“Good job, mama,” my 3-year-old said today. “I’m so proud of you!” I’m going to pretend she was thanking me for being a good mom instead of for making her some frozen yogurt. (Or maybe the two go hand in hand for her.) We don’t often hear “thank you” for the job we do as […]
“I’m really rushing all the time. I don’t have enough time just to sit down with them.” “I always worry: Am I doing enough with my kids? Am I doing the important stuff that they need?” We can all relate to the parents at the beginning of this video. The ending will bring a tear to your eye: […]
Who wants to guess the origin of fake baby poop? Baby-shower activities could use an upgrade in the usefulness department. The usual activities range from sweet (write down your wish for baby) to creative (paint a onesie) to wrong (guess how much weight the guest of honor has gained). Then the mama-to-be opens gifts from […]
Would you call 9-1-1 if you saw a child sitting in a car parked outside a store, alone, engrossed in a video game? Or a 9-year-old playing, alone, at a playground? Or a 10- and 6-year-old walking purposefully, hand-in-hand, toward home? Stories are mounting of people calling the cops on parents who let their older kids attempt a […]
“Time for bed,” my husband says. He’s not talking to our 3-year-old. He’s talking to me, because I’ve been going to bed waaaay too late, and I’ve asked him to help me out. Even so, whenever he tells me what to do, I balk. “OK,” I say noncommittally, and I stay up even later. Think about […]
“Why does Daddy have a stomachache?” Our toddler began to cry. “Daddy, I will help you,” she said. We were playing Chutes and Ladders, a gift from her 3rd birthday party earlier that week. Her daddy landed on square 49, in which a boy eats an armful of green apples. He had to slide all the way back down to […]
Baby loves it when you mimic her facial expressions, coo at her little sounds, and gaze into her eyes. When baby tries to engage with you in one of those ways, she needs you to respond in kind. This “serve and return” interaction is foundational in wiring baby’s brain. It helps the brain develop […]
A photographer mounted a GoPro camera in the stroller behind his son’s head so he could capture “A toddler’s view of New York City.” Cool idea! But the poor kid is often looking through the plastic cover of the stroller. He gets this blurry, diffuse view of the world. The photographs got me thinking about a child’s experience from a […]
“NAP STRUGGLE.” This is the title I’ve scribbled on a sheet of paper, unceremoniously ripped from a spiral notebook, and tacked to my fridge. It’s my latest plan to eliminate the repeated obstacles we have to napping. And to stop spending all dang day on trying to get a nap. The paper says: G says she’s hungry soon after breakfast. Add fat and protein. [If she snacks through […]
Have you ever watched your kid gallop down the street, bop to music, wave both arms wildly, or randomly run around in circles … and wondered if that’s the amount of movement you’re supposed to be getting in a day? Nah–there’s no way you can keep up with that craziness. But sitting for large swaths of the day, like many of […]