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Preschool Jitters

Summer is almost over and it’s time to begin a new school year. For many this will be the start of a brand new world. Some children who never entered a classroom will walk into preschool for the first time. It will be the first time some children are away from their parents for any length of time. The first time a child may be expected to sit and listen. The first time a child will be introduced to lessons and classmates on a regular basis. It is a very exciting world yet it can be overwhelming and intimidating for … Continue reading →

Should Schools Ban Peanuts?

As the new school year begins, so does the debate about banning peanuts from schools. For whatever reason, the mere suggestion that a child will not be allowed to bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to school as part of his or her lunch sparks controversy. This is an issue that evokes strong emotions, which are often followed by nasty comments. In the early months of 2011, Edgewater Elementary school, a public school that is located in Florida, created some school policies that set off a powder keg of controversy. Things started with one little girl, who was in … Continue reading →

When a Friend Died

The wedding is over, my family and friends have all gone back to Massachusetts and I am married to a wonderful man whose family can’t stand me. Most of my allies boarded a plane and now were going to be over 1800 miles away. We packed our bags and moved to an apartment an hour away from my in-laws but that was not the only good thing about moving. Both of our jobs were closer to our new apartment than where we had been living, before we had over an hour commute to work every day so this was going … Continue reading →

Carrying Kids: How Big is Too Big?

Want to illicit judgmental stares from hundreds of onlookers? Forget about spanking your kid in the check-out line at Target or screaming at her in church, all you need to do to carry your six-year-old through a crowd of window shoppers on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile and you will feel the burn of prejudice cut through you like a hot knife slicing a cold stick of butter. You thought pushing a first grader in a stroller yielded discriminating comments; try schlepping a 50-pound child in your arms for 10 loooong city blocks and see the type of judgmental looks you are … Continue reading →

Establishing Summer Rules

It was one of those very rare Monday mornings where everyone got out the door on time. Perhaps the motivation lies in just getting this week done and over with, since it is the last week of school for my children. So I took advantage of the leisurely drive to school, before iPods could be stuck in ears, to discuss summer rules. Things got a bit out of hand last summer and I don’t know how it happened. Perhaps it was because I bent on rules to a point where I then lost control. All I know is that for … Continue reading →

Get Set For Summer

Summer is pretty much here already, and school will be out soon. This is a challenging time for home-based professional parents for a few reasons, just one of which is the aforementioned end of the school year. There are other things that make summer a challenging time. For example, the plethora of fun things to do can make work seem unappealing, especially if you’re used to working at night and on the weekends. Many families take at least one vacation during the summer, and building that into your work schedule can also take some doing. With the potential challenges that … Continue reading →

The Parent Trap

My 6-year-old doesn’t clean. She is assigned select chores each week, including making her bed and picking up her toys, but she refuses to complete the tasks. And by complete I mean consider starting. She knows exactly what is expected of her, and she is far from physically impaired, so there is no reason that she cannot bend down, pick up the toys she and only she has played with, and place them back on the shelf where they are stored. Rather, she prefers to whine, roll around in the tiny open space that is not covered with toys, crayons, … Continue reading →

Some Signs That Your Child May Have ADHD

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ADHD is something that you have probably heard a lot about. A quick Google search will bring up tons of articles that mention ADHD. This is a neurobehavioral disorder that has become rather well recognized by doctors, educators, and the general public. As such, you may have heard a lot of information, and a lot of misinformation about it. How can you tell if your child might have ADHD? There are some signs that could indicate that your child may have ADHD. However, since many of these symptoms are something that a child who does not have ADHD may experience … Continue reading →

Tourette’s Syndrome Is Not Like You See on TV

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When you hear the phrase Tourette’s Syndrome, you probably have a certain image that comes to mind. The first thing people think of when they hear that a child has Tourette’s Syndrome is that the child is going to unleash a string of expletives and inappropriate comments. This isn’t necessarily true of all children who have Tourette’s Syndrome. The more you know about Tourette’s Syndrome, the better you can watch your child for early warning signs that indicate that he or she may have this disorder. One person is diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome out of every 100 people. It’s not … Continue reading →

Preschool: What Are Your Expectations?

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When thinking about preschool, think about what your expectations are. Do you want your child to be in a school environment, or do you want them to have some stimulating playtime with their peers? When making a decision to put a child into preschool, we often worry about if our child is adequately prepared for “real school”. Many children want their kids to go to a preschool so that they will know how to read by the time they are in Kindergarten, or so that they can meet some sort of undefined goal of where they “need” to be by … Continue reading →