Search Results for: blog finger pointing at other parents

Mistake #5 Parents Make With Teenagers: Imbalanced Discipline

Today we are wrapping up the last blog for my “mistakes parents make” series. We’ve covered expecting the worse, looking for parenting answers in others, making mountains out of molehills, and making molehills out of mountains. Today is about imbalanced discipline.  And I will tell you, that I am the queen of this.  Yes, I fully admit that I don’t have this whole discipline thing down pat. You would think after raising one child to adulthood, one just over two years away from that and another well on his way, I would be an expert.  Okay, here’s the truth.  No … Continue reading →

When Other Moms Are the Enemy

You know how they say we can be our own worst enemy?  When it comes to parenting, I think we can have two enemies—not only ourselves but other moms. Ever notice how men don’t compare their fathering skills to one another.  But women do? Of course, get a group of men together and it’s highly unlikely they are going to be discussing their children anyway.  Their conversations tend to swirl around work, sports and the latest home project. But put a group of women together and their children tend to pop up in the conversation.  And unless it’s a group … Continue reading →

Parents Talk Less about Their Teens

There is something interesting I have noticed about parents. I remember when my children were younger; we couldn’t stop talking about our kids. When they were babies we talked about how many hours they slept, how well they napped and their “firsts.” Their first smile, first time they rolled over and so on. As they became toddlers we talked about what it was like having a mobile child and how everything needs to be put out of their reach. We talked about their words and the funny things they said. When they got into elementary school we talked about how … Continue reading →

Finger Pointing at Other Parents

Here is something I have found easy to do…judge other people’s kids. It is easy for me to sit back and think to myself, “Well, at least my child has never done such-and-such.” Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I think my children are perfect and can do no wrong. On a daily basis it seems that someone is always doing something “wrong” (or at the very least something that is challenging). But I guess what I am discovering about myself is that at no point can you ever assume your child won’t do something. Now for the sheer … Continue reading →

Blame the Mother

My 5-year-old daughter loves to play games. And by play I mean win. And by win I mean beat the pants off other kids and do a butt-shaking, arm-waving, head-tossing, happy dance after her victory. Somehow her overzealous (yet in my opinion, age-appropriate) reaction to creaming the competition is my fault. Blame the mommy for the child’s lack of humility and sportsmanship. Whatever. I agree her gloating is a bit excessive, and yes, I’ve addressed it on more than one occasion. Still, the happy dance is riot. My child is a work in progress and I’m learning on the job, … Continue reading →

Where Were His Parents?

By now I’m sure you’ve heard the devastating news out of Florida about the college student who committed suicide in front of a live web cam. His death by drug overdose was watched by thousands of Internet subscribers, and that’s not the most disturbing part of the horrific ordeal. According to news reports, the teenage boy was actually egged on by some computer users to end his life while he sat in his father’s home. By the time someone notified authorities of what was going on it was too late. By the way, that someone was not 19-year-old Abraham Biggs’ … Continue reading →

Who Cares?

A friend of mine recently posted something on her Facebook page that made me want to stand up and cheer. I even asked her permission to quote it. It was: “If you resist seeing your children as a reflection of how you will be judged by others, it will be easier to enjoy them and let them be.” Read that again slowly…let it soak in. This is some good wisdom for parents. Because the fact remains that too often we parent out of fear of what others will think. So we say or do things that we believe others will … Continue reading →

Kicked While You’re Down

I have a confession to make…I am not a perfect mother. Ha, as if anyone ever thought that to be the case. But I have another confession…I don’t have perfect children. While I can easily admit to this, not everyone seems to feel the same way about their children. Or at least that is the impression I get from some moms who seem to be shaking their heads at the difficulties our family has been going through lately. There is nothing like being down as a mother and having someone come along to kick you while you are down. And … Continue reading →

Who Are We to Judge?

The death of a child elicits sympathy as much as it does gossip, especially if you live in a small town. Unfortunately, in many cases, that gossip begets judgmental finger pointing, and more often than not, the loss of a young life gets overshadowed by rampant speculation and vicious accusations. That’s exactly what’s taking place in a tiny town not far from my rural Wisconsin home. Last night, an innocent 2-year-old girl died after ingesting an unknown amount of gasoline. Meanwhile, her 4-year-old brother is currently fighting for his life after swallowing the same gas that killed his sister. According … Continue reading →

Little White Lies

Today I was reminded again of how hard it is when your kids lie. My friends little girl told a pretty big lie, she got scared on her way to school and said someone tried to abduct her. Of course the police were out in force, parents were notified and the news crews came in. A few hours later she told them she lied. I can’t imagine how her Mom feels, living through every parents worst nightmare and then, after all these community resources are expended, to find out it wasn’t true. Most people have been cruel, pointing a finger … Continue reading →