois subsidizes a childcare assistance program (totaling $750 million annually) that allows convicted rapists, child molesters and other violent criminals to babysit children who come from low income families. To me this speaks of two problems. One is the idea that children from low income families are not being given protection. The second is the absurdity of allowing these types of people to have access to any … Continue reading →

Exercise With Your Kids

It is important to take care of yourself, even when you are a single parent, and that includes exercise. At the end of the day there is so much that has to be done, how can we make time for the things we would like to do but are not an urgent need? First, we have to remember that exercise is important, not only for our health but for our emotional well being too. I know that when I take the time to exercise, that half an hour to an hour that I feel guilty for, I’m a much more … Continue reading →

Our First Christmas

I know Christmas is about the kids but I think the toy manufacturers must think it is fun to torcher parents! When the kids finished unwrapping all their presents and breakfast was over all we could hear is “Can you open this for me?” This is when the fun really began. If you have not opened any toys lately you should know that it is a lot of work. Do the toy makers do this just to drive parents crazy? One little truck had all sides of the box taped, the truck wheels are wrapped with wire ties holding it … Continue reading →

Asthmatic Children Dealing with Heat and Humidity

Well a heat wave is stretching across several states. Here in Wisconsin we are going on day two of high temperatures and humidity. We are looking at the entire week being this way. There is talk of it extending into the next week as well. This can be a real problem for asthmatics. I feel sorry for my 12-year-old son when the weather is like this because he is pretty much confined to the house. I was not happy yesterday when I heard the front door slam and went upstairs to discover he had taken the dog outside for a … Continue reading →

Baby’s Animal Fur Allergies

Bringing a new baby home to a house with pets can be nerve-wracking. One might be concerned with how the pets will react to the child. Even if a pet doesn’t seem jealous of the baby, will it know to be gentle enough around the infant? Will exposing a newborn to a house with pets, and the many allergens they release, cause the child to grow up with sensitivity to that animal? Earlier this year I covered the former concerns in depth. Today I’m going to look at the latter: are children who grow up in a home with pets … Continue reading →

A Parent’s Fatal Mistake

You may have heard the horrifying and tragic story of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzy, savagely killed and dismembered in New York. Although it has been all over the news, I first read about the arrest of his murderer when I was searching for traffic accident stories for one of my freelance writing gigs. The headline blazed across the computer and I honestly wanted to vomit. I won’t tell you the details. But as I read the news story, tears ran down my face. This little boy was simply lost and looking for directions. But he came across the wrong person to … Continue reading →

Do We Sleep In PJ’s

When we got home we had to explain to Steve why it was not ok to take things without paying for them. I do not know if he really understood or not but we tried. We also met with the school and explained a little more about Steve’s past history and asked that they not tempt fate and let us know before there is a book fair so we can re-emphasize to him that things must be paid for before we can take them. A few weeks after the book fair incident we got another call from the school this … Continue reading →