Parenting Children

I admit it, I am addicted to the mom confessional sites that are out there. I have spent days reading them to write about them here and it has not been a chore. It is fascinating to me what moms will confess only if it is anonymous. Could we ever admit these things to our husbands, best friends or mother or are we still under the illusion we need to be “perfect” wives and mothers?

Let’s face it moms are so hard on other moms. It is hard to break into a new friendship with moms in my experience and other moms are quick to judge. Is it because we only think our parenting choices are the correct ones or because we know we are lacking in certain parental areas?
Sites like truemomconfessions.com , true wife confessions and herbadmothersbasement.com are wildly popular and addictive. There are confessions ranging from:
I tell my newborn to shut up sometimes… to I refuse to have sex with even a ray of light in the room because I am so ashamed of the way my vulva looks. I wish I could afford a labiaplasty.
Women do not have the market on this type of confessional site either, try reading truedadconfessions.com to get an insight into your husband’s or your friend’s husband’s thoughts.

How can we support these women with a comment on a blog or a “me too” through the internet but cannot or do not in real life?
So tell me, are you addicted to these sites like I am? Do you confess on them or on your own blog? Finally, how do you think we can support the women we know, judgment free, in our own lives?

mom confessions, confessional websites, moms, SAHMS, WAHMS, parenting, mothering, parenting children, moms who judge

If you are anything like me, you do not like traditional parenting books. Of course I have read a few in my day when I had problems with sleeping or potty training but to me, they are usually all the same. Since all kids are different and respond to things differently so, I like to wing it. That made me excited to review “The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting” from MotherTalk, to see if someone who is not a parent at all, can help parent a child.

It takes a village all right, or at least one gay uncle as this book will let you believe. Brett Berk, who was a was a teacher and director and is now a research consultant for producers of children’s toys and media, takes you through the journey on the outskirts of parenting children and what you are doing wrong and right. Everything from real life examples for toilet training, bed time, sibling rivalry and bad food habits and more. He does it in a humorous manner so you will be laughing throughout this book.

I don’t agree with everything he had to say, but I have never agreed with the an entire parenting book before. After all, he is still just and Uncle and gets to leave at the end of the day!

The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting, parenting, parenting children. book reviews, parenting books, moms, dads

When I was pregnant with the twins, my last month of pregnancy was miserable. I was huge, sleeping, walking and sitting had become uncomfortable. Doing anything was a chore, I just wanted them out. This time around I am feeling great, besides a little tired and trying to enjoy the last weeks of pregnancy of my life. I am awaiting the time when I am so uncomfortable that I am done so I did a little research on what to do to give labor a little nudge.

Walk. Everyone says to walk to try and stimulate labor. I guess it is gravity’s pull coupled with the sway of your hips that can bring that baby down into the pelvis.

Nipple stimulation. Ouch! Experts say this can release your body’s oxytocin and start contractions. I am not sure I would try this no matter how far along I am, but never say never.

Herbal teas. Raspberry leaf tea is one I have always heard of trying to bring on labor. We tried it with my sister at nine months though and no luck. You should always check with your doctor though before trying any herbs or herb teas becvause soem can cause harm to your baby.

Sex. this is the one I always heard that works, but maybe it is just men feeding into this rumor. Semen does contain prostaglandin which can stimulate contractions. I guess if you are physically able to, have some fun and do it.

Do you have any tried and true recipes for getting the baby out?

I think the best and worst part of parenting is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. Everyone has their own ideas about what is best for their family or their children. I love that parenting should be a community thing, advice from other mothers I have met, aunts, family members and my own mother, have been invaluable. Here are some tips I have for other mothers on parenting:

Make time to create a photo album. You will not experience these memories again, so take the time, even 15 minutes per week to make a photo album or scrapbook.

Show your Kids you are in love. Kiss your partner, tell him you love him in front of your kids. Let them see your love. I wouldn’t shelter kids from all disagreements you may have either, let them see how you can argue and but let them see you make up too.

Never let hitting be ok. Hitting, biting and aggression can be normal in toddlers. Never let him hit you and make sure they always know it is not ok to hurt someone else.

Watch what you say. Even the youngest children can pick up bad word from you and you never know when or where they will repeat them!

Make sleep easier for both of you. Put your child to bed awake as soon as possible,. That teaches your child to self soothe and is important if you don’t want to rock your child to sleep until they are 6. Also try letting them sleep in different places, this will help you if you ever want to leave the house overnight.

Trust your instincts. Whether it is with picking a day care provider, letting your kids ride the bus or go for her first sleep over, trust what you feel is best. You are the one who knows your child best. If you feel strange about leaving your child with someone, don’t leave them, even if you feel silly for being overprotective.

What are your best parenting tips or parenting ideals you live by?

parenting, parenting children, parenting tips, parenting advice, moms, SAHM, WAHM, Dads, fathers, fatherhood, teaching children

Tomorrow September 19, 2007 is National ADHD Awareness Day. To get more information on ADHD, I have an expert who will be answering questions, concerns and giving information to all of us on this disorder.

If you have any questions on diagnosis, medications or anything else for the expert, please leave them in the comments or email them to me.

ADHD, parenting, families, kids with ADHD, kids

My son has a bad habit that I am hoping all the parents out there could help me with. He is only four so I never expected a bad habit to appear so soon, of course with a boy I expected as he got older there would be belching, maybe gas issues and a addiction to ESPN that would rival his father’s. None of that has appeared, yet.

A couple of weeks ago he started biting his nails. What is up with a four year old who can’t keep his hands out of his mouth, I mean he still has dimples for knuckles for crying our loud!
At least it is not as bad as a two year old who can’t keep his hands out of his diaper.
Now I am at a loss of how to break him of this gross habit. I threatened him with awful tasting nail polish that my mother threatened my sister with many years ago, but do they really even make that? Or is it the equivalent of the toothfairy for nail biters? Am I going to have to put him in a 12 step program for pint size biters?

So wise parents, what can I do to help him save his poor fingers and my sanity?

parenting, preschoolers, nail biters, stop nail biting, parenting advice, kids

My first Ask A Mom letter comes from a nice new mom in Oregon. She wants to know “how should I put my child to sleep? Is it necessary to have a night time routine, or do I just put her to bed when it is her bedtime?”

This is a great question. You could just put your baby to sleep, but since you didn’t give the age of the child in question, I suggest starting a bedtime routine with your child as young as three months.

There are various things you can do to soothe your baby into nightly slumbers and I will tell you what worked for me.
A nice bath. Don’t under estimate a nice relaxing bath before bed. There are so many nice bath soaps and lotions on the market now that are calming, take advantage of them.
Follow the bath up with some lotion and a massage for your child.
You love massages, so will your child.

Then if it was time for a bottle I would give one to my child in his room with dim lighting. Maybe even some music. I would always play classical music at bedtime and as my children got older they recognized this music as nap or bedtime. You could always use a crib cd player or the music of his mobile.

As my children got a little older, I would read them stories before bed and now that they are four they prefer my husband singing silly songs with his guitar before bed. If he is not here at bedtime, I still read them books.

Here are soem tips to keep a sleeping baby sleeping. keep the room at a comfortable temperature, not cold but cool. Try some white noise like a fan, sound machine or humidifier. My husband would still love to sleep with the sound of a fan every night!

That should make any person want to tuck themselves into the covers and snuggle down at bedtime for a full 10 hours sleep!
I hope this helps you, Oregon.

So, help this mom out, what are your bedtime routines?

babies, infants, toddlers, bedtime, bedtime routines, baths, baby baths, children, moms, parenting, parents, sleep