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Strollerderby
Mama doesn't always know best. Especially when the last time she parented was 30 years ago.
Let’s be honest. Most of us just bumble and fumble our way through parenting. None of us know exactly what we’re doing. Especially when we brought the first baby home. That’s why we give a lot of credibility to what our parents tell us because, well, because they’ve been there done that. They should know what they’re doing, right?
Wrong.
Sometimes myths just keep getting passed on from one generation to another. Maybe, by coincidence, it worked for someone somewhere along the lines so they swear it works and tell their children and their children tell their children and pretty soon myth morphs into parenting fact.
Yahoo Shine has a fascinating article on the most outdated parenting advice. I read it and was astounded as my very own mother has me believing several myths on the list.
Here’s are some of the myths being dispelled. Continue reading »
Kids grow up — it’s a fact of life. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, what with college and starting a career and grandkids and all. But along the way, there are going to be rough spots and the biggest of these, for parents, at least, may very well be puberty. One way to handle the issue is to ignore it, of course, leaving your child’s education up to the schools and the schoolyard, but that’s generally not considered ideal. Talking to one’s children about sex, however, has got to be pretty high up there on the list of Things Parents Don’t Want To Do.
Ahhh yes, the news drought of the holidays is in full swing, begetting stories like this one from the unfortunately-named “The Mommy Files” blog: The Top Parenting Trends of 2009.
Okay, despite my snark, I think this is really more or less on the money. What’s writer Amy Graff’s take on what we were talking about this year?
One was recent — a New York Times magazine article from last week that talks about being married, happily, with issues. The very long article tracks a writer’s journey through various forms of marital therapy, and was actually very interesting in that many of the appraoches seemed to dredge up more problems than they actually solved. Continue reading »
Don’t eat Pop Rocks and Coke. Don’t swim after eating.
Don’t sit too close to the television. Dry your hair before you go out. If you pee in the pool, the water will change color and everyone will think you’re a baby and you’ll never go to prom.
I actually remember a few of these commands from on high, mostly the TV thing and the eating and swimming thing. In fact, I made my daughter stay out of a friend’s pool after a barbecue on a hot day, just because some garbled piece of information floating around the ether of my brain.
Myths. All myths. Continue reading »
Let’s say you’re an elementary school teacher and your students’ moms show up to a parent conference in low cut shirts, mini skirts or tight jeans. Would it be appropriate to write a note asking them to dress “discreetly” for conferences instead? A rather humorous letter was sent to advice columnist “Ask Amy” in The Los Angeles Times earlier this week…
One day last week, I had no less than three strangers make suggestions to me on how to parent my kids. Annoying, yes, but I’m grateful for one thing: No one tried to slap them or spank them.
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
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