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parenting

• parenting

  The Curious Case of the Never-Good-Enough Mother

  01.08.09 | Permalink | 48 Comments

  Today I went to a mandatory court appearance with my good friend “Annie.” A month ago Annie left her two children, ages 2 and 4, in her (not-running) locked car for twelve minutes while she ran into Best Buy. The car was warm, as she had been running errands all morning. It was about noon [...]

• kids, parenting

  Seperate but equal? Talk to your father, babe

  12.20.08 | Permalink | 4 Comments

  The girls and I spend most Tuesday and Thursday mornings with Chrysanthemum and her kids. Chrysanthemum is lucky enough to have one of each, a girl and an alien being from the planet Jane, How does this work? Rachel is the same age as my Susan (4) and Jacob is the same age as my [...]

• parenting, Spot

  Compromise

  11.17.08 | Permalink | 13 Comments

  I leave it to you to guess which pieces she insisted on and which pieces Mom gently persuaded her into. I plan to assert myself when it actually snows, though. She WILL wear socks with those flipflops, if it’s the last thing I do. Jane p.s. Dick was thinking to himself this morning (early, as [...]

• parenting

  You can tell a lot about a person . . .

  11.09.08 | Permalink | 16 Comments

  . . . by how they interact with children in public. I’m not talking about the obvious (and unfortunately ineffectual) abuse that’s so embarrassing at the Walmart. You know, the parents who whack their kids while shouting, “Stop hitting your sister” or “I told you not to use the #@%& word, @#%$-it!” And I’m not [...]

• parenting

  What’s in your cupholder?

  10.19.08 | Permalink | 15 Comments

  Today was a good getting-ready-for-church day. I had the kids’ clothes set out early. I showered before breakfast. I knew where my bra, thigh-highs, and shoes were. I even cleaned the Arctic Circle wrappers out of the van from the night before, and packed a bag with fruit snacks, pretzels, water, books, etc. But Spot [...]

• parenting

  Why I don’t read parenting books

  10.12.08 | Permalink | 25 Comments

  We just got back from a quick trip to Idaho and Yellowstone, where we visited friends who are some of the best parents I know. Not only do they love their kids, they like them too. I know! Isn’t it enough that we love our kids: instinctively, irrationally, unconditionally? Must we also LIKE them, in [...]

• parenting

  Battles (Not) Worth Fighting

  08.27.08 | Permalink | 23 Comments

  One of the first things you learn as a parent is that some battles are worth fighting, and others simply aren’t. For a happy home and above-average children, follow these simple rules: 1) Determine which battles are worth fighting and which aren’t. It’s nice to give the Hubs some input here, always remembering who usually [...]

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