Losing Decker
by Maggie Lamond Simone
My dog went to Heaven; he went there today.
I’m not quite sure how, but he knew the way.
Every day it was harder to run and to climb,
And I guess in his heart, he knew it was time. […]
Are You A Polar Bear Mom?
by Wendy Sue Noah
Are you a Polar Bear type of mom ~ do you really know what that means as a mothering analogy?
Well, I didn’t for a while, at least fully.
A few years back, my close friend, Sharon, compared me to a Polar bear mom whose main focus was to protect her cubs. It sounded complimentary, and it was something I held in my heart for strength, but not something I fully grasped. […]
Waiting for the Weekend
by Andrea Lynn
When I picked my 3-year-old from preschool Friday, she greeted me with a happy shout of “It’s the weekend!” And proceeded to pull me over to the school calendar on the wall, point to the Saturday, and repeat: “It’s the weekend.” She was delighted.
I’m a little discouraged that my 3 year old already looks forward to the weekend. God knows I do too – but she’s only started school three weeks ago. Is that how long it takes to resent the day-to-day grind of a Monday-to-Friday schedule? Three weeks? And to think she has just 15 or 20 years of school to go, before she can hopefully find a full-time job. Another 60 some years of looking forward to Friday night. […]
Grace, Under Pressure: A Girl with Asperger’s and her Marathon Mom
by Sophie Walker
Those early days of training were excruciating and monotonous and humbling. I often felt overwhelmed as I fought to organize time to do it among work and the children and the daily chores. But it was also the best thing that had ever happened to me. I had a sense of purpose and achievement and a project to be proud of that was mine.
Then somewhere in the weeks around Christmas that changed. I stopped running and I stopped writing about it — by now my blog about life with Grace had attracted a decent number of regular readers. It would be easy to say that it was simply due to the busy time of year, but the break was less to do with the busyness of family activities — the tending to clamoring, hyped-up children that makes the Christmas holiday so particularly unrestful — and more to do with a sudden queasiness that descended whenever I contemplated either activity. […]
September with Mr. Mom
by Marc Parsont
I never met a sale I didn’t like. The Battle Cry of the Parsont Clan is, “It’s On Sale!” Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble could “Charge It,” all day because they’d be left flapping in my wake. And why, you ask, should you care?
I plan on buying enough school supplies for our kids—for the rest of their natural lives. One time, one trip, and we’re through. […]
A 40-Something Infertility Story
by Deborah Adrian
March 28th, 2008, was a day that marked the culmination of a personal infertility journey.
It was not the day you might imagine – when I found out I was pregnant. Past experience had taught me that just a pregnancy test was not enough to be confident I would have a baby. This was the moment I saw the image of a small fetus with a solid heartbeat grace the screen of the ultrasound machine. This was a moment forged by three years of struggle to get pregnant both naturally and with medical intervention. A moment ultimately created out of a commitment and a declaration. […]
Q&A’s on Attachment Parenting with the Authors of ATTACHED AT THE HEART: Eight Proven Parenting Principles For Raising Connected And Compassionate Children
Q: What is Attachment Parenting (AP)?
A: Attachment parenting is based on the principles of attachment theory in developmental psychology. According to attachment theory, children are born with the intrinsic expectation of forming a strong emotional bond, secure attachment, with a primary caregiver during childhood.
Without secure attachment there can be lifelong negative consequences from poor behavior and failure in school to violence. Sensitive and emotionally available parenting helps a child to form a secure attachment which fosters a child’s emotional development and well-being. Principles of attachment parenting aim to increase development of a child’s secure attachment and decrease insecure attachment. In many ways it is the practical application of attachment theory. […]
Parents As Positive Role Models
by Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D., and Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D
Photo courtesy of beingnewton.com
Your children – whatever their ages – may or may not do as you say, but chances are they’ll do as you do. There’s no getting around it. You serve as a role model through your attitudes and behavior inside and outside the family. Just remember, someone impressionable is watching, listening and learning from your example.
Should you be flawless? Of course not. But show them your best self. You can use these practical tips as you teach your kids how to:
Solve problems. Children need to know how and why you make the choices that you do. They learn what you value every time you make the extra effort. Your decisions don’t only impact you, so talk to them when you consider your parents’ needs before your own, put money in their college fund, help out in the homeless shelter. […]
Happy Dance
by Maggie Lamond Simone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Koe5FSE9M *
The big yellow bus will soon rumble once more down our street, signaling the end of summer and the beginning of another chapter in my life. My youngest is now in kindergarten. Big brother and little sister will stand together at the bus stop, he surreptitiously looking out for her, his fear for her safety and feelings only slightly stronger than his fear of being caught caring.
I think of all the emotions I should be feeling, emotions that any normal mother would be feeling at this momentous occasion in her children’s life: a deep sense of pride; hope for the future; nostalgia for baby days long gone; and maybe even a little fear about what lies in store for these innocent young people. I should be crying.
So why, then, will I be doing The Happy Dance in my driveway as the bus is pulling away? […]
The Yin and Yang of Motherhood
by Serena Kirby
I was 43 when I finally became a mother and I’d definitely been looking through rose coloured glasses in regards to how I thought motherhood would be. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom and I would lay down my life for my child. But there were times in the early days of mothering when I asked myself, “What the heck have I done?”
I know now that I’m not alone in this, as many older mothers I spoke to while researching my book expressed surprise at the contradictory emotions that come with being a mom. […]