Tag Archives: preschool parenting

No more pierced ears…

I read that Jennifer Garner was 36 years old when she got her ears pierced.  I begged my mom to get my ears pierced for years before she finally gave in when I was 12 years old.  She originally wanted to wait until I was 13 years old.  I was so excited at 12 that I cannot imagine waiting until 36 years old.  So, unlike my mom I decided to allow my girls to get their ears pierced as soon as they asked. My first daughter asked when she was about five years old.  So, I got them pierced.  That lasted until … Continue reading →

Reasons to Love Having an Only Child: The Preschool Years

When I was growing up, only children were perceived as very negative little human beings. My mother told me that only children were spoiled and lonely. They didn’t know how to socialize. I grew up pitying only children and vowed to have at least four children of my own. I had two siblings and loved being the big sister. Then came my daughter, and then came a host of medical challenges that made it difficult for me to have more children. I found myself in an interesting position: I needed to confront my stereotypes about only children, because I was … Continue reading →

Having an Only Child: The Preschool Years

Do you have an only child? I do. We have an only child for many reasons. While I would love to have more, my husband feels done. I know that I should feel done too, for medical reasons. So here we are, with one lovely daughter. While babies and toddlers never question the fact that they are only children, kids begin to wonder about babies and siblings when they are preschoolers. As my daughter turned two and then three, she became more avidly interested in babies. This interest has only increased over time. Preschool-aged children are very aware that there … Continue reading →

Finding the Chill

It’s been a busy few days. Let me rephrase that: it’s been an insanely busy few days. It’s been so busy that we’ve barely been able to function. Well, all right, my daughter went to her grandparents’ house today while I worked a 12+ hour day, so her day went well. This morning I was in a foul mood. I was feeling sick and I was not looking forward to said 12 hour day. However, I thought back to yesterday. It was also a busy day (see a pattern here), but for a brief moment my daughter and I stopped … Continue reading →

How Lucky

Today is my fifth anniversary of my diagnosis with a chronic illness. Over the past five years, this chronic illness has changed and shaped my life. Shortly after I was diagnosed, I gave birth to my daughter. Today I’m reflecting on how lucky we are and celebrating the fact that we are both alive and in a place where we can have excellent medical care. Today I also read a story in the newspaper. We’ve been visiting our inlaws all weekend, and they get the city newspaper. I rarely get a chance to read it. On the cover of one … Continue reading →

Loving the Kid You Have

Dear preschooler, It’s just about a new year. It’s the time of year when people start to think about resolutions and reflect on the time that has gone by. At this time of year, I particularly remember the Christmas that you were one and a half, when you were getting six teeth at the same time. It was a drool-filled Christmas that involved very little sleep. I think that Santa and I crossed paths around 3 am that Christmas Eve, him heading up the chimney, me heading to the kitchen to get a drink of water, bouncing you into a … Continue reading →

Choosing Connection

These days, I am focusing on developing a conscious connection with my daughter. In this busy holiday season, it can be easy to work, work, work on everything and get nothing accomplished, it seems. It can also be easy to forgo a lot of the holiday cheer and run around in ever-tightening circles of busy, forgetting to connect with real life humans in our efforts to buy presents, bake cookies, and mail Christmas cards. I have a strong suspicion that this is not what this season is supposed to be about. My daughter’s grumpiness level seems to fluctuate in a … Continue reading →