Let’s Tell The Truth About Mother’s Day
Sigh. Facebook is at it again. well, not Facebook itself, but the community of FBers. As I type, with a day and a half until Mother’s Day descends upon us again, one of those “copy and paste this and put it in your status line if you’re a Mom!” thingies is virusing its way around. (And yes, I just made virus into a gerund, sue me). Here’s the version I saw: Mothers’ Day Declaration ~ I wanted you before you were born. I loved you when you were born. I saw your face and I knew that I was in …Keep Reading
Mean Mom’s Question Time: How Much TV Do Your Kids Watch?
Starting this week (and hopefully continuing because it turns out to be wildly successful!), I’m instituting Mean Mom’s Question Time. Because I got to thinking: I can write (and write, and write, and write), but I’d rather discuss sometimes. So. Here’s the topic for Week One of Mean Mom’s Question Time: How much TV do your kids watch? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no boob tube for babies and toddlers under age 2, and a limited amount thereafter. Baby “education” DVD and video creators tried to get around this by touting their products as not-TV (think, HBO for …Keep Reading
Having Faith: The Spiritual Education of Mommy, Part II
I was thinking a couple of weeks ago about a post I wrote back in November, which for reasons I didn’t articulate at the time, I titled Having Faith: The Spiritual Education of Mommy, Part I. Why Part I? At the time I typed without thinking about it. I must have figured I’d have more to say on the subject of the intersection of faith and parenthood. I guess it was a door I wanted to leave open. Yesterday, I attended what was my second-to-last Family Program religious ed class of the year (for those who don’t want to click …Keep Reading
Who Took My 7-Year-Old and Replaced Him With a Teenager?!
Over at Mommasaid.net, my friend and colleague Jen Singer lists some of the reasons parenting teens is harder now than it used to be (exhibit A: sexting. Shudder). Jen actually has a newly-minted, real-life teenage son. I do not, yet (though I do sometimes stare at the welter of kid-size sneakers, boots, and soccer cleats near the door and imagine them three times the size, and my heart aches for a mudroom and a shoeless infant in equal measure). So no, I have no actual teens yet — but geez, oh, man is my older boy acting like one lately! …Keep Reading
A(nother) Farewell to the Daughter I’ll Never Have
OK, so Pam and Jim had their baby on The Office last night. (And if you’ve got it DVR’d and haven’t watched yet, go away now and come back later, because spoilers are ahead). They had a girl. I want a girl. I really, really do. And for all the ridiculous reasons — the clothes are cuter, the hair is more fun (if more work); and for all the selfish reasons, or the one major selfish reason. I want a MiniMe. Or a version of me with a big dose of my husband. Here’s an essay I wrote on the …Keep Reading
Up In the Air: A Mommy-Moment on a Plane
Regular readers may have noticed I didn’t post last week — that’s because we were in Florida for a bit over a week, visiting my parents, who some years ago joined the throng of Northerners who take off for southern climes in January and don’t come back until April or so, leaving their progeny with the snow and the gloom, as well as with the option to come on down for some sun & fun. This year, we were there for slightly longer than usual (the school vacation combined with the jacking up of February-break-time airfares make planning a vacay …Keep Reading
From Jack LaLanne to Pilates: Moms, Kids, and Exercise
I have this very strong, distinct memory of my mother, probably not too long after she gave birth to my little brother, watching Jack LaLanne on TV and following along. I’m not sure why I was home (I was in second grade when my brother made the scene), but there I was with her, in our Totally 70s Den (braided rug, dark paneling, orange drapes on the sliding glass doors, Colonial furniture including a dark-wood-frame couch whose cushion fabric featured some sort of bird theme.) It was fun, kicking up my legs and touching my toes and doing whatever else …Keep Reading
What’s in a Name? In Mine? A Lot!
So, I didn’t change my name when I married my dear husband just over 9 years ago. Surprised? No one who knew me was, but I’m continually surprised at the hoopla it causes even now. Or maybe especially now, with our two sons firmly entrenched in the local public school system. But more on school later. First, here’s why I did it (or, to be precise, didn’t do it): I like my name. I always have. I like that it reflects my Italian-American heritage, even though it’s not immediately obvious to everyone that it’s even an Italian surname (and to …Keep Reading
I Am the Alpha Dog! How Dog-Training is the New Parenting
Did anyone see this article in the New York Times’ Style section the other day? It’s by Alex Williams, it’s titled Becoming the Alpha Dog in Your Own Home, and woo, boy did I get a good laugh over it. In a good way, I assure you! The story is about how some parents today have hit on the bright idea of incorporating principles of dog training into their discipline efforts. The idea is based on the work of Cesar Millan, the so-called Dog Whisperer, who has a TV show (disclosure: I’ve never watched the show; I don’t have a …Keep Reading
A Glass of Wine for Grandma: Why Giving Babysitting Grandparents a List of Rules is Just… Wrong
Yesterday, I was reading my friend Lenore Skenazy’s blog, Free Range Kids. She posted about a “Dear Amy” advice column that appeared in the paper — the writer of the question, a grandmother, had an interesting problem: She and her husband have been babysitting their grandson, overnight, twice a week, since he was born (right away I’m thinking: give those grandparents a medal, right?!). At that time, their daughter presented them with some rules for caring for the baby, which included a provision that they not drink wine on those days/nights. Um, what? I was totally, absolutely, and completely expecting …Keep Reading
