Denise Schipani / 7 Comments / family life, Uncategorized /
When I was a young kid — surprise! — I was a big reader. I could read any time, anywhere, and I can’t recall a single moment of my childhood in which I was bored. Unlike my sister who was prone to carsickness, I could read in the car, so even a relatively short trip […]
Denise Schipani / 17 Comments / holidays, in the news/media, kids' TV, Uncategorized / Babble.com, Buzz Bishop, Charles M. Shulz, Charlie Brown, It's the Great Pumpkin /
Just read a blog post on Babble.com that decries the latest danger that must be kept from our kids. Ready? It’s Charlie Brown. Well, specifically, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”, because this 46-year-old* piece of beloved Americana threatens to turn your kid into a bad-mouther at best, and a bully at worst. Or something. […]
Denise Schipani / 28 Comments / in the news/media, modern families, technology / do kids need cellphones?, Fresh Air, kids and cellphones, NPR, Sheri Turkle, Teri Gross, The Tethered Child /
Last weekend, we took the boys to a local frozen-yogurt place — a treat because, after we pushed Daniel hard to study for his science quiz on the parts of a cell (which, as an aside, seem to have more parts than they did when I first learned about nuclei and mitochondria), he got a […]
Denise Schipani / 24 Comments / Uncategorized /
That photograph, above? It’s the best picture I took this summer. When I downloaded the photos I took during our three-day trip out East on Long Island in late August, I literally gasped when I saw this one. I’m usually a pretty crap photographer, and of course this is the beach at sunset, which is […]
Denise Schipani / 18 Comments / exercise, kids & snacks, kids and sports /
Last week, I took the boys, as usual, to piano lessons, which take place at our piano teacher’s house. Over the years we’ve been going, the kids’ lesson times have changed — we’ve been there on Fridays before dinner, Wednesdays immediately after school, and now, midday on Saturdays. While one of them practices in the […]
Denise Schipani / 14 Comments / discipline, family finances, guest posts, mom bloggers, mothers and work, Uncategorized / Emma Johnson, Wealthy Single Mommy /
A big part of my Mean Mom approach is being married to a Mean Dad. My husband is old-school in the right ways (he’s tough and consistent) while eschewing some of the old-school-dad stuff like hiding his face behind a newspaper and leaving all the child-rearin’ to me. He’s out there (literally) kicking a soccer […]
Denise Schipani / 8 Comments / discipline, family life, kids and food, kids and sports /
Since my last post was a sort of farewell (“here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?”) to August, I thought I’d check in with an I-love-September post. School has started. Despite a first September week plagued by high humidity and rain, it’s now my favorite, most energizing, soul-pleasing (not to mention hair-pleasing) weather of the year. […]
Denise Schipani / 11 Comments / summer /
It’ll come as no surprise to people who know me personally that I can be … let’s call it cranky. Which is why those who know me are often tempted to tell me to just relax, just enjoy your time with your boys, just get into the relaxed rhythm of summer. Be like everyone else! […]
Denise Schipani / 46 Comments / Ask the Mean Mom, play /
This’ll be short, because it’s a short story that’s left me, on the how-do-I-feel spectrum, adrift between puzzled and spitting mad, and I’m interested in opinions. The other night, at our friends’ house for pizza, my friend, Sally, mentioned that her daughter, Phoebe, who is five, was just invited to one of her pals’ birthday […]
Denise Schipani / 7 Comments / in the news/media, parenting research / kids and failure, Madeline Levine, Missy Franklin, New York Times, swimming lessons, Teach Your Children Well, The Price of Privilege /
My children finished up their annual six weeks of day camp last Friday. We tried a different camp this year, partly because our friends were switching and we do a bit of carpooling; partly because it’s less expensive than even the relatively inexpensive YMCA the boys have been going to for four previous years; and […]
