Why I'm Teaching My Kid NOT to Share!

By Stefanie Wilder-Taylor on June 8, 2012

People make a huge deal about their kids sharing.

At any given time in any given playground you will hear a chorus of moms and dads yelling, “Honey, share with your sister,” “Lucy, can you let that other little boy use your shovel?” “Ian, give your friend some of your goldfish crackers!”

We as a society are big on sharing. It seems that we find it to be a reflection of our own and our child’s good manners. I’m not immune to the pressure to make my children share but lately I’ve been wondering why we insist on forcing this issue when it clearly doesn’t come naturally.

My fourteen-month-old twins are already fighting over toys, attention and their fuh-fuh blankets (I know fuh-fuh is cloying but my friend Diana came up with the name for those little taggy blankets from Target. The real name is Chi-Chi which happens to be slang for boob in Spanish so I went with her on fuh-fuh). I’m pretty sure if left to their own devices my girls would fight to the death over a yogurt covered blueberry that fell on the floor. It’s a good thing I don’t keep any weaponry lying around the house or it would be like medieval times around here. And the only person in this house who detests sharing more than the babies is Elby, their four-year-old sister. At the mere sight of one of her sisters grabbing for one of her toys, Elby reacts like she’s being mugged - which I guess she sort of is. “No Mattie,” she’ll scream, “That’s mine!”

Of course my first reaction is to ask her to share but at the same time I sort of get it. I just have to put myself in her size nine light-up shoes to realize, sharing sucks. Why would I want to let anyone who comes in contact with something of mine have it? What if a friend of mine came into my office right now while I was writing this and just started grabbing my computer? I’d be pissed. So why do I expect my child to just hand over her prized possessions? And by prized possessions, I mean anything she’s claimed ownership of in the span of her existence.

At my daughter’s preschool, if a child pees their pants and doesn’t have a spare pair of underwear, that child will be given a pair out of another kid’s backpack. How do I know this? Because Elby’s been on the receiving end of quite a few pairs of someone else’s Cinderella panties during the months after the babies were born and she had a few months of potty regression (read: a year). I wonder how I’d feel if someone at work broke a heel on their shoe and the boss just grabbed a pair of my Jimmy Choos and handed them over? I’ll never know because A) I don’t work in an office and B) I’ve never owned a pair of shoes that cost more than fifty bucks but still!

Granted there are times when all kids need to share - like when they have a friend over for a playdate and the other kid doesn’t think to bring their entire collection of toys with them so they have something to do - and at those times, I guess we as parents have to be the Share Police because plain old reasoning never seems to work.

But, the next time I’m at the park and another kid hops on my kid’s bicycle, I may not be so quick to insist that she “let the other child try it for a little while.” I may just tell her that it’s okay to say “Sorry but that’s mine.” After all, if I don’t know you and you decide to take my Volvo for a spin around the neighborhood, you’re going to get the exact same response.

The more I think about it, the less natural sharing seems to be and the less apt I am to insist that my child do it against her will. There’s something so sweet about Elby’s face when she decides on her own to let Sadie hold one of the million stuffed animals on her bed or when she hands over a bite of her ice cream sandwich to Mattie after asking, “Can Mattie try some of my ice cream, mommy? It’s really yummy.”

View the original article here

No Kids Allowed: Businesses That Ban Children?

By Leslie Morgan Steiner on May 17, 2012

When my first child was born, I lived in New York City. My husband and I were accustomed to eating breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert in restaurants far more often than our own kitchen.

We got a rude awakening the first time we tried to take our adorable infant to my favorite Italian restaurant. Think red-checked tablecloths, candles, and olive oil imported from Tivoli. I was on first-name terms with both the ricotta ala rigatoni and the maître’d.

Paolo took me and the baby bassinet deep into the back of the restaurant. I’d never noticed this dark, ugly, ill-lit room with white plastic patio furniture. There were white paper placemats and crayons on every table.

Thanks to my beloved baby, I’d been relegated to the children’s room. My reaction embarrassed me even in my post-partum euphoria. The children’s dining room was apposite for other parents and their loud, bratty kids. But me and my sweet little bundle? No way. My child was perfect and so was I. How dare they? I never went back.

McDain's Restaurant in Monroeville, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh, made national headlines recently for a different solution: banning kids under six entirely. Owner Mike Vuick opened the restaurant nine years ago. Loud and ill-behaved young children have become an increasing disruption, he says. But it’s not the kids who’ve gotten worse. The real culprit? Parents like me, who think our kids could be nothing less than utterly adorable even when they are throwing spaghetti across the room.

“Parents have gradually diminished their cooperation,” Vuick explained, adding that the new policy is strictly in response to customer complaints. He has gotten hundreds of emails in support of the policy.

I can be objective about this issue - as long as we are not pointing the finger at my family. Businesses who frown on children as clients are being completely reasonable. They are not prohibiting children, per se. They have every right to ban people who scream, throw ice cubes, and knock over tables - no matter what their age.

Ditto for airlines. Flight attendents have the legal right to restrain or eject passengers who hurl insults, refuse to fasten their seatbelts or obey crew commands because of alcohol or drug use, right? Why should the bar be lower for children?

Apparently Malaysia Airlines agrees, because they recently barred children from first class, period. I’ve never flown first class in my life, but whenever I walk through those spacious aisles on my way back to coach, it does irk me to see young kids swimming in those plush seats. (Truth be told, everyone in first class irks me.) So I understand Malaysia Airlines banning babies from traveling first class on Airbus A380 jets, as well as Boeing 747-400 jets. If I ever were to spend thousands on a first class ticket, presumably I would be springing for space, peace, and quiet. Not a two-year-old in a stinky diaper next to me.

Now we were all kids once. Young children cannot be expected to behave according to Emily Post in restaurants, airplanes, funeral homes, libraries, and other enclosed, shhhh spaces. Which brings us back to Mike Vuick’s point: it’s not the kids’ fault. Why do parents bring their children to these places and expect A) the kids to behave or B) paying adults to condone unacceptable behavior in strangers’ kids that we’d never tolerate in other adults?

This issues bifurcates me completely, as I clumsily but honestly tried to explain recently on Michel Martin’s NPR show exploring this vexing corner of politically-correct parenting. When my kids are out of sight, I see the rational adult and business point of view. No kids allowed! But when it’s my kids who are misbehaving (and trust me, even at 14, 12 and 9 they still do) I take it incredibly, irrationally personally. When someone shoots me a nasty look or seats me at the table next to the kitchen door, my primal reaction? Don’t criticize me or my kids! Anyone who tried to kick my family out of any establishment would be visited with a loud, banshee mama bear scene. So as long as there are parents like me on airplanes and in restaurants and other fine establishments, I guess the no-kids policy is the only logical way to prevent us from ruining the world for everyone.

