Kids, Choices and Guilt
Posted by Clair
When your child is hurt, your heart breaks. When you think your child might be hurt, or he might be faking, your heart is filled with angst-ridden guilt. How do you know what to do? That is the million dollar question. And, after 2 kids, I can say with 100% certainty that regardless of whether you race him to the ER or tell him he is fine and just put ice on it, you made the wrong choice.
Two months ago I made the wrong choice. We raced to the doctor to get an x-ray. He was fine, nothing (and I mean nothing) showed up as even slightly abnormal on the x-ray. So, last weekend when he fell from the monkey bars and said his leg hurt I figured he was fine. 4 hours and many ice packs later, he was still complaining. So, after much deliberation I finally took him [...]
To Respectfully Disagree
Posted by Martha
Confession time: I’m a pusher. When the opportunity presents itself, I share my political views with my kids. I am all for their independent thinking and building their own opinions and values of the world. But something in me cannot just leave it up to chance. What if Chelsea Clinton had grown up to be a Republican congresswoman? What if one of the Bush twins were the newly elected chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee? Call me a control freak.
The good news is that when we have political banter at the dinner table, it doesn’t get very heated because my husband and I are on the same page. The kids are starting to take part in the discussion, at least for short bursts. But last night at dinner, an important question was brought up by my 7-year old. Why, he asked, did the president refer to his opponent as Mr. [...]
History Lesson
Posted by Clair
My daughter has started her state history unit in school. I remember 2 years ago when my son had the same unit. It was fun to talk with him about the rich history of our state. But, what I am noticing is that although it may be the same teacher teaching the same unit, what I am getting out of it at home is quite different this time around.
My son told me all about the role we played in the Revolutionary War. He knew all sorts of tidbits of information regarding forts, weapons, military, etc. He could spout off facts like the state flower, state bird, state flag and state sport. But, when I ask him now about that unit all he remembers is that the state unit means school is almost over, and, [...]
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 [...]
The Fight
Posted by Ward
I was at work yesterday and my phone rings. As most people do, I checked the phone number to see if I recognized it. It was one of those familiar looking numbers that I just couldn’t place. So, feeling like I needed to add a little risk to my day in the office, I answered the call. Turns out it was the principal of my sons’ school. She said, “Andrew was in a fight today and I would like to meet with you, Andrew and his mother tomorrow morning to discuss this.”
My first reaction was to ask if he won, but I stopped in mid-sentence and asked if the boys involved were OK. I kind of already knew Andrew would be – he’s just that kind of a kid.
Andrew is six and actually having a pretty good year in kindergarten, so this was a surprise. And, although he is a stocky, tough [...]
Trick-or-Treat
Posted by Erin
I am not a “crafty” person. I say that in the most generous interpretation possible…I mean, I’m just completely clueless when it comes to decoupage and papier mache and all that good stuff. I have lots of ideas for things (I could make a whole list of failed or not attempted craft ideas-tiled coffee table, mosaic pictures frames, handmade skirts) but I have neither the time nor skills to pull them off. Except for one thing: Halloween costumes. I come from a long line of Halloween devotees. My father has always dressed up in increasingly sophisticated costumes and he’s set the bar pretty high. So when my kids came along, I picked up the family tradition and starting making costumes. I released my inner Martha Stewart. I think what saved me is that I could use any material, and no one expected the costumes to last longer than one night. [...]
My Kids – They Love to Hate Each Other
Posted by Clair
I was smart, crazy, whatever you want to call it, and I had my kids close together…18 months close. The first 2 or 6 years were a blur, but now, as they are getting older it is a lot of fun. They are becoming individual people. They are no longer a package deal. When they were little, they were known as “A and B”, now “A” is developing his own interests and social circles, and “B” is finding her own way out from under her big brother’s shadow. Logistically this new found independence is tricky, but it is amazing to watch them develop interests, follow dreams, and work towards goals – their own goals.
As wonderful as this all sounds, they are also discovering how irritated they truly are by each other. They now realize that they don’t have to rely on each other to do everything. “A” now sees that [...]
Order Up!
Posted by Erin
Dinner time is chaotic around here. Well, let me clarify. When the three of us actually sit down to eat, it’s really quite nice. We have always valued the sanctity of the family meal…the kids know that I feel very strongly about taking a few moments to relax and share the best parts of our day. It took some time to establish the routines (taking turns setting the table, no handheld computers, no Blackberry for mom, using our manners all the time), but I think it’s one of my favorite parts of the day. However, in the last year or so, the prep time for these family meals has increased dramatically! When they were much younger, they were picky eaters, like all other kids. But then we moved past that point, and we were all able to enjoy whatever it was I could get on the table. But last year, [...]
Plugged In
Posted by Erin
I was listening to public radio the other day and I heard a great story about multi-tasking. The point of the segment was that all of the technology that we rely on daily has actually changed the way our brains function. Our brains (and those of our teenagers) have actually changed to accept lots of little bits of information all at once. We’re actually more efficient when we are being bombarded with tidbits on a constant basis, right? So this NPR story is my excuse for being plugged in, constantly. I got my first cell phone when I was in college. It was huge, minutes were a fortune, and calls got dropped all the time. But I had the cell phone and it was great in an emergency. I’m not sure exactly when [...]
Bathroom MacGyver
Posted by Clair
When I go into my son’s bathroom I find the usual toothpaste, toothbrush, wadded up towels, piles of clothes, and such. But, I also find the not-so-usual duct tape, pocket knife, action figures, Guinness Book of World Records, paper, pencil, and Sweet Tarts. Sweet Tarts, really? What. Is. He. Doing. In. There?
So, as any good mother would do, I set up a recon mission.
Objective: Discover what The Boy is doing in the bathroom.
Step one: Clean the bathroom. Yes, I cleaned it. I wanted it done to my specifications; after all, this is an official mission, of sorts.
Step two: Use the kitchen timer to see EXACTLY how long he is in the bathroom.
Step three: Re-enter the bathroom after his extended stay to compare mental before-and-after notes.
Step four: Confront said child and explain the purpose of the bathroom, [...]
