He’s a Runaway
Posted by Ward
Recently, my older son, who is now eight, has been learning to deal with his emotions. He has a tendency to turn small episodes into large emotional outbursts. After talking to friends, I have discovered this is a normal developmental stage that he will outgrow, though not soon enough for me.
Last Saturday, after getting up, I suggested he clean his room and the basement to earn his allowance. After about a half an hour, I go down to the basement and find that he and his brother are playing with their vast Lego collection. I told them that this is not how you earn allowance, and no allowance will be given if the room is not cleaned.
That comment sent my older son into an emotional tizzy with a barrage of outbursts, including: “You don’t love me!” “You think I’m a rotten kid!” “Nobody likes me!” All followed by a stomping up [...]
Changing Child Care is No Joke
Posted by G.I. Jane
Before I had a child, child care was just one more thing that came with the territory, a necessity for working parents. When I became pregnant, researching and finding child care suddenly became an overwhelming task, but without knowing exactly what to look for or expect it wasn’t real. It was like the empty crib in the nursery – I know what it’s for and it looks pretty but it was just furniture. When I had my daughter, dropping her off at child care became a scary reality. I had to leave my baby…with someone who was almost a complete stranger.
After weeks of settling in, crying on my way to work and texting my child care provider daily, I was able to relax and trust that my daughter was [...]
Reminders
Posted by Erin
As a single mom, I find myself bearing the majority of the child-rearing heavy-lifting. Occasionally (frequently), I find myself needing a little reminder that there are bigger and more important things in life than the minutiae of motherhood. In fact, I need this reminding so often that I’ve started a note on my iPhone. I thought I would share it, in the hopes that someone else (who is likely scrubbing milk out of the shag rug or cutting the crusts of the sandwiches once again) might benefit.
Children are our future: Yes, this is a song title. But it’s a song title for a reason. Society depends on the propagation of the species, and someone will need to cut the crusts of the toast when I’m old enough to be toothless. I take care of my kids now in the hopes that they will return the favor one day.
The center of [...]