View the original article here

Kids Have No Filter: Collection of Favorites

Last week, we featured a blog post called "Frank and Funny: Kids Have No Filters." It's about those moments when your child says something totally embarrassing and you wish the floor would just open up and swallow you whole.

You know what we're talking about - you're in a public place, when all of the sudden your little darling loudly points out some observation or repeats something you once told them.

So we asked our readers to share some of their stories and we were overwhelmed by the responses! From funny to mortifying, it seems like we've all been there.

Here are some of our very favorites:

"My son's first sentence was copying me in a bit of road rage from being ran up a curb. "Freaking hag!" he told everyone." - @SeekingMartha

"She farted really loud in the doctor's office and said. 'Mommy... was that you?' He brother taught her that." - Kimberly

"In a public restroom, my oldest son, then two, asked me very loudly, 'Mommy, where'd your winky go?! Did it fall off?!'" - Barbara

"My friend's little one asks me - loudly - in the Michael's Craft store, 'Jen, why is that man so fat? Wait, is that a man or a woman?'" - @_BelleLaVie_

"At a truck stop with my 3 year old daughter Ruca, she saw a man with a turban on and yelled 'Mom, that's a funny looking genie'" - Amberly

"My almost 4-year-old the other day in Rita's Italian Ice: 'Hey mom! Look at that man who ate so much. He keeps eating and gets bigger and bigger. Like a giant 'cept he doesn't get too tall.'" - Amanda

And the one that tops them all:

"My daughter was 2 and a half and I was very pregnant with my third child. She thought the only way I could be pregnant was to eat a baby. We had talked about it on the way to the store and she was very angry with me, asking how could I have a baby in my belly if I didn't eat it first. When we got to the store she would yell at anyone with a baby, 'Watch your baby, my mom eats them. Look!' as she's pointing to my belly." - Crystal

View the original article here

A New Strategy For Bullying: Teaching Resilience

By Donna Volpitta on May 15, 2012

The media is filled with news about bullying. The question is, does all of the attention help to decrease the bullying? Unfortunately, the answer is not clear.

In order to address bullying, we need to try a different strategy, one that addresses the roles that kids choose. We need to focus our attention on teaching kids resilience. We need to teach kids how to respond to bullying challenges by making better choices.

Facing challenges is a part of life. Resilience is how we respond to those challenges. When we teach resilience, we are teaching kids how to respond to challenges in a way that builds their confidence and makes them feel good about themselves.

In any bullying scenario, kids take on one of three roles: the bully, the victim, and/or the bystander. Let’s take a look at one possible challenge facing each role. The bully faces the challenge of trying to negotiate social roles. He wants to gain social status, and bullying has probably proven to be a successful strategy in gaining that status. The victim faces the challenge of how to stop being teased or hurt. He is trying to avoid the hurt and stop the situation. The bystander faces discomfort with what he is witnessing and faces the challenge of deciding how to respond.

With each of these roles, there is a choice of responses. Our role as parents/educators is to teach kids strategies to enable them to make good choices that help them resolve a bullying situation successfully. Young children do not have the skills to negotiate complex social situations like bullying gracefully and successfully.

If we are going to reduce the harmful impact of bullying on children, they need to learn alternative strategies of how to handle those and other challenges. They have to learn how to negotiate their needs without resorting to “mean” behaviors. They need to learn how to advocate for themselves. They need to learn how to advocate for others.

Learning to read doesn’t just happen. Kids need to be taught. Similarly, learning to interact socially happens best when kids learn the skills to do it. Human beings are social creatures, but they need to learn how to empathize, share and negotiate. Kids need guidance to learn these skills and then they need opportunities to practice them.

So often they don’t get the chance because adults intervene and solve problems for them. Unstructured play time, when kids had the opportunity to work out their disagreements, has been replaced by organized activities (run by adults) and video games.

The increased awareness of bullying behavior represents an opportunity to teach kids resilience skills to negotiate and manage social challenges successfully. Luckily, these same skills can be translated to numerous other situations throughout their lives.

Resilience is our response to challenge, how we handle the situation. Resilient choices are those that leave us feeling good about ourselves. Let’s take this bullying phenomenon and use it to focus our attention on teaching resilience. Let’s teach kids how to respond to challenge in a way that keeps their integrity. When kids learn resilience, it translates to all types of challenges, from sharing toys on the playground, to sticking up for someone, to handling peer pressure.

Resilience can be taught, and it might be the most important lesson that kids can learn.

Donna Volpitta, Ed. D. and Joel Haber, Ph.D. are co-authors of the book The Resilience Formula: A Guide to Proactive--Not Reactive-- Parenting. For more information, visit their websites at www.URresilient.com and www.respectu.com

View the original article here

Can Your Ten Year Old Handle The Hunger Games?

By Leslie Morgan Steiner on April 9, 2012

“A little hope is good,” says the wicked President Snow in the best-selling science fiction novel, The Hunger Games. “But too much hope is very dangerous.”

Not sure how I missed the 23 million copies of Suzanne Collins’ novel containing that brilliant, chilling line that have sold since 2008. But I had never heard of the Young Adult trilogy until my 10-year-old daughter told me she wanted to see the movie. A precocious classmate who’d read the series in third grade had recommended it.

So I went out and read the book. And shortly afterwards, my 10-year-old and I went to see the movie together. She was the youngest person in the theater. The audience was largely teenagers, one of whom confessed she was seeing the movie for the third time in two weeks.

The next day I debated the merits of allowing 10-year-olds to read and watch what they please on Michel Martin’s NPR show, Tell Me More.

First, I am happy to report that Hollywood and the nation’s fiction writers are cooking up such high-quality, thought-provoking, nuanced and character-rich fare for our teenagers. This is no mindless "That’s So Raven" or" Zoey 101" shlock. Both the book and the movie were provocative and well-scripted, on par with other teenage dystopia fiction such as Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. The narrative’s main theme is injustice - power-crazed adults who force teenagers to battle and kill each other once a year, complete with parades of 13-year-old competitors and their gory deaths broadcast on national television -- and victory over that injustice.

A dark yet hopeful plot line sure to tantalize teenagers of any generation. Because teenagers, and perhaps a few 10-year-olds, know what it is to be filled with hope that you can change the world.

The Hunger Games also brims with themes of loyalty, courage, love, and the life-saving quality of trust among friends. Intriguing subplots include adult abnegation of responsibility, political corruption, societal bullying, the banality of reality TV, and the dangers of shallow luxurious excess. In addition to the violence everyone is talking about.

