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How School Dress Codes Can Harm Your Daughter’s Education

Does the school your children attend have a dress code? Many of them do. Some schools opt for a specific, very limited, dress code. Others are a little less stringent. While a dress code might annoy your son, school dress codes can harm your daughter’s education. Here are some things for parents to watch out for. Ideally, a school dress code is designed to equalize students. Everyone has to wear the same type of uniform, with limited variations. (Typical variations include skirts for girls and pants for boys). Schools might choose to only allow clothing of specific colors. The goal … Continue reading →

The “Two Minute Warning” Might Make Tantrums Worse

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It has been said that the “two minute warning” is a good way to help a young child transition from playtime to another (less fun) activity. A study found that the “two minute warning” might actually make tantrums worse for some children – especially if the child was engaged in screen time. Researchers at the University of Washington’s Computing for Health Living & Learning Lab interviewed 27 families about how they manage media and screen time experiences for their toddlers and preschoolers. The answers to those questions informed a diary study that included 28 different families. Each family documented screen … Continue reading →

Shortening Summer Vacation

Know how to shut down an unruly kid in record time? Tell him that his school is shortening summer vacation. I’ve never seen a mouthy child go silent as quickly as I did last week while watching the evening news at our neighbor’s house.  Education leaders recently began serious talks about lengthening the academic year here. Of course, all my neighbor’s rowdy kid heard was:  “Next year, public school kids across the state could be dealing with a much shorter summer vacation.” The news reporter’s last three words nearly triggered an aneurysm in my neighbor’s kid. My child attends parochial … Continue reading →

The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall

You’ve heard of the Food Network’s hit show “30 Minute Meals,” well, what about “45 Minute Falls”? It’s not the title of a new reality show, but it could be. Unfortunately, for some families reality has hit a bit too close to home. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a child is rushed to the hospital every 45 minutes due to TVs falling on top of them. The nightmare gets worse when you realize that most of these kids are not simply suffering a broken arm or leg due to TV tipping; rather, safety experts say many children die … Continue reading →

The Bedroom TV

My father just offered to purchase a television for my daughter’s bedroom. I’m still waiting for John Quiñones to pop out of my hall closet because there’s no way my dad’s proposition can be legit. He’s testing me right? Like Quiñones does to all those unsuspecting individuals on “What Would You Do?” A new flat screen TV for my 8-year-old’s bedroom… riiiiight. From a guy who refused to allow me to touch our family’s TV, which didn’t move from its spot in the living room.  The same dad who mandated that an egg timer be set each time me and … Continue reading →

No Carve Pumpkins for the Whole Family

With Halloween just around the corner the kids are itching to get started on their pumpkins! But if you are anything like me, the whole idea of handing those little pumpkin carving tools over to my four year old is a little frightening. Last year Mommy had to do the whole thing for him. Needless to say, neither one of us had much fun with it until it was finished and on the porch. This year I’m thinking we might try a new approach. No carve pumpkins are an easy solution to this little dilemma, and certainly just as fun! … Continue reading →

Free Fall Crafts, Events, and Breakfasts

October brings plenty of Fall Festivals and Halloween celebrations. Many of them are things your family can attend for free, or for a low cost. Here are a few upcoming fun and frugal Fall activities that will be going on between now and October 14, 2012, (and a few that are going on all month long). Stuckmeyer’s Farm located in Fenton, Missouri, is having Farm Fun Days every weekend in October. It happens every Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening. Admission is free. There will be hayrides, pony rides, an inflatable slide, live … Continue reading →

I So Called It

Ten days. Ten short days, people. It took just 10 days, 14 hours, 26 minutes and 50 seconds before my daughter uttered these three words: “I hate school.” So, yeah, the novelty of the new academic year has already worn off and now we’re back to dealing with bullies and bad attitudes. I so called it. Thank goodness for art. It’s been a saving grace in more ways than one. Fortunately, my daughter loves art class, so I use it as incentive to get her out of bed and off to school with at least 1/10th of a smile on … Continue reading →

Who Can You Trust?

I have major trust issues. And by major I mean I really don’t trust anyone. That goes triple when my child is involved. Make that quintuple. Let’s just say I am not the type of parent, who would drop off my 9-year-old kid at a municipal pool with five bucks for lunch and head to work for 8 hours, hoping that the lifeguards or other adults will make sure he’s alive and well by the time I return. For many parents, entrusting their flesh and blood to others is not a task they take lightly. And, no, I don’t buy … Continue reading →

Watch Where You Point That Finger

Well, that didn’t take long. Then again, it rarely does. It’s been less than 72 hours since the mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and already cyberspace is ripe with pointed fingers, harsh accusations and shameless sanctimony. Sadly, though, that big, ugly finger of blame, which was initially aimed at the shooter, quickly turned to the parents of the victims, specifically the moms and dads who allowed their young children to attend the midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Thanks to pure thoughtlessness, Twitter, Facebook and thousands of other sites– where commenters and posters are able … Continue reading →