Tag Archives: parental choices

The Importance of Listening

How could I possibly resist listening to this adorable angel? My daughter’s smile can light up a room, but her insanely long recaps of lunchroom drama between five girls, a shoe, a note and some other item that I have no earthly idea about, are far from illuminating. In fact, her convoluted conspectuses often make my ears burn, though the pain could actually be my brain frying, as I try to decipher what green socks and Eggplant Parmesan  have to do with how she fared on Friday’s spelling test. I try to make sense of it all, but I’m old. … Continue reading →

When Your Child’s Friend Steals

One of your child’s favorite toys has turned up missing, or that $5 bill you had sitting by the telephone is gone. Suspecting our own child of stealing is one reality many of us have had to face at one time or another, but what if the prime suspect is one of our children’s friends? How do we handle the situation if it turns out that the child’s friend is stealing? If you happen to catch the little guest pocketing something while he or she is in your home, you can try the direct approach and simply ask for the … Continue reading →

Can We REALLY Raise Them All the Same?

One of the comments I hear from parents who are trying to figure out why their children can be so different is: “We’ve raised them all exactly the same!” When I consider my own mothering and parenting over the years, it feels to me like I have surely been the same person and the same “sort” of mom to all three of my children all the time, but is that really possible? How could I really be the exact same all the time to three completely different people? The truth is, my interactions with my children may come from the … Continue reading →

Four Words I Promised I Would Never Say As A Parent

In my pre-baby days I made a promise to myself that if and when I became a mother I would never, ever utter these four words. Because. I. Said. So. That was then, and this is now. It’s not that I say it a lot but I say it when necessary and I don’t feel guilty about doing so. Not like the first few times I uttered those words. And I know that some would argue that a child has a right to know why we make the decisions that we make and in most cases I offer an explanation. … Continue reading →