If your kids are past infancy, discipline is something you have to do. Basically, as soon as a child becomes ambulatory and starts speaking, they start doing things they shouldn’t do, and it only gets worse as they get older. I swear, my kids have a rare talent for getting into trouble, causing messes and breaking things, and making inappropriate noise (unfortunately, often involving bodily functions). Teaching kids what to do–and NOT to do–is one of the single most important parts of parenting; if your kids end up as rebellious, insolent, and out-of-control, you’re a failure as a mother or father. Sorry. Discipline takes many forms, and there is a lot of passion and polemics when it comes to what is and isn’t good discipline. What are some of the top discipline mistakes parents make?
I don’t usually write rants. So brace yourselves. Last week we saw Alicia Silverstone mushing up food in her own mouth and feeding her child with a bird-like mouth-to-mouth technique on Youtube (link below). Today as I scanned Facebook, Babble asked it’s fans when their menstrual cycles returned after their children were born. (And the question received 150 comments and 41 likes within 4 hours.) Seriously? Is this a productive way to spend our time, bare our souls and reflect positively on the art of Motherhood? I think not.
I was introduced to a website recently called STFU, Parents. (You can guess the acronym). With categories such as ‘Spoiled Brats’, ‘Mommy Drama’ and ‘Bathroom Behaviour’, it is a brilliantly curated compilation of Facebook missteps by parents. The site “reaches thousands of daily readers and averages 1.5 million pageviews per month”. And no wonder. I could lose hours staring incredulously at the inane things that parents feel the need to share. I chuckle at the inappropriateness of the posts and yet I also feel sad and mortified. That there is a site like this makes a statement about our society. In my opinion, we have crossed a line where nothing is sacred to us or our children. What will Johnny think about the poop-smeared crib photo when he’s 13 and looks back at the Facebook legacy of his childhood that lives in perpetuity?
Having a laugh and feeling connected makes social media valuable and enticing. Friends joking with each other and revealing tidbits about their day is interesting and also a great way to lesson a geographical distance. But people must realize that this information is ‘out there’. Potential employers have asked recent graduates for their Facebook login information, and reputations and careers have been ruined. Posting negative or embarrassing information about your children could come back to haunt them – or potentially harm the trust within your parent-child relationship in the future.
The internet allows us to access information and have our questions (sometimes) answered without needing to communicate in person or search out a book. Information on bodily functions, sex, and other taboo dinner-table topics from reputable, research-based sites are an excellent source of information. But when I look to social networking sites for camaraderie, friendly laughs and the sharing of knowledge, I really don’t want to hear about vomit in your minivan. Nor do I want to see a photo of the placenta. And I most certainly don’t want to know the specifics of your teenager hitting puberty. The value of social media is knowledge – real information that enhances our collective experience of our world. We have incredible tools at our disposal and we are littering them with inappropriate information.
The Mouth-to-mouth feeding video.
What are your thoughts?
At 8:30pm on March 31st, many people will shut off the lights for Earth Hour. We don’t always need electricity and some of the best moments can be created without it. Alison Ferguson and Meaghan Relkie from Every Little Bit have some great ideas on how to spend some non-electricity time with your kids.. We also have some great ideas on eco-friendly activities to do with kids to help get in the spirit during the whole day!
So…what can you do in the dark for an hour?
UrbanMommies publisher Jill Amery was interviewed on Shaw TV’s Studio 4 about great no mess crafts and activities to do with kids that help with bonding and learning. A boon to parents everywhere! We wanted to share some of the ideas, with some credit as well to the original sources of the ideas. Happy bonding!
1. Fairies in a jar: Cut the end off of a glowstick. (This should be done by an adult – there’s a glass vial inside which, when shattered, creates the chemical glow reaction.) Dump the contents of the glowstick into a jar and add 4 T. glitter. Put the lid on the jar and secure the lid with duct tape (so curious kids won’t open it). Shake. Fairies in a jar. We’re picturing lumieres at hallowe’en or backyard-camping companions in the tent.
2. Denim Roads. Faded jeans? Upcycle, mama. Cut the denim into 3-inch wide strips and arcs. Paint yellow dotted lines down the centre and stick velcro to the backsides. Presto! Portable roads that will stick on carpet. (Dinky cars not included). Kudos to Jen from ‘lil Mop Top for the idea!
3. Periodic Table of Cupcakes. Ditto. What an amazing way to teach chemistry to kids going in to high school – especially if they have a sweet tooth. Kudos: Buzzfeed. Wow.
4. Ice Excavation. Fill a bundt or cake pan halfway with water. Freeze. Scatter lego, plastic animals or your child’s favourite obsession over the ice. Fill the rest of the pan with water and re-freeze. Once solid, pop the ice ring out of the pan and let them go to town with a hammer, blunt knives or chopsticks, ‘excavating’ the treasures from the ice. Note: It’s a good time to talk ice age, dinosaurs, etc. You can also do this with jello for younger kids.
5. Edible Glitter: Edible Glitter!! 1/4 sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of food coloring, baking sheet and 10 minutes in the oven. Kudos to Silver Taylor for the idea.
6. Indoor hopscotch. Wow. You are now a rockstar.
After I purchased cute boxes of Sweet Tarts for the kids to use as Valentines ‘cards’ at school, I got the ‘memo’ that no candy is allowed. Great. (read: PANIC!) And ‘from scratch’ is preferred. Naturally…. So, we did some digging and came up with some simple, original homemade valentines ideas! For more craft ideas as well as the original instruction on how to make these, please check out out craft page on Pinterest. Happy February 14th!
We have a new love. A new way to ‘work’. Seriously. Check out our pin boards on Kids Birthday Parties, Kid’s Rooms, Featured Finds, Craft ideas for Kids, Family Recipe Ideas and Travel. We couldn’t leave that out. Enjoy! Our Pin Boards.
There may be a bit of controversy on this one, but seriously – we think it’s a good idea. What’s your take? You can comment below. Here’s an easy way to keep track. Vaccine Tracker
I went to a swanky Gastown dinner sponsored by Invisalign Teen. Having never had braces and with toddlers, I had no idea what advances there have been in dentistry. Wow. Headgear? No. Ugly metal train-track things that get bits of food stuck and leave a teenager date-less? Nope. Invisalign are hard see-through cases – trays that you can pop in and out of your mouth that gently maneuver the teeth info proper formation. The biggest benefit in my view relates to self-esteem for teens and adults requiring braces. (Not to mention few diet or sports restrictions.) I won’t go into the amount of therapy I needed after having acne as a teenager, but I was certainly affected by not feeling attractive. Ridiculous but true – especially during the teenage years. Anything that can help teens through this stage of life is such a blessing. A tad more expensive than traditional braces, but they certainly get our vote. Oh – and Moms can certainly benefit too.
Being a nanny is a career choice created in a grey zone. In Canada the role has been blurred significantly with the introduction of the “Live In Caregiver Program.” Expectations on both the part of Employers and Nannies alike vary greatly. This miscommunication is the main cause for the high rate of disgruntled Nannies, disappointed employers and abandoned childcare contracts.
If you are one of the very lucky to be headed anywhere on a family vacation, we have a few tips for you. Planning ahead is definitely the cornerstone of traveling with kids. That old Girl Guide/Boy Scout adage of ‘Being Prepared‘ can eliminate lots of stress… and there’s nothing quite like a good excuse to purchase mini makeup and a wrinkle-free dress for yourself..