Search Results for: blog letting our kids live their own lives

Fun Father’s Day Reads

Forget about the tacky tie, fluorescent golf balls, and the tennis racket-shaped bug zapper.  What Dad really wants this Father’s Day is some quality time with the TV remote, his trusty recliner and a plate of bacon. Of course, what Dad wants for the upcoming holiday and what his enthusiastic young offspring want for him may be vastly different.  Fortunately, the following Father’s Day reads may be the key to compromise.  Kids can cuddle up with Dad on his favorite chair and share quality time reading the delightful holiday-themed page turners… while Mom cooks a pile of pork products for a post-story time … Continue reading →

Chill Out When The Crying Won’t Stop

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It seems my baby blogs have had an underlying theme lately. Crying. But, it’s a part of our lives right now with an almost 4-month-old who seems to want control. Last night and today have been stressful. I’m sick, which doesn’t help matters, and little sweet baby boy decided he didn’t want to sleep last night. So, I thought today, I would surely get in some breaks while he napped, but so far, the crying and fussiness abound, and it’s been easy to get frustrated. But, it’s important that you don’t lose your cool when you have a baby that … Continue reading →

Rough Ride: The Roller Coaster of Adolescence

Few things strike fear into the heart of parents more than the approaching adolescence of their children. They’ve heard horror stories from family and friends, and they dread the fear of the unknown and how it’s going to go with their own kids. Will that happy-go-lucky child turn into some sort of a sullen monster? Will the childhood skirmishes of yesterday turn into open warfare? Will the days of having their friends over all the time turn into years of going out to be with friends somewhere else? Most of us can remember feeling awkward, unattractive, anxious, and overwhelmed as … Continue reading →

Family Game Night

Between everyone’s busy schedules it’s important to take some time out once a week to spend together as a family. No distractions! Turn the cell phones off, no TV, no computers, just the family! Pick a night of the week to be a special night to spend just you and the kids. For us growing up, we all knew that Monday night was family night. As we got older and our schedules got busier with school and work, family night became less and less frequent. Now that I have my own family, I’d love to start it up again. Have … Continue reading →

Back to School Anxiety & Emotions

Do a Google search on this topic and you’re likely to come across a ton of news stories, blogs, opinions, etc. I thought I better throw my hat into the ring, so my readers would not be left out. The person quoted the most on these various sites is Samuel Gladding, who is a professor at Wake Forest University. He offers 6 tips for helping with back to school anxiety and is summarized by Bradenton.com. The fact that these articles keep popping up on my alerts daily was funny to me, as I think I have more anxiety than my … Continue reading →

October 2010 General Conference-Courageous Parenting

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I have to admit that the idea of being a parent to teenagers terrifies me. Now, let me say, there are definitely things about it that are enticing too. But, for the most part, I’m terrified! Hopefully the years between now and then will provide me with added wisdom and knowledge to help my kids become well-rounded, decent people. I loved the talk in General Conference titled “Courageous Parenting” by Elder Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy. While I am still a few years away from dealing with some of these issues, it gives me hope to know that we … Continue reading →

When Your Chronically Ill Child Rebels

As a parent of a child with a chronic, life-threatening condition, I know how hard it can be when she fights her treatments or medication. It is frustrating, because you know she needs it. It is heart breaking because you hate that she needs it. In addition, you feel torn between forcing her and just giving in this one time. But it is never just one time. Children with chronic conditions go through a lot of stress and grown-up issues, more than most people can imagine. And they deal with this illness every single day of their lives. Treatments often … Continue reading →

Mothers Make Mistakes

Let’s face it. We are all human and we all make mistakes. Mothers may be, in the eyes of their children, superheroes, and single mothers seem to have even bigger shoes to fill. Our children look to us for answers, advice and knowledge. We shape their lives, but in doing so, we have to know how to deal with our own mistakes. Earlier today, I told my son that he couldn’t sit with me because I had to get some work done. I was worried about getting everything done on time because I had fallen behind due to an illness. … Continue reading →

How to Make Christmas Entertaining Fun for Kids

Rather than letting them sit in front of the TV while you run around like a decapitated chicken preparing for your annual holiday party, get your kids involved in the process. Children are great helpers, especially if you give them specific tasks to accomplish. To keep them engaged, have them work on age appropriate jobs. For example, if you have a preschooler, task him with creating colorful homemade placemats made from construction paper, markers and glitter glue. (You can laminate their masterpieces when they are done.) Likewise, you can get your teens involved in party prep by having them make … Continue reading →

Letting Children Be Children

A common mistake that many single parents make is allowing their children to become their confidante. This is an easy thing to do, as there are no other adults in your household. This is not to say that you and your kids cannot share a close bond because you will. A children’s life should be surrounded by their education, their friends and their family. It should have a good mix of responsibilities, but carefree times as well with nothing to worry about but their playtime. All too often a single parent without any other adult to talk to about adult … Continue reading →