My 10-year-old daughter, who is not quite literate enough to handle The Hunger Games’ grammar and vocabulary, loved the movie as much as I did. I had to whisper a few warnings and plot translations in the dark theater. But essentially, she enjoyed the gravitas and drama. As for the violence, toned down to meet a PG-13 rating: frankly, we both found the previews for other movies to be far more frightening.

No doubt the idea of adults forcing teenagers to battle like gladiators for their own viewing pleasure is deeply disturbing. However, who are parents protecting when we refuse to expose our kids to a book like The Hunger Games? Kids know at an early age that life itself is disturbing. Most children are exposed in elementary school to bullying, favoritism, injustice, family deaths, divorce, even sexual abuse, family violence, and sometime deadly violence in their own communities.

By refusing to let our kids read or watch such “adult” fare, perhaps the only people we shelter are ourselves. We adults have a tendency to glamorize childhood, with an understandable desire to shield our kids from the realities of life. However, this instinct, taken to extremes, blocks kids from the path to adulthood. In some ways, it is more destructive to shield children from life’s grimmer truths. The message becomes “You can’t change the world because it is too dangerous and you are not strong enough” instead of “You can do it -- go ahead and try to fix what’s wrong out there.”

I’m not advocating premature exposure to violence. I, for one, have always banned gratuitously violent cartoons, video games, TV shows and movies from my household. Grand Theft Auto, for instance, wouldn’t survive long in my living room. But there is a rationale for kids to be exposed to some of life’s realities first via fiction, like Old Yeller, Julie of the Wolves, and The Hunger Games.

After all, fairy tales were invented to expose even very young children to a digestible level of life’s potential horrors. Stories, read or told, in many ways are far less disturbing than reality TV or big screen depictions of violence; your imagination works as a filter to titrate the dosage your mind can handle.

I don't believe in censoring books for kids of any age. Now, if my kids wanted to read my own book about domestic violence, Crazy Love, or something like 50 Shades of Grey, I might suggest waiting a few years -- or reading a chapter to see if nightmares ensued. But I would let them.

While watching The Hunger Games, the one plot detail that escaped my daughter was the narrative’s timing, based in a future, post-apocalyptic world called Panem. As I tucked her into bed that night, she was surprised when I explained that the time frame was the future, not the past. In her mind, she and her generation own the future; it belongs to them. The past, those backward, troubling, olden days, belong to me as her mother. Her response would have troubled President Snow -- and revitalized The Hunger Games heroine, Katniss.

“Mom,” my daughter whispered in distress as she settled in for the night -- warm and safe under the covers. “I always hoped the future would be a lot nicer than that.”

View the original article here

Why Do We Expect So Little of Our Boys?

By ModernMom Staff on March 19, 2012

The following is a guest post from Kristen Wolf, author of The Way.

Today I watched something unfold that upset me as a mother.

My five-year-old son and I had come to the zoo where one of his friends was having a birthday party. The group was a mix of boys and girls, with several mothers in attendance. We parents knew each other by sight, as our children attended the same school, but many of us had never spent any time together. So our outing was to be a "chit chat event" as I like to call them.

Given that it was the first sunny day after a long cold spell, many of the animals had come out to stretch and frolic. Thrilled to have so many creatures on view, our kids scampered from one enclosure to the next, roaring, squawking, and squealing with delight. It promised to be a good day.

Until we got to the jungle gym.

The zoo's playground featured colorful, life-size animals and the kids immediately hopped up. Nothing seemed awry until one boy, Brendan, started taunting another boy, Kirby. I knew Brendan from school. He and my son sometimes played together. He was an energetic kid who, I'd noticed, was sometimes a little aggressive.

Why Brendan had singled out Kirby that afternoon I don't know. Especially since it was clear Kirby wanted nothing to do with him. The verbal taunting escalated to a few jabs in the ribs.

By now, myself and a few other moms were craning their necks, looking for Brendan's mom who we all knew was there. When I spotted her on the perimeter, I was surprised to see her calmly watching the interaction. A vacant smile on her face.

I saw a few looks pass between the moms, but so far, no one wanted to take the taboo action of disciplining a child in front of their parent.

Brendan gave Kirby a solid push. Kirby ran away and took cover behind a zebra. Brendan pursued him. Not in a friendly way. I glanced again at Brendan's mother. No reaction.

Brendan pinned Kirby against the zebra, trapping the smaller child with his body. Intimidating him with his size. Kirby struggled to get free. Brendan then reached out and grabbed him by the collar.

"Hey Brendan!" I warned before I could stop myself. But it was too late. The five-year-old drew back his fist, quick as a shot, and sent it flying into Kirby's face.

Every mother on that playground heard the "whack."

Kirby dropped to his knees and I rushed out. He cried as I lifted him, blood already running from his lip.

Finally, Brendan's mother headed for her son. She guided him, almost reluctantly, by the elbow.

In a whispery voice, she told him "that wasn't nice" and that he needed "to take it easy." But the apologetic tone in her voice undermined any semblance of authority.

Brendan responded to her with utter disregard. Without acknowledging that she had spoken, he threw off her hold and ran back out to play. She called after him a few times, but he ignored her.

His mother then turned to face us, wagging her head, and pulling an exasperated "boys will be boys" face.

Meanwhile, I performed some "Kleenex triage" on Kirby and soon had him back out with the other kids. The rest of the party went off without a hitch and was deemed a great success.

But that night, I couldn't stop thinking about the incident. For some reason, it had really gotten under my skin.

Having witnessed lots of unsavory interactions between kids, I wondered what had gotten me so riled up about this event in particular?

In thinking about it, I realized I wasn't bothered by the fact that Brendan had been rough -- I'd seen plenty of playground brawls. Nor was I bothered by the bloody lip. I'd definitely seen worse.

But what had me troubled -- in fact, appalled -- was the interaction between Brendan and his mother. What her response demonstrated was a belief in the notion that boys possess an inherent right to be violent and aggressive. That they're, in fact, entitled to bad behavior because that's "just how they are."

However popular this notion, I've never bought into it. And I disagree with it even more vehemently now that I'm the mother of a son. I'm not arguing that differences don't exist between girls and boys. Nor am I claiming that boys don't have a biology that instills them with the tendency to be more aggressive.

But I am arguing that it's wrong to ignore, even condone, harmful behavior -- no matter its cause. And I'm equally asserting that no child, boy or girl, should be raised as if they have an inherent right to behave in ways that hurt others.

As a mom, I've been around enough boys to know that they are not born with a callous predisposition to wreak havoc. On the contrary! My son, like many of his friends, can be as sensitive, empathetic, and compassionate as any girl his age. Sometimes even more so! Does he still wield sticks and hit things? Does he build structures only to smash them apart? Does he relish running over things with his bike? Yes, yes, and yes!

