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Tips For Adressing Common Early Breastfeeding Challenges

Even though your baby has not made his or her arrival just yet, it is not too early to educate yourself about breastfeeding. It may come as a surprise to learn that something so simple and so natural can actually be somewhat tricky to master. Unfortunately, many new moms do not realize that breastfeeding does not always happen easily right away. Don’t feel bad if you have a little trouble getting started and, more importantly, don’t give up. If you would like to breastfeed your baby, here are two of the common difficulties that you may encounter during the early … Continue reading →

Gender Challenges

And I thought I had a parenting dilemma. On many occasions I have written about my 6-year-old daughter’s repugnance for princesses, the color pink and anything that could be construed as being even the least bit girly girl. As a parent I pick my battles very carefully and my daughter’s desire to dress like a boy is not something I make an issue of… at least not out loud. I do get slightly annoyed when she places her hands on her throat and makes loud gagging noises when we enter the girls clothing section at Macy’s. And I do find … Continue reading →

Sorting Out the Gender Roles In Marriage

Less than two generations ago, the gender roles in a marriage and in parenting were pretty clearly defined. Dads went to work. Moms stayed at home. Wives may have worked prior to marriage, but typically they stayed home when children came. They spent a great deal of time in volunteer work and parent chaperoning. Today’s married couples and gender roles are less defined and while that lack of definition provides an immutable freedom in choices and options. This potpourri of roles and options is the catalyst for many problems, but it can also provide the solutions to those very problems. … Continue reading →

Crushed

I am that mom. The mom whose heart breaks every time she sees her child in pain. The mom who feels just as bad watching another mother’s child hurt. After all, once you join the sorority of motherhood then another mother’s pain is your pain. I felt that way reading Stephanie’s blog about her daughter’s recent heartbreak. Fortunately, her daughter’s pain was temporary, but from what I could gather, Stephanie’s ache lingers. I am that mom. The mom who regularly thinks the grass is always greener in another mom’s yard. Only, after reading Stephanie’s post I was suddenly cured on … Continue reading →

Do You Rank Passions?

I’ve tried my best to move out of the ranking game. When I was a child, I loved to rank people. This is natural. Smarter than me, not quite as good as I am in math. Faster than I am, definitely slower. Better at climbing trees, not as good as getting across the monkey bars. I’ve realized that even though I realize as an adult that everyone has their wonderful, personal talents, I still rank skills. As my daughter moves into “academic” topics such as math, I realize that her enthusiasm for certain things makes me feel quite proud, while … Continue reading →

Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets

When we watch the Sound of Music she sings Frederick’s part. When we watch The Magic School Bus she pretends she is Ralphie. She’s Miguel instead of Maya, Gil instead of Molly and Dash instead of Mags. So when my 6-year-old daughter read the back of Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets, I wasn’t the least bit surprised that she was instantly intrigued. “This boy wants to be a girl just like I like pretending I’m a boy,” my lizard king-loving female offspring exclaimed. And so began my first grader’s newest adventure in chapter book reading and another chapter in … Continue reading →

Married to My Best Friend

Are you friends with your spouse? I don’t mean, do you like each other in addition to being in love, although that’s a very good thing to. I mean, can you really sit down and have a long conversation with your spouse and come away from it feeling as though you’ve just had a really good talk with a friend? I am so lucky in that I’m married to my best friend. It’s not something that happened immediately—when we were first married, I sure did like him a lot, but I still had my social circle and my girlfriends and … Continue reading →

Give Boys Super Reading Powers

In many ways my 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old nephew are like two peas in a pod. They both enjoy racing Hot Wheels, collecting rocks and pretending they are wolves in the wild. However, when it comes to books, the path splits and while one willingly devours tales of whimsy, the other heads for the hills in hopes that a stray title doesn’t accidently fall in his lap. It is a well-known myth that girls excel at reading while boys, due in large part to their superior spatial awareness, kill at math. And so it goes with my two cuties. My … Continue reading →

He’s Got Her Wrapped Around His Little Finger!

Chase has been dating Amy, a 28 year old single mother, for over a year. Things are getting serious; they’ve even been batting around the “M” word. She is attractive, kind, funny, considerate, and they both love to fish and camp. In a nutshell, she’s everything he’s been looking for in a life partner…except for one little thing… a twenty-eight pound, 3 year old little thing, named Marcus. “Now don’t get me wrong, he’s really cute and everything” admits Chase, “but she jumps every time he cries! And I mean every time! He has totally got her wrapped around his … Continue reading →

You Can’t Fill Every Role As A Single Parent

Single parents often feel very alone, almost like you’re the only one in the world facing these particular problems and challenges. Although everyone does have their personal uphill battles, according to the US Census Bureau, in 2006 there were 12.9 million one-parent families in the United States. Of those, 10.4 million were single mothers. Assuredly, today there are millions more. So, the good news is that we really aren’t alone. The bad news is, it’s still a tough job fulfilling so many roles. Is it really possible to be everything to your child or children? As a self-proclaimed workaholic and … Continue reading →