We Hired You, Now Babysit Our Kids

The advertisement was for a part-time legal assistant at a busy Austin, Texas law firm. So why do half the duties include taking care of the lawyer’s kid?

Daycare seems to be getting lumped into a lot of job descriptions lately. The biggest question: is it because of the economy that the jobs are being advertised or because of the economy that people are actually taking the gig? Continue reading »

They Say: Kids More Stressed Than We Think

Think your kids are stressed?  According to the American Psychological Association, you don’t know the half of it.   The APA just released their Stress in America survey and for the first time ever, they included young people in the study. Not only did they discover that kids are more stressed than you might think, they also found that parents are often clueless about what their kids are worrying about.

More than 1,200 kids aged 8 to 17 were polled about  issues relating to stress and, not surprisingly, 44% said that they worry about doing well in school.  What is surprising, however, is that 30% of those surveyed admit to worrying about money.  No, not their allowances.  Kids are worried about the family finances.

In this economy, with so many parents worrying about money, it shouldn’t surprise us that our kids are picking up on it. But when asked what they thought their kids were worried about, the parents in the survey pointed to extracurricular activities.  In reality, only about 10% of the kids surveyed said non-school activities were a source of stress.

Also interesting was what the survey revealed kids were not worrying about. Despite the fact that many parents assumed their children worry about family relationships, only 8% of kids agreed that their parents were a source of stress.

The upshot, says Stanley Greenspan, a clinical professor at George Washington University, is that parents need to tune in to what their kids are really feeling.  Thinking that you are shielding them by not discussing financial worries is a mistake.  They know what’s going on and they are worried.

Image: sxc.hu

College Tuition Growing as Fast as Your Kid

It seems that higher education may be the only business that’s currently recession-proof.  According to a survey released by the College Board, tuition at 4-year private colleges spiked 4.4% this year to over $26,000.  Students at public institutions got an even bigger hit:  up 6% for both in-state and out-of state students, to over $7,000 and $18,000 respectively.

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When It Isn’t the Baby Keeping You Awake

For most of us, the first weeks or months after a new baby are a haze of sleeplessness. But for some mothers, it never quite goes away. Instead, we develop postpartum insomnia, staring at the ceiling while our babies snooze blissfully away.

And that, I can tell you as someone who’s contending with it right now, pretty much sucks. I’ve gone from being someone who sleeps like the dead for as many hours as I can cram in to someone who usually wakes at least once or twice in the night. And then the real fun starts — I worry about money, about the economy, about rising crime and plummeting property values in my neighborhood, about swine flu, car accidents or many other ills which could befall my kids. And just as I am starting to think I might be able to go back to sleep, my husband commences snoring, or the kitten decides it’s playtime, or one or both of my kids needs some attention.

As one of the insomniacs profiled in the story says, “your brain goes to these really dark, twisted places, which, in the cold light of day, seem like nothing.”

I’d be willing to bet that lots of parents are experiencing this right now. We’re living in very anxious times, and the kind of small interruptions you’d normally be able to roll right over and ignore can snowball into big anxious worries at night. The story has a few suggestions: first, do what you can to break the cycle by taking medication, leaving the house for the night, even taking to a spare bed somewhere in the house and putting your kids and spouse on notice that you are not to be disturbed. Exhaustion can breed anxiety which breeds insomnia, so breaking the cycle by getting a few good nights of sleep can sort of hit the “reset” button.

Also, try to avoid middle of the night interruptions to prevent those scary thoughts from creeping in.Your body transitions into a pre-awakening lighter sleep at around 3 am, and being stressed and hyperalert can make your body very receptive to those waking-up signals. And finally, breathe slowly and consciously to relax and allow yourself to fall back asleep.

My trick? Naming all 50  states. It’s engaging enough to keep my mind from wandering, but boring enough that eventually I just drift off.

Anybody else out there? And do you have any tricks to beat it? Share!

Cheap Ass Halloween Costumes to Make Your Children Sad

Some parents really go all out to make Halloween a special occasion for their children. And some parents wake up from a drunken stupor on October 31st, roll of the couch and exclaim, “It’s Hallow what?! Fine, kid, put this paper bag on your head. Now you’re the ghost of a tree. Happy, skedaddle!”

Some parents will spare no expense to make Halloween as depressing as possible. These are those parents’ kids.

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Military Recruiting Goes Up As Economy Goes Down

It seems that the Pentagon has had a better year than most of us — and its best year since 1973.  Its best year for new recruits, that is.  All four branches of the military — the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps — met their recruitment goals for both active duty and reserve personnel for the fiscal year that ended September 30.

Continue reading »

RIP Cookie, Hello Conceive Magazine

It’s been a bad year for print and parenting with Cookie’s demise this week and Wondertime earlier this year. If we breeders ever needed some good news, it was now.

So here it is: Just as Conde was pulling plugs, Bonnier Corp was actually shelling out cash this week - and for a parenting title to boot. Continue reading »

Schools Say Bye Bye Bake Sale

First it was the in-class birthday party. Now schools are kicking the bake sale off campus.

The reason? Say it with me now: childhood obesity. Continue reading »

American Girl Teaching Homelessness for $95

The new American Girl doll is just like any girl in America - struggling with the economic downturn. In fact Gwen Thompson is homeless.

But don’t expect the average American girl to afford her.

If you want to teach your little darlings about the harsh realities of the world, you’ll have to pay $95 for the honor. Continue reading »

Coming Soon: LEGO the Movie and the Board Game

Two of the coolest toys on the planet and the two dreaded opponents of parent’s feet come late night stumble to the bathroom have joined forces.

LEGO is going to make a board game. We’re expecting eensy weensy pieces - preferably brick shaped.

Better for our feet Continue reading »