Traditions are an important part of family life. Traditions not only create positive feelings and a sense of belonging, they help parents pass their values on to their children. There's a good reason why, as parents, we often find ourselves repeating some of our favorite family traditions with our own children.
Today was my older daughter's first day of kindergarten, so we're just starting to form our own back-to-school traditions. Ours are pretty simple -- a shopping day spent just with Mom, a special breakfast that first morning, and a picture taken on our front porch, where all milestone pictures are staged. Then, we all walk to school together as a family. It's only our second year of school, but I particularly hope that we can keep that last one up.
(Click the image above to see a larger version of the comic strip.)
When I was growing up, there was always a "For Better or For Worse" comic cut from the paper and stuck to our refrigerator. The Pattersons may have been an imaginary family, but Lynn Johnston, their creator, made them real by touching on issues both big and small that many families deal with. When I became a parent, I even cut out one or two and put them on my own refrigerator, relating easily to daughter-in-law Deanna's life as a busy mom of two young children.
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The strip has looked a little different for the last several months. Lynn Johnston, seeing retirement on the horizon, has been running a series of flashbacks that allowed her to lighten her workload and revisit early moments in the Patterson's life. This Sunday, Lynn will give readers what every good story needs... an ending. The strip will be the endpoint of the Patterson's story, but it won't be the end of "For Better or For Worse."
There are a lot of ways that we, as parents, put ourselves into groups. Breastfeeders vs. formula feeders, co-sleepers vs. cry-it-outers, stay at home moms vs. working moms. I think it's really unfortunate when these very personal issues divide us, because, really, what do variations in parenting technique have to do with adult friendships and relationships? I'm very committed to the way I choose to parent my children, but I'm not committed to making sure other parents parent their children the same way. That's just not my business.
Vaccinations are a different issue, however. Whether or not you vaccinate