Tag Archive: respectful parenting
So this week I will leave behind my baby and big kid with my big husband and flew away to New York City for five glorious and exhausting days. However, I’m convinced that the five days leading up to leaving may be more exhausting than the five days I actually spend in New York. (That city makes me SO TIRED.) My husband works full time and I know he doesn’t have time to cook, clean, organize and run the house the way I do, not because he’s incapable, but because he’s gone 9 hours a day and doesn’t witness how
I remember how nervous I was at my first “real” job interview after I graduated from college. I had the perfect professional suit, a leather portfolio with copies of my resume and a legal pad for taking notes and the most effective anti-perspirant I could find on the drug store shelves. It took a few interviews, but eventually I relaxed a bit, gained some confidence and eventually landed a job. What no one bothered to tell me was that those early professional interviews wouldn’t hold a candle to the interviews I have these days… the nanny interviews. In the
Editor’s note: the following blog is meant to share perspective regarding one mom’s experience and inner feelings when dealing with separation anxiety. This content is in no way intended to be instructions of how every family should deal with this situation. In the world of parenting, there are few phrases more frightening than “separation anxiety.” Frightening, because everyone has an opinion on how it should be handled. Frightening, because grandparents and other well-meaning experienced parents have tips on how they dealt with it. But mostly frightening, because outside of junior high romance, few things in life leave you questioning your
Did you read Jill’s wonderful and informative post earlier this week about the Potty Training Boot Camp method? Let me warn you, this post is nothing like that. We are, as I type, smack in the middle of attempting potty learning with Little Sir, our 2.5 year old son. This is a post, not from experience and hindsight, but from the trenches. I can’t tell you “how we did it” as much as “how we are attempting to do this”. May you learn from my ongoing mistakes! Let me set the stage for you. Little Sir is what some
It appears to be that time… my little guy is about 2.5 years old, and already more than half of his playgroup since birth is fully potty trained. Not just the girls, but the boys too. I’m starting to feel a little weird having to take diapers to Mother’s Day Out. With two kids in (cloth) diapers, I’d definitely welcome at least one of them moving to underwear. We’ve had the supplies for a while: we have two potty chairs, and a special potty seat for the “big potty”. We got him some ridiculously cute Flip training pants, which he
Many of you have already taken advantage of our free book with purchase offer on www.cottonbabies.com We wanted to take a few minutes to share a little more about the book “You Can Be You and I Can Be Me – Our Differences Are Not A Mistake” with a brief question and answer session with author, Anni Shelton. Cotton Babies: What inspired you to write “You Can Be You and I Can Be Me – Our Differences Are Not a Mistake“? Anni Shelton: Two struggles actually. One was chronic, the other acute. This book addressed them both. The chronic struggle
Unfortunately, today is not so much of an advice blog, but rather a confession and seeking advice from you. I have a confession to make, I LOVE technology. Big surprise, right? I am, after all, the social media coordinator. I’ve spent years of my life online in some capacity. I’ve always had a bit of an issue taking the time to disconnect from the online world and focus on the real world. These tendencies are only amplified by each new digital device that fits in the palm of my hand. The truth is, it’s not just the internet that is
I’ll admit, I’m a nerd. My background is in communications and journalism, after working in a newsroom, it was hard to become a stay-at-home mom. As a result, during my years as a stay at home mom, I spent a lot of time online – reading, writing and communicating. So when I read Jeff Pearlman’s article, “Tracking down my online haters” a few days ago, I went through a series of responses – understanding, surprise and shame. I understood, because in my years in the newsroom, I learned how differently people behave when they are interacting with a machine versus
This morning, a stranger told me I was a good mom and it made my day. Each morning, I wait with my boys for the school bus. Our neighborhood is filled with early morning walkers, most past their parenting years. One of my sons was on the ground investigating something on the sidewalk. A walker approached and I shouted, “MOVE!” The polite walker said, “Oh it’s okay.” Not wanting to seem an overbearing mom, I replied, “We’re trying to teach him awareness of others.” Little did I know that statement would spark a five minute conversation. I discovered
We’ve all heard it. The child yelling “No!” at the top of their lungs. It often seems like that is the first word that children learn to use on a regular basis. I hear it in restaurants, in stores, in church, and at the park. Children love to use that word to separate themselves as individuals. But it doesn’t have to be something you hear day in and day out in your own home, from your own child. By creating a Yes Environment in your home you really can minimize the amount of obstinate No’s that you hear. So what