But here's the difference: Unlike Brendan, my son is being raised under the mantle of "do no harm." Not under the assumption that he can't be held responsible for his actions. At our house, a line is drawn at behaviors that hurt someone or damage property. That limit is crystal clear and non-negotiable. And, popular notions aside, neither my son nor his friends seem to have any trouble understanding, or abiding by, this basic requirement.

I think why I find the event at the zoo so upsetting is because when you extrapolate out from it, when you multiply it by hundreds of thousands of boys around the world -- who eventually turn into men -- we see how it amplifies the possibility of grave and global violence, such as we are witnessing today in many parts of the world.

That's not the dream we have for our children, nor for children of the future.

So what can we do? As mothers, as parents, we can choose to swim against the prevailing opinion that expects so little of our sons, and start holding them accountable for their behavior.

And we can start believing that the greater power inside them is not the tendency to damage our world, but to change it, for the better.

Kristen Wolf, author of The Way, is a mother, writer, and filmmaker living in the Rocky Mountains. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Georgetown University and holds an M.A. in creative writing from Hollins University. This is her first novel.

View the original article here

"Boys Will Be Boys" and Other Annoying Assumptions

By Julie Cole on June 6, 2012

Last week I told my tween girls that I’d gotten them a subscription to a magazine. I thought they’d be excited, but instead they responded with “We don’t want it mom - we don’t want to read about lip gloss.”

Interesting. They already know what they’re being fed and don’t like what’s being served up. Once I explained that the subscription was to New Moon magazine and its website, they were appreciative of my gift.

A few short days later, my friend Annie over at PhD in Parenting wrote about gender and the things families can do to combat gender stereotyping. Her post is jam-packed with great advice and it got me thinking about some of the things I see and hear regularly that either confuse or bother me.

1) I recently saw a Mother’s Day card that had a picture of boys riding a go-kart, with the caption “raising boys - it’s an extreme sport.” Having six kids spread equally across both genders, I have not experienced that the boys are more daring, adventurous, or likely to get injured than the girls. Our broken-bone count is evenly spread throughout genders. I don’t like the expectation of boys being adventurous and girls being inactive. The expression “boys will be boys” puts me over the edge. Our children are equally likely to build a fort, catch a frog, hook a worm and work in the garden. We don’t have gender-specific sports, chores or expectations.

2) Sure, it was funny when I had my third daughter and everyone told Daddy-o he’d need a triple-barreled shotgun. But, really - not that funny. This notion that we must protect our daughters from their countless suitors ranks as annoying for me. My daughters will be well equipped to take care of themselves. Also troublesome is when adults try to inject romance into their children’s friendships. Comments about future husbands and little girlfriends, well - let’s face it, we are projecting our ideas of gender relationships on to them. Maybe we should just let them be kids for the five minutes that they actually are.

What about in your house? Does little Janey have a first grade boyfriend? Does your son shovel the driveway and your daughter set the table? What impact has gender had on your family - if any?

Julie Cole is the co-founding VP of Mabel’s Labels, the leading provider of labels for the stuff kids lose! Like her on Facebook - Mabel's Labels or follow on Twitter @juliecole and @mabelhood

View the original article here

When You Have 2 Kids, Do You Have to Buy 2 of Everything?

By Maria Lianos-Carbone on February 3, 2012

I am a mom of two boys.

‘Nuff said.

Seriously, if you have two boys (or three or four), you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The constant fighting, arguing, name calling – make it stop!

Every day it’s a new battle.  I live in a never-ending battle zone.  I may as well slap on some war paint and camouflage clothes.

My boys fight too much.  What do they even fight about?  

Mostly toys and video games. Yep… It never fails, my seven-year-old will insist on being Mario but my five-year-old doesn’t want to be Luigi.

Oh come on! 

They’ll also argue about the same toy.  This has been going on since the little one learned how to really exercise his lungs.

Buy two of each you say? I have refused to buy two of everything.  They have to learn to take turns and share, right?  Of course there are those moments I had only wished I caved in and bought a second toy so that I would have avoided the big headache.

The problem is, they are not just pleased with one of each.  Noooo!  My five-year-old will want both!  So how many Batman figurines am I supposed to buy? A dozen?  So they can have six each?

When one has a toy the other one wants, it’s like the devil has entered their body and possessed them.  Their eyes roll back, their faces get all contorted, they yell out these moans and groans that I didn’t know was even possible to come out of their tiny little bodies.

The only thing I find that works with teaching them to share a toy is by setting the timer on the stove to give them turns. 

That or threaten to throw the Wii out the window.

View the original article here

Readers Respond: When Is It Ok To Discipline Other People's Kids?

We recently published on article - "When Is It Ok To Discipline Other People's Kids?" - on when (and if) it's acceptable to step in and discipline another person's child and we were overwhelmed by responses!

While almost all of you agree that it's NEVER ok to use physical discipline, such as spanking, opinions were much more divided over whether an adult should step in and verbally address bad behavior.

Here's what we heard from our readers:

Should you say something to the parent or the child?

"If it is a stranger - you don't know what that person/family has been through that day, month, year. You don't know if there's something going on that is stressing the parent AND child out. Or it may just be "one of those days" for the child who typically IS an angel. And, yes, the child could just be a brat. But you don't know in that ONE instance what is happening to bring it on - do you really want to be the one who finally stomps that parent to their breaking point? Best to just breathe, walk away, and say a prayer!" - Lauren

"Say something non offensive, please. If it were my child, I would appreciate the positive parenting from a stranger. My son would quickly respond." - Melissa

"I'd rather a parent tell me not my kid. Besides I could do a better job at disciplining my kid than some stranger!" - Jana

"Personally, as long as it is non-offensive, I encourage others to call my kids out on their behavior. Sometimes it means more coming from someone other than the parent." - Rebecca

"I just roll my eyes and try to keep my mouth shut - unless they are going to get hurt. Most moms don't appreciate being told!" - Gwen

What should you do if the child is hitting or biting?

"We were at a restaurant where there is a small place for the kids to play. I saw another girl hit my daughter so I hurried over and bent down and told her that we do not hit other kids and that it was naughty. She ran to her parents' table and began crying as if I had just beaten her. I walked to the table and told the parents what happened and they apologized for it. I often see other kids hit with parents nearby and have no problem intervening if it is my child that was hit." - Jenifer

"I frequently babysit kids who are at the hitting stage. I never know if I can discipline when the parent doesn't react. Right now, I just threaten the kid with 100 kisses every time they hit. Works like a charm." - Serena

"We have a bully kid next door that is always rude to my kids. Her mom doesn't bother when her child throws rocks or pulls my kids' hair. I went straight to her child and she got upset with me. So we choose to no longer play with her." - Jennifer

What do you think? In what circumstances would you step in and discipline another person's child?

