Kid Scoop
One of the more fun things about life and living is all the different people we get to talk to. Listening to stories from other families and parents we get a glimpse into what makes them work as a family, what makes them tick as a couple and how that influences their parenting decisions.
That is what we get from all these great blogs on Babble — written from real people, with real opinions, living a real life. Not just generic advice and words from ‘experts’, but we get to share the different lifestyles that we all lead with our different backgrounds and situations.
I was criticised yesterday on another blog I write on for Babble, which is nothing new and I am pretty used to it — the fun of having different perspectives. What I wasn’t prepared for was being called all sorts of names and receiving many non-respectful comments regarding a parenting decision my husband and I make for our children (which wasn’t even the topic of the post). I responded in a follow-up post that I was shocked for the comments and made a remark that was obviously opinion-based and then was taken to task for that as well and accused of being judgemental.
That got me thinking — when did having a respectfully-voiced opinion become just as bad as calling someone negative names and accusing them of putting their children in harms way?
A few weeks ago my husband’s schedule at work changed drastically and with very little warning. Within days he went from working 9 to five on Monday-Friday to shift work that alternates each week. The adjustment has been brutal on the entire family. The kids are having trouble sorting out when their dad is coming or going and why he is sleeping so much during broad daylight.
Combine that with my unexpected hospital stay and a four day business trip and you have pure chaos. It doesn’t stop there though. This unwelcome change to our routine has coincided with a phase in our children’s lives when they are waging an all out war on bedtime.
Getting them to sleep has gone from a very simple bath, story, good night hug and kiss routine to a knock down, drag out, 4 hour battle of wills and my husband’s new schedule means that, on most nights, it is something I have to tackle alone. Continue reading »
Welcome to the weekend that signals the start of summer.
The Memorial Day Weekend might as well be Christmas Eve for kids, because for the next 3 months it will feel like Christmas every day.
Warm weather means pools, vacations, ice cream, and adventures.
One of my favorite things to do in the summer is sweet talk my son into climbing on to the log ride at the amusement park.
“You don’t get wet,” I will lie again. “The water splashes out. See?”
I don’t know if he’ll give in this year, but as you can tell by the picture at the left, he loved it last summer.
Here’s a photo essay to inspire you to get ready for the most wonderful time of the year.
I knew the day would come when I’d stop getting carded. I just kinda hoped it would happen when I was closer to 46 than 36.
I always thought people distributing booze were supposed to card anyone who looked younger than 40. If that’s still the case then damn that generic anti-aging cream!
I was at the market (now there’s a word old people use) a while back picking up my usual stash of two bottles of cheap way-too-sweet wine, along with a whole cartload of frozen meals for the week. Not only did the cashier NOT card me, the lady behind me said, “Wow, lots of alcohol you got there!” I was thinking, “Really, Lady?” Instead I responded with, “I’m a mom.” She chuckled. I chuckled. Even the ”I-Don’t-Need-To-See-Your-ID” cashier chuckled. Continue reading »
Today is the last day of first grade for Gomer and I just made good on my bribe.
Yup, I bribed him. I told Gomer that if he worked hard this year and got good grades at the end of the year, I’d buy him a Nintendo DS. I actually bought it right after Christmas when they were on sale and I put it on a shelf in the guest room closet. This way he could ogle it every time he didn’t want to read another chapter in his book or practice his spelling words one more time. All I had to do was whisper, “DS…” and he’d take one look at that shiny box and get straight back to work.
Some of my friends were horrified that a) I bribed him and b) I flaunted his reward in his face for a whole semester. I don’t see the problem. For Gomer, it worked. He aced every single spelling test but one and he read 440+ books this year. His grades were good and his test scores were excellent. I flaunted the DS, because I’m cheap and I wanted to spend as little as possible and I knew that seeing his prize would motivate him when he was thinking of quitting.
Don’t we all work this way, really? I don’t work for free. Do you? I do my job and I get paid. It may not be called a bribe, but that’s basically what it is. We all want to be rewarded for our hard work and Gomer is no different.
Now Adolpha is starting Kindergarten next year and I have no idea if this strategy will work for her. She’s a different breed of kid who can’t be bought as easily. All she wants is a real live dog and that’s a WHOLE other post about why I’ll never have a dog. Whatever her weakness is, I will find it and I will use it to motivate her too.
Do you bribe your kids? Give me your ideas – maybe one of them will work on Adolpha.
Be sure to read my daily rants at People I Want to Punch in the Throat where you’re sure to laugh and/or might be offended (it’s where you can find my R-rated rants).
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Read more of Jen at PIWTPITT – Do You Ask Your Child or Tell Your Child? andMy Rules for My Kids at Playdates and Am I Raising a Mini Hoarder?
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Photo: Free Digital Photos
Are you going to get shafted by your parents who are blowing their wad on cruises? Do you plan to shaft your own kids? Maybe neither you nor your parents have any money to bequeath anyone. Sigh.
First of all, none of us have any money. You know how the economy is really bad right now. But even if your parents do have some money left there’s a trend among some Baby Boomers to spend all their savings before they die. They tend to think the Gen Xers (and younger) are a little on the entitled side. We kind of are. Ever lived in a boxcar?
Of course we are parents ourselves now and helicoptering ain’t cheap! After shelling out for violin lessons, gifted student enrichment packets, dance class, and Mandarin immersion we won’t have any money left either when all is said and done. Maybe getting an inheritance is dying out among the 99%.
Here’s another issue to think about: I saw a discussion between Slate writer Robert Wright and Matthew Hutson, author of The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking. Hutson claims that caring about your legacy–what people think of you after you’re gone–is an instance of magical thinking and is irrational. I don’t know about that.
Personally, I don’t plan on getting or giving any major cash from my parents or to my kids. I really hope I do and can, but it’s not like Mitt Romney is my dad. I wish! I mean, Ojala!
Moby Dick.
Oh my god, it’s been almost three decades since I’ve escaped high school and that title still nauseates me. The-book-that-shall-not-be-named was assigned to me in the 11th grade. I read the first three words, “Call me Ishmael” and lapsed into a deep coma. The book was long, the type was tiny and I knew better than to attempt to read it.
Instead, I did what any normal high school student would do and got the Cliff Notes. Remember Cliff Notes?
But even the Cliff Notes that served me so well with Great Expectations and The Scarlett Letter were unreadable in their Moby Dick versions. They were long and torturous and good lord, it’s a whale, get over it already!
Moby Dick is the book that steered me away from becoming an English major.
I had such a profound dislike for it that I asked some of my friends which books tortured them in high school. Click through to check the selections and add your own! Because together, we can heal.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. And a lot of pain and suffering.
Kacy Faulconer 
Marinka 
DadCAMP 
Jen at PIWTPITT 
Mandy Cheney 
Stacie Haight Connerty 
Devan McGuinness 
Lori Garcia 
Meghan Gesswein 
Amber Doty 
Casey Mullins 
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