Top Five Lies Said to My Toddler
Posted by G.I. Jane
I don’t even know how I got myself into these lies; they just happened. I think they appeared somewhere between trying to get through the day and knowing what’s best for my daughter. Not a good excuse, I know.
This past weekend I was consciously aware of the lies, or little fibs as I now like to think of them, that I repeatedly made. Here are my top five:
- Have one more bite and I’ll…fill in the blank with whatever sounds enticing to a kid. My toddler is going through the grazing stage and forgets to eat. Therefore, I’ll nudge her to take a bite every now and then…just so I know she’s getting some food. My “one more bite” is a lie. It’s usually three or four before I’m caught not doing what I promised.
- It’s broken. In an effort to not change the DVD every minute, or giving her my phone, or letting her wear my nice [...]
Battling Stress
Posted by G.I. JaneAs a first time parent—side note, at what point I stop referring to myself as that I’m not clear, but I digress—I am constantly questioning, analyzing and evaluating my actions and my daughter’s behavior in some attempt to demystify this thing called parenting.
Working for an educational childcare company is somewhat of an occupational hazard. Part of my job description is to look at parent-focused topics, which then leads me to question (a.k.a. obsess over) my own parenting skills, or lack thereof.
That questioning creates anxiety for me, which I think causes some stress for my daughter or at least impacts her. This creates a never-ending cycle of frustration, stress and meltdowns…for her and me. I’m constantly over-analyzing her tantrums, her attitude, her interactions with me, only to wonder if it’s a result of something I’m doing wrong.
But what I’ve discovered is stress in children is a very real thing that needs [...]
Can I teach my Daughter Confidence Now?
Posted by G.I. JaneI call my 13-month-old daughter beautiful every day. I tell her she’s so pretty. I smile when my husband looks down at her smiling face and says it, but are those words going to give her confidence down the road as a teenager? In a TODAY article, teen girls are asking the Internet if they are ugly and I felt a flutter of panic for the future with a teenage daughter.
As a first-time mom, I tend to analyze – perhaps over analyze – how everything I do or say may affect my daughter’s future. Though that may be extreme, I can’t help but read stories like this and others that leave me scouring parenting articles or consulting with friends on how to give my child the confidence she needs to ensure she never reaches this point.
Is it confidence they are lacking or attention they are seeking, or are the [...]
Check out our Parenting Essentials Newsletter!
Posted by Auntie EmParenting Essentials Newsletter – January 2012
Modern Day Mom
Posted by ClairAs we sat down to dinner as a family last night, it dawned on me…we are THAT family. You know the one. The family that is only home to run in, drop bags by the door, change clothes and run out; the family that often eats out of paper bags and drinks using straws; the family that has more luck finding clothes in the dryer or laundry baskets than in the closet…you know us.
There are days (many) where I feel like I have somehow failed the parenting gods. I often feel that as a working mother of children heavily involved in sports and activities, I have done a poor job of being June Cleaver. I don’t cook from recipes, I don’t know how to sew (not even a button), I don’t use the iron (a spray of Febreeze and a run through the dryer usually does the trick).
But, last night, [...]
Teeny Weeny Bikini for Baby?
Posted by G.I. Jane
My husband and I decided to enroll our five-month-old daughter in a swim class this summer – more for the sake of a fun family activity than the need to teach a five month old how to swim. So we were left with the task of finding two things: swim diapers and a bathing suit.Swim diapers were easy…check. Finding a bathing suit, technically, was easy but while looking I found something a bit disturbing: string bikinis for babies? I personally have no problem with a two-piece bathing suit for my infant daughter – the sight of her milk belly and little bellybutton makes my heart melt – but a string bikini? With small triangles tops covering non-existent lady parts? And strings holding up the bottoms? Is it just me [...]
Welcome to Mommyhood
Posted by G.I. Jane
There appears to be a time where you officially step back and think “I’m a mom.” I knew it would come one day, but the way it came about is not exactly what I pictured.Here’s how I envisioned this life-changing moment:
My daughter and I would be at the park on a glorious spring day, spread out on a blanket, enjoying the warm weather and playing with toys. Of course, I never had to worry about bouts of crying and fussiness, preventing us from going places or enjoying a day out together. No, no…we would be laughing together and giggling without a care in the world. And then, the sun would shine perfectly down upon her sun bonnet, which matched her perfectly coordinated outfit and I would see her beautiful face and know … I’m [...]
The Ketchup Packet
Posted by WardDriving 4 hours back from a two-day business trip, I tell myself that if my oldest son completed his homework, I would take both boys to Chick-fil-a (our favorite place to dine). I go into the school to pick them up from after-school care to find out that homework was not totally completed (“because I like to do spelling with you, dad,” my son says if he knows that my blood pressure rises when I hear that homework wasn’t done). I tell myself that he will get it done at home after dinner and before mom gets home, so it will be OK. What was I thinking?!?!?
We go in, order our food, and take it to our table. I lay out the chicken nuggets, the fruit cup (yes, I make my kids eat the fruit cup instead of fries), the milk, and condiments and head off to the bathroom. Gone [...]
Kids Spell the Darnest Things
Posted by ClairI know that “virgin” is not a bad word…the billboards all around town say so – literally. But, it is still not a word that my husband or I want to have to explain to my 7 year old…not yet. So, last weekend when my husband and daughter were driving through the city and came upon the “VIRGIN – it’s not a bad word” billboard the panic set in as he prayed she wouldn’t see/read it.
Let me tell you a few things about my daughter. She is 7. She is VERY DRAMATIC. She is a wordsmith/linguistic genius. Any word she learns becomes immediately a part of her vocabulary. She will find a way to weave these new vocabulary words into all of her conversations. Virgin is not necessarily one that we need to have dropped in to a conversation she has with my mother over a long-distance phone call – [...]
Children without Borders
Posted by Martha
Ten days of vacation has transformed me from Joan Crawford to a hybrid of Martha Stewart and MacGyver with hair that is not as lustrous. My two children and I spent long days together playing games, taking field trips and generally being agreeable with each other. So much so that they commented on how much fun I am when I don’t worry about being late all the time. My prized project for the week was an HGTV-style makeover of the basement playroom into a fantasy land (and kids’ safe haven for mommy’s cocktail hour) for school-aged children. All the neighborhood moms would smugly roll their eyes as they described my playroom to each other. In one corner, a complete classroom including a wall of chalkboard, maps of the world and a how-to-write-proper-cursive alphabet border. [...]