View the original article here

Do Insecure Moms Raise Insecure Children?

By Deanna Verbouwens on June 1, 2012

As another school year draws to an end, I thought this would be the year that I would make some “mom friends.”

You know: Shuffle our children off after school for play dates, go out to dinner every once in a while, get tipsy laughing over the school principal, maybe go for walks in the mornings... but it didn’t happen.

As a working mother, I feel lost, lonely, and left out amongst the tribe of mothers at my children’s elementary school. It’s an odd feeling. You feel like everyone is best friends and you’re the new kid at school.

Whether it’s true or not, it doesn’t matter. You’re not in the everyday mix, so you have to re-introduce yourself at every school function, every baseball game and every day at the pool or park. You feel like you’re in kindergarten again trying to make friends. The feelings of insecurity, and every little self-esteem issue you have or thought you put to bed, rises back to the surface like a volcano ready to erupt.

And I hate that.

As a working mother, one of the hardest things to do is to navigate yourself within the sea of the other parents; I’m not there at pick-up, at the playground, and I’m not around to have small-talk and develop friendships. I'm just not there. In some ways, I like that I’m not involved in the drama, but in other ways it’s hard because the real issue is not really how you are feeling, it’s how these feelings affect your children's feelings, self-esteem, and social lives. Let's face it, these days most of our children have better social lives than we do.

I know that I am projecting my insecurities about this onto my children.

And I hate that.

Don’t get me wrong, my boys have friends. They have play dates, but (and isn’t there always a “but”) they don’t get to see, play, and hang with their friends that often. The other day a group of their friends were playing on the lawn of our neighbors, as my boys were peering out the window like little puppies. I could see in their eyes that they wanted to go out there so badly. When they asked me to go play, it was one of the hardest things to do as a mom to tell them no and to explain to them that the neighbors were having a barbeque. I couldn’t let them go because I didn’t want to send them out there to set them up for a letdown. What would happen when they ran into the backyard to continue the barbeque fun? I tried to explain that it didn’t mean that those friends were not their friends; it’s just that sometimes we aren't invited. Truth be told, I was feeling left out too, so I quickly redirected their attention to something else. I thought I buried the issue nicely until the next day, as we drove past the neighbors house my eldest son said, “Mom, maybe next year we’ll be invited to that barbeque, and I can play with my friends”.

I cried. And I hate that I cried. But I did. I hate these feelings of insecurity. What's wrong with me? I'm a grown woman, secure in so many avenues of my life but this. This issue taunts me. Why am I so insecure over this?

I think it's because the guilt of not being home is hard enough, but now that it’s negatively affecting my children’s socialization, it's even tougher. If I was home I’d be around to mingle, make those connections and friendships, and so would my children. I have such feelings of angst over this, I was actually crying to my best friend about it. I found the support I needed, and thankfully she had gone through it as well. After she talked me off the insecurity ledge, I felt a lot better.

But, (here's that "but" again) the bigger question I believe is: How the heckdo I raise secure and confident boys if I'm not secure and confident?

I wish I had a concrete answer to this question, but I don’t. I know that I will continue to support my children and help build their confidence and self-esteem. I know that I will continue to foster my children’s friendships as best as I can as a working mother, and I know that it doesn’t matter if I have mom friends. I have an army of friends who I would do anything for, who love me, protect me, and support me. All I can do is the best I can with what I have, and that has to be good enough.

View the original article here

Parenting Secrets: 7 Horrifying Facts About Raising Boys

By Jacki Hayes on March 27, 2012

1. Pokemon, Bakugan, LEGOS, Ninetendo DS…(Whatever it is) ROCK

There will be something that your son is intensely interested in (obsessed with) that you could not care one flying leap about. He will talk about it incessantly and in great detail until you feel the need to stick a fork through your ear canals in order to free yourself from the pure torture.

2. Once he pees outside, he will never stop

I know it must be grand to whip it out and pee anywhere and everywhere, but once your son discovers this ability and joy, he will never want to stop, even if he is just 5 short feet from an indoor bathroom.

3. Farting is the funniest thing EVER

Not only is it funny, but it must be done and then announced at every single occurrence. And if someone else farts, we cannot allow them their dignity, we must proclaim it loudly for all the world to know. And then make-up songs to sing about it. Or fake it all with the famous arm-pit fart.

4. Burping is the next funniest thing EVER

Your son will guzzle whatever drink is near at hand just so he can produce the greatest burp possible. He will attempt to say the alphabet while burping, he will say burp while burping, he will do whatever he can while burping. He will rank his burps, and he will do this all at your family dinner, at a restaurant.

5. Feet stink like death

Do not, for the love of all that is holy, place your son’s feet, socks, or shoes closer than 25 feet from your nose unless you want your nose to literally peel off your face and run away. I suggest placing all footwear outside at all times, in a gallon of Febreeze.

6. Teeth can somehow get brushed without ever getting the toothbrush wet

I don’t get this one. You tell them to go brush their teeth, they stay in the bathroom for 45 minutes, and they still manage to come out having forgotten to brush their teeth. Then you ask them if they did and they are adamant that the teeth have been brushed, and yet the toothbrush is as dry as the Sahara.

7. They grow up, and none of this changes.

This is the scariest fact of all.

View the original article here

My Daughter WILL Dress Like a Girl!

By Me and Meg on April 9, 2012

My daughter thinks she is a boy.

I realized the chances of her being a tomboy were quite high, what with two older brothers and all.

I have absolutely no issue with that, except for where clothing is concerned.

I want her to be a tomboy in girlie clothing - is there even such a thing? I was hoping she would want to run around, get dirty, climb trees and wrestle all the while wearing a cute dress with her hair in beautiful pigtails. But it would seem, she has a different plan.

Last summer I could dress her in anything and she was down with it. In fact, it was actually a point of pride as I could hold it against my sister (who at the time was having trouble getting her daughter to cooperate with certain items). Now, my niece is walking around in gingham blazers and chinos, while my daughter has taken on the more stubborn approach her cousin formerly adhered to.

I am not giving in. I just purchased her a new spring coat; it's girlie but not over the top. I also grabbed a few rompers in floral fabrics - we will see how she handles those. As I type this post she is watching Transformers in her Optimus Prime costume. We went shoe shopping last week and she had the audacity to pick out these bad boys:

She knows where I stand on licensed goods: undies and pajamas only. I had to talk her off the ledge when she realized we were leaving the store and her Super Hero Squad Crocs were staying put.

On a positive note, she did want to wear a hair band last week; but she also spends the majority of her nights playing mini-sticks, as in hockey, with her brothers - that's a whole other can of worms.

