All three of my children are headstrong and can be extremely stubborn at times. When they refuse to do as told, it can be frustrating and anger provoking. Many times I’ve resorted to yelling and promising all sorts of punishments if they don’t listen. You can imagine how well those strategies usually work for me….
Is your child learning the life skills they need to become independent adults? Once you complete these life skills checklists you might be surprised!! We’ve all heard stories about kids going off to college never once doing a load of laundry or preparing a meal for themselves. I remember my freshman year of college living off take…
I used to watch reality television shows like Supernanny and America’s Supernanny in awe of how well they were able to get misbehaving kids in line without yelling or using threats. I even implemented some of their ideas in our home. Our greatest fail was the calm down corner. The idea behind the calm down…
Sometimes I get so caught up in planning and scheduling activities for my children that I miss out on spending quality time with them. There never seems to be enough hours in the day and it can be a struggle to divide my attention between three kids. However, they don’t want to hear excuses,…
Mommy guilt seems to be synonymous with parenting these days. Some moms have an ideal of what kind of parent they want to be and are constantly monitoring their actions to make sure they measure up. I admit, I was one of those moms plagued by mommy guilt, and if I’m being completely honest, at…
Learning to read is essentially the foundation of all learning. Therefore, when a child struggles to read, it makes learning about other subjects extremely difficult. It also puts them at greater risk for academic failure. According to veteran educator, Michelle Stewin,NBCT, “students that are unable to read will face long term academic struggles and potential…
Play dates have been a Godsend for my children and I. My husband and I both went away to college and it just made more financial sense to stay where we went to school as opposed to returning to our home town. The drawback to this is that all our friends and family live three-and-half hours away….
My oldest son is going to middle school next year and quite frankly I don’t know where the time went. As he transitions into this new phase in his life, I can’t help but wonder, have we provided him with a solid enough foundation to lean on as his sphere of influence widens? Does he…
The New Year is filled with promises and the possibilities seem endless. However, before we begin to chase down the promises of the new year, it’s probably a good idea to reflect on the previous year to see what worked and what didn’t. This year my focus is on strengthening my family. My oldest starts…
Divorce can be hard on children, especially during the holidays. Let’s face it, the holidays are a stressful time of year for even the most intact families. There’s the whole matter of finding the perfect gift for everyone, mustering up enough energy to attend all the holiday parties and celebrations at school for the kids,…