Search Results for: parenting parents role in education see also education blog

Controversial Sex Ed Curriculum in New York

There is a controversy in New York schools concerning a sex education curriculum that students will be introduced to. One of the resources that students in school will be directed to is a website called “Go Ask Alice.” Of course, I invite you to check it out for yourself but I can tell you that it’s certainly not something I would provide my children with. If you click on the tab “Sexuality,” you get this red box that provides a snapshot of what you are about to link to. It reads: “Learn the A-B-Cs of S-E-X: abstinence, boners & clitorises.” … Continue reading →

Getting Teens to Dress Conservatively for School

I realize that this subject is interpretable and perhaps a bit controversial, but the way teens dress for school really does affect their education. Take for instance, the Cobb County GA Teen who liked to wear women’s clothes to school and the disruption that three days in skinny jeans caused. While most teens don’t go nearly this far to express their personal style, they do love to push boundaries, and they often push them too far. Just five years ago, low rise jeans for girls were pushed to the extreme. It was common for girls to wear these jeans to … Continue reading →

Learning about Education

There is no doubt about it: Education has changed. I’m currently in my 20th year of schooling and the differences between a Ph.D. program and kindergarten are astonishing. Long gone are the days of tactile exploration with toys and lessons about being kind. No one reads stories to me anymore and none of the books have pictures. The most shocking changes of all, of course, are a direct result of my ever increasing age (and hopefully wisdom). I now play the diametrically opposed role of teacher and student at the same time. I’ve observed a great deal about learning and … Continue reading →

You Need to Find a New Best Friend

Friendships are important in our lives and having one or two close confidants is a healthy thing to do for yourself. It is especially important if you are a single parent. Many single parents fall into the trap of trying to make their child their best friend. While it is wonderful to have that close bond and relationship with your child, there are a few things you need to consider. Best friends should not be children. You need adults to talk to, and more specifically someone who might know what you are going through, or be able to offer advice … Continue reading →

Scheduling Conflicts in a Blended Family

Being in a blended family can be difficult when it comes to scheduling. There are so many different things to consider, so many variations of what can be planned and what cannot be planned and several different people to think about when making scheduled plans. So what do you do when a scheduling conflict occurs? Communication Communicating with all parties of interest is a key ingredient to effective parenting within a blended family. There are several parents that are involved and should be involved in the decision making process. Discussing situations that are conflicting can help warrant a quick resolution, … Continue reading →

Sharing in a Blended Family

If you are living in a blended family, you know that sharing is a huge part of almost every aspect of your lives. It would be nice if sharing came naturally for humans, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case. Whether it is the step-mother sharing her husband with his kids, the step-kids sharing dad with a new woman (or mom with a new man), or its just as simple as sharing toys, food, books and clothes, there just seems to be an enormous burden put on the blended family in which everyone must share. When it is a person … Continue reading →

Step Mothers and Biological Mothers in the Blended Family

A tricky subject is approached when we talk about step mothers and biological mothers. It gets even tricker when you add the step-mother and biological mother into a new family where both parents have children. To quickly dispel the myth, most step mothers never come into the role to replace the biological mother. It is not our job as their step mother to replace that maternal role that rightfully belongs to someone else. But then where do we stand in our role? It almost depends on the type of family you are involved in. If you are part of a … Continue reading →

A Step-Mother’s Role

If you are in a blended family, you’ve probably heard the prediction that step-families will be the families of the future. However, over the years our society has painted the step mother out to be this horrible woman who treats her step-children terribly. Think Disney movies and you basically have it. Is this the norm in a typical blended family? Not at all. Most step mothers are seriously committed to making their blended family a success rather than a statistic. With the odds strongly stacked against them from the very start, a step mother often feels ill at ease and … Continue reading →

Is It Really Time to Choose a College?

The catalogs and post cards started arriving last year—this year, the packets have gotten a bit fatter and there are phone calls too. In fact, the other day a representative from one of the colleges that has made the final cut (for now) on my daughter’s list called just to let her know that they would be on her high school campus for a visit if she wanted to chat or had any questions. While I’ve hoped and anticipated that the day would finally come that college would be on the horizon, it is hard to believe that it is … Continue reading →

Managing the Parent-Teacher Night Solo

There are so many realities of single parenthood that I have become passable at over the years–one is coping with the annual parent-teacher or Parents’ Night at school. In my early years as a parent, this was one of those activities that I dreaded–after all, there were all those two-parent families smiling and sharing in their child’s accomplishments. It took me a while to get the hang of, and the confidence to maneuver such nights with pride and comfort. The thing that used to get me is that I would beat myself up and feel guilty because my kids only … Continue reading →