Bottom line, I'm just not ready for her to dress like a boy.

Meg

View the original article here

Should Parents Bribe Their Children?

By Princess Ivana Pignat... on April 22, 2012

"Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of." - Anonymous

“Good boy!” My toddler says those two words like they are magic. He points at himself proudly. “I no hit Sienna. Cookie.” He waits for his reward. But I just look at him with a note of dismay, so he adds another magic word. “Please.”

When did Alessio get in the driver’s seat and start demanding rewards instead of earning them? It seems to have crept out of nowhere. Akin to watching a horror film, where the stalker materializes out of thin air.

At first the cookies were a special treat. He got them once in a while, always linked to accomplishing something that was hard for him or new. Incentives, I called them back then. Now the word incentive has been replaced with a more accurate one: Bribe.

I try to explain why not hitting his little sister isn’t worthy of a cookie, though in Alessio’s mind, hitting Sienna is the worst thing he could do, and so not doing it must be the best thing he could do. Clearly he’s not getting the point about what good behavior is, besides a mouthful of chocolate.

It doesn’t stop at a cookie, I think. The bribes will have to get bigger and bigger. Like any habit, it grows. I shudder as I picture my son as a snarling teenager, asking to borrow the car and expecting a reward for not getting into a wreck. But then I think again: If bad habits can grow, good habits can too.

Bribery. Motivation. Incentives. In a kid’s world, they are all mixed up. Desperate parents can add to the confusion.

Our children get their emotional cues from us. Bribery sends an underlying signal that the act itself isn’t enough. He’s not likely to want to do this, and so we have to cheat in a way. It’s an easy trap many parents fall into, including me. So you’ve got the pint-sized extortionist on your heels. What do you do?

Developmentally, a child under four doesn’t understand the emotional consequences of an action. Parenting at this stage is to help your child see the larger perspectives by talking about emotions. I liked how you did this. It makes me feel happy. Or Now Sienna is crying. You hurt her and she is sad.

Notice when they are doing something great, including acts of kindness. Praise them for it. This helps them associate social skills with generosity and thoughtfulness. Smiles, appreciation and hugs are rewards, too, that reinforce the positive actions which become habits over time.

Learning responsibility and self-discipline have big payoffs down the road. Studies show that children who learn self-control early have better lives later in terms of health, happiness and success. Sometimes parents have to be part-genius, part-lawyer to negotiate even with a toddler! But don’t give up. Stubbornness has its rewards too.

What is the most outlandish bribe you have offered your little angel?

Ciao,
Princess Ivana
www.princessivana.com

Ivana is a modern princess married to a real Italian prince! Follow the Modern Princess on Facebook and Twitter 2PrincessIvana.

Illustration by Rima Hawkes Graphic Design

View the original article here

An Open Letter to the Celebrities Our Children Look Up To

By KidSafe Foundation Sa... on March 13, 2012

This is a letter to all the athletes, singers, actors, actresses and anyone else in the spotlight:

While I believe in freedom of expression and speech, there are many children around the world who idolize and look up to you.

With your celebrity status and all that it gives you, please remember that it also puts you in the spotlight and makes children want to emulate you.

In this day and age, parenting children is tougher than ever as they are exposed to the world through an abundance of technology. So I ask that you think twice before you tweet naked pictures of yourself, drive drunk, do drugs, fist fight, bully and all the other horrific things we have seen lately on the news.

How are we to teach our children that sexting is wrong, not to drink and drive, or do drugs - how can we teach them to think before you speak, think before you post - if the adults they idolize are teaching the opposite lessons by their example.

It is important to model for children appropriate behaviors, and as parents, it's accepted that it is our responsibility to do that. But when you are in the spotlight and you know that children look up to you, don’t you think that you also have some type of responsibility to try to make good decisions?

I am not a “prude” but when I wake up in the morning to read headlines like:

“Rihanna tweets topless photos”

“Hulk Hogan doesn’t know who is in sex tape with him”

“Bounty payments in football”

and so many more like that.

I have to ask: Do you think about things before you do them? Do you understand you have been given a privilege and with that gift, you could do so much good in the world?

Before you tweet, make a sex tape, get paid to hit, bully, drive drunk - please consider your good fortune of being where you are in life and think of all the children watching what you are doing and wanting to be “YOU." And maybe, just maybe, that thought might make you stop and think and make a smarter choice.

View the original article here

Got Messy Dogs or Cats? You Need a Neater Feeder!

Even though our two dogs are little,they tend to make a mess at their bowl.  It’also doesn’t help that their bowl is in a place on the kitchen floor where it gets kicked rather often sending water all over the floor.  It’s bad enough as moms we have to clean up after the kids but add the dogs into the equation and it just equals more aggravation.  Have you got the same problem?

The solution –THE NEATER FEEDER

The Neater Feeder

I was lucky enough to receiver a small sized Neater Feeder for Harley and Morgan to try out.  We replaced their old bowls in the kitchen with the Neater Feeder and let me tell you,it’s been awesome.

The Neater Feeder is a revolutionary one-of-a-kind stylish feeding system for cats and dogs that contains spills and splashes. The two-part container allows food to stay in the top reservoir while water naturally drains into the easy to empty lower reservoir,protecting floors from stains and damage and making clean-up a snap!

I can’t tell you how many paper towels I have saved over the last two months not having to clean up water on the floor.  It’s also been great not having to yell,“will someone come clean up this spill on the floor,”even though most of the time,no one comes running and I end up doing it myself.  Even when someone accidentally gives it a kick,the mess doesn’t end up on the floor.

I LOVE the Neater Feeder,it’s so simple,must have been designed by a woman!

The Neater Feeder is made in the USA from recycled plastic and is easily cleaned in the dishwasher.  It is available in sizes small,medium and large and is also available for the cats!

The cost for a Neater Feeder starts at $34.99 for a small and is available for purchase at www.neaterfeeder.com and at select stores near you.

www.mommywarriors.com

I received the Neater Feeder at no charge for a review and the review above is based on my individual opinion.

View the original article here

Teenage Girls and Mirror Time!

June 13,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Battles,Family Platoon |

What happened to my easy going,pony-tailed little girl?  Whatever clothes I bought were fine,she rolled out of be  ready to go and make-up,that was a joke.  Fast forward two years through junior high and now I have a soon-to-be freshman that takes TWO hours to get ready to walk out the door.  What did I miss?

how do I look!

The lo000ong showers,picking out of the clothes,flat ironing the long blonde locks,making up the face,changing the nail polish,picking out the right shoes….AHHHHH!  Thank goodness she has her own bathroom otherwise we’d never get out of the house.

I have tried to be patient but this kid is driving me absolutely nuts!  We are always running out of the house at the last minute because she is not quite ready!

I’m the type of person that can shower and be out of the house in the matter of ten minutes so her need for mirror time is pushing me over the edge.

I need some help here. Any tips or ideas on how I can get her to cut down the amount of time she needs to make herself look beautiful and get out of the darn house?

HELP!

www.mommywarriors.com

View the original article here

To Compete or Not to Compete?

June 5,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Family Platoon,Guest Blogger,Sports |

By Mommy Warriors Guest Blogger Ifsha Buttitta

Kids are starting organized sports and activities at a much earlier age. My husband remembers his first t-ball experience starting at age 8;our son has done a youth t-ball league at a nearby park since he was 4.

It’s great kids are learning the social aspects of being in a team and getting some exposure to basics of the sport so early.

competition at the t-ball level

This year,in the next division up within the same league,the kids are 6 years old (maybe one or two 7 year olds). Three out of the four coaches are on the same page:make it a fun experience for the kids,teach them some basics about baseball. The remaining coach can only be described as hard core –his players run to tag the other team out,and he and the parents want to keep score and take outs seriously (no one else in the league does). At the last game one of our parents overheard the other team’s parents saying:“Why don’t you play by the rules?”At the first game,when we did play by their rules,a girl on our team,who had never played baseball before,was very sad when she got out,saying “I lost the game for our team.”

Does our society coddle kids,by letting everyone have a turn to bat and run the bases,regardless? Or is our society type A,emphasizing competition and the drive to succeed at all costs,even to 6 year olds?

I see both. But I think there is a time for competition,and maybe 6 year olds should just be allowed to have fun while they’re learning. It’s noticeable how much kids are pushed in our society by the questions we get. People don’t ask our son if he’s enjoying playing baseball. They ask:“Did you win?”When you’re 6,getting out there,playing and giving it your all is winning enough in my book.

Ifsha Buttitta is a freelance writer and editor and the owner of Tot-Bot Baby Gifts (www.tot-bot.com)

www.mommywarriors.com

View the original article here

Mom Has Sponge-a-phobia!

June 5,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Battles,Family Platoon,In the Kitchen |

My kids laugh at me and say I have “sponge-a-phobia!”

OK,so it’s not that I’m not afraid of sponges but,I have this issue with dirty sponges that causes me to constantly replace the sponge on the kitchen sink.  I have this belief that germs just breed on my sponge 24/7.  Rinsing off plates,cleaning off the counter,wiping down the cutting board,and then using it over and over again,YUCK!   Think about it,who the heck wants to wash their dishes with something that is so nasty and germy.  It’s like washing your sheets in bed bugs!

To get my point across with my kids,I did a little research and this is what I found out.

Web MD says that the kitchen sponge is the #1 source of germs in the whole house.One of the most dangerous sources of virulent bacteria,including E. coli,Salmonella,Staphylococcus and others,is the typical kitchen sponge and ‘dish cloths’in American homes.According to “The New York Times,”there are approximately 76 million cases of food poisoning that people develop from exposure in the home every year,and many of these cases may be caused by the spread of bacteria via kitchen sponges.The Mythbusters,Adam and Jamie,tested 8 different items for cleanliness and the kitchen sponge came in #1 with the most microorganism colonies living on it with a toilet seat having the least. OMG the toilet seat has less germs than a kitchen sponge,NOW THAT”S DISGUSTING!The best option for cleaning your kitchen sponge is to microwave it for one minute,this kills 99.99999 percent of bacteria present on them,while dishwashing a sponge kills 99.9998 percent of bacteria.

So,there you have it,my lovely little kids,mom was spot on,AGAIN.  Maybe someday it will actually sink in that I DO know more than you!

www.mommywarriors.com

View the original article here

The Saga of the Socks

June 4,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Family Platoon |

Nothing frustrates me more than losing those damn socks in the laundry.  What makes it even worse is that I’ve lost two different colors of my son’s different Nike Elite socks that cost $14 a pair.  I’ve searched for the last week and have yet to find them.  They had better show up inside a pair of shorts or a shirt or I’m going to blow a gasket!

redneck clothes dryer

Since I’m on the sock subject,my son had an early game the other day and you know,at times,mom forgets to throw the load of laundry in the dryer after the washer finishes at midnight.  Could it be that I was exhausted and actually fell asleep?

Not to fear,mom is here!

The redneck clothes dryer on the dash of the car once again came through with flying colors en route  to the game.  My son,mortified after a few thumbs up from passing cars,laid down in the back seat and refused to get up.  BUT,who had dry socks for his game!

mommywarriors.com

View the original article here

Nursing Soldiers Come Under Fire

A photo of two military mothers nursing their babies while in unbuttoned airman battle uniforms has created quite a stir on the Internet.

Air Force Sgt. Terran Echegoyen McCabe and Staff Sgt. Christina Luna - both in active service - agreed to be photographed in support of Breastfeeding Awareness Month for the Mom2Mom Breastfeeding Support Group.

“I’m proud to be wearing a uniform while breastfeeding,” McCabe told the Today Show.  “I’m proud of the photo and I hope it encourages other women to know they can breastfeed whether they’re active duty, guard or civilian.”

But apparently, the women violated a policy that forbids military members from using the uniform to further a cause, promote a product or imply an endorsement, said Capt. Keith Kosik, spokesman for the Washington National Guard.

Crystal Scott, founder of Mom2Mom, was shocked that the photos have caused such controversy. 

“A lot of people are saying it’s a disgrace to the uniform,” she said. “They’re comparing it to urinating and defecating [while in uniform].”

What do you think?

View the original article here

Coupons vs. Healthy Eating?

Someone once said to me that an easy step to feeding your family more healthy food is to only shop on the perimeter of the grocery store. That is because the perimeter consists of meat,  produce,  dairy,  and refrigerated perishable items,  while the inner aisles consist of processed,  preserved and frozen foods. However,  when I read articles or see stories about these “uber”coupon clippers”I have to wonder how someone can possibly accomplish such amazing savings if you DON’T shop in those inner aisles?

For one thing,  health foods (and when I say health foods I mean real health foods,  not “whole grain goldfish”) never offer coupons.  I don’t pretend to be a big coupon clipper,  but I am a big coupon looker,  and I NEVER see coupons for “real”health foods.

Secondly,  markets will have price cuts on meats and produce,  but rarely do they offer them on organic products. I suppose you could go non-organic to save a few bucks,  but do you want to buy fish that’s on sale?  Pass!  If a store is wanting to dump meat or fish,  I’m suspect.  Produce wears it’s age on it’s skin,  but with meat you don’t know it’s bad until you the next day when your stomach muscles are sore from throwing up and your butt hurts from…well…you know!

When the New York Times did a feature story on the women who run FabulesslyFrugal.com ,  I couldn’t help but notice that all of the products pictured in the woman’s kitchen were processed big brand names foods which I know have mile long ingredients lists.

That brings me to the other old adage about eating better.  Besides the shopping the perimeter rule,  the other health rule is never to buy packaged food with more than 5 ingredients. The longer the list of ingredients,  the more preservatives,  salt,  chemicals,  and artificial things are contained within.

So what are those of us to do if we want to feed our kids healthy foods,  but want to save money?   It seems the only way to feed your family organic on a budget is to grow it yourself.  There are a lot of things green in my house,  but my thumbs are not one of them!

And if you want to take this even further into Ridiculand,  considering how we are all sharing the healthcare costs of each other via insurance rates and healthcare reform,  I’ll be paying for the medical bills of those coupon clipping,  aisle shopping,  money saving folks,  regardless!

Okay! I know! I’m going on a bit of a rant.  I’m actually quite in awe of those people who can shop for free.  It’s sort of like they’ve figured out how to win at the lottery.  For me this is really about the quandary  between coupons vs. healthy eating. I wish that somewhere out there a marketing executive for a health food company is reading this and realizing that they are under serving their health seeking consumers by not jumping deeper into coupon world. Maybe if they did,they’d see that it has just as much to do with promoting their brand as it does with passing on savings to consumers.  In the meantime,  I can at least save on laundry soap,unless of course you want to talk about coupons for those wanting to go green!!

www.mommywarriors.com

View the original article here

When the Master Copy of Toy Story 2 Was Almost Deleted

On my list of favorite kids’movies is Toy Story 2.  I loved the story line,the music,the characters,and,of course,the animation.  I have watched it dozens of times over the years on road trips,in hotel rooms,or at home on the couch as my kids have all grown up with it.  But the movie was almost completly lost.  Watch the following video from Pixar to hear the story.  And of course how a mom saved the day!

Here is the rest of the list of my 10 favorite kids’movies. They made the list because of a combination of entertainment value,good message for children,clever writing,and the fact that I was able to watch them over and over and over and never seemed to get tired of them.

1. Toy Story 2
2. Kung Fu Panda
3. How to Train Your Dragon
4. Hugo
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
6. The Sound of Music
7. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
8. Shrek
9. Enchanted
10. Nanny McPhee

Honorable Mention –Despicable Me (because that’s my oldest’s favorite)

If you have favorites you want to share,please leave a comment.

www.mommywarriors.com

View the original article here

The Defective Poop Bag

May 24,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Family Platoon,Just for Laughs |

It was another crazy morning in our house today,which,well,I guess,  chaos is really our norm anyway. 

First of all,none of my kids wanted to get up,what’s new.  Then there was the fight over the showers and who was going to get the hot water.  The battle over the last two slices of cinnamon bread got ugly and the lack of clean underwear was,once again,all mom’s fault.  The fact that the clean underwear pile was still sitting in the laundry room and not put away in the drawer totally got me off the hook.

Needless to say,we were all running late.  I hadn’t showered and needed to be at a Mastermind meeting in less than an hour.

Eventually,everyone got to school on time,I took a quick 2 minute COLD shower and threw on some clothes on to walk the dogs.  I had made up some time and was enjoying a few minutes outside when what had turned into a nice morning turned ugly.

I’m the good neighbor that picks up after her dogs,as opposed to the others that leave piles of poop on my front lawn.  In sticking with the fact that I was back on track in regards to time,both dogs pooped at the same time,yeah.  Simple,pick it up,run back home and get to my meeting.

Yeah,not so great.  I quickly stuck my hand into the inside out bag to grab the two poops.  It wasn’t until I had my hand on the second pile that I realized the bottom of the bag was not sealed.  Great,you can all imagine the visual on this one where I am sitting with my palm up holding you know what.

Oh,how I cursed my kids that this walking the dogs is supposed to be their job and not mine (sounds familiar,huh?).  I had to walk a bit to find a garbage can and then figure out how to clean my hand.  There were no sprinklers on but there was a fountain in front of one of the houses nearby.  Knowing the person I am,what do you think I did?

www.mommywarriors.com

View the original article here

Repeat After Me, Mom Is Always Right!

May 17,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Battles,Family Platoon,For Moms |

All I can say is that mom is right,a lot of the time!

After complaining his lacrosse bag was way too heavy,I insisted that my son clean it out.  He fought me tooth and nail,and yelled that there was nothing in his bag but his equipment.  After placing a $1 wager that I would find more than equipment,I dove into the bag….

Aha!

18 bottles of empty,half-empty and full drink bottles.  I rest my case!

http://www,mommywarriors.com/

View the original article here

Mom, But I Am Hydrated, I Think

Mom,But I Am Hydrated,I ThinkMay 23,2012 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:Alyssa's Camp,Battles,Family Platoon,Sick Bay,Sports | One comment

Moms are ALWAYS harping on their kids about drinking enough when they participate in strenuous activities and when it’s hot outside.  This is a battle that we constantly take on.  My kids always hear me telling them to drink more water,keep an eye on the color of your pee and when you are really thirsty,it’s too late.

One of my sons is extremely fair,yes,like Casper,and has a hard time in the heat.  He’s the one that really makes me nervous as he has been extremely dehydrated in the past,to the point of passing out.

He recently started a training program to get himself in shape for high school football.  The workouts out hard and,at times,they are outside in the Southern California heat.  Every day that he goes to training I’m always reminding him to drink something before he goes,while he’s there and after he gets home.  Like most kids,he gives me a nod of the head,a roll of the eyes and goes on his way.

The other day I was sitting in my office and I get a call from the school nurse.  To make a long story short,once again, my son was dehydrated.  Dizzy,lightheaded,sick to his stomach,headache,shaking,etc.  By the time I got him home,his legs were shakey and could barely walk. 

I quickly threw him into the shower under cool water along with some electrolyte water and Gatorade and there he sat for about 30 minutes.

After about an hour,he was feeling better.  I sat him down to have little chat with him.  Before I had the opportunity to say anything to him,he looked at me and said,

 “Mom,I know,I know,you always tell me to drink more and I think I know better…you were right!”

Amen!  Enough said!

www.mommywarriors.com

Tags:casper - dehydrated - electrolytes - family - football - gatorade - Health - heat - high school - Kids - mom - mom blog - mom entertainment - mom news - moms - parenting - parenting news - parents - School - son - southern california - Sports - training - www.mommywarriors.com. 1 comment to Mom,But I Am Hydrated,I ThinkLoriMay 24,2012 at 1:44 pm

Poor baby,not again!!!!!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

  Name (required)

  Email (will not be published) (required)

  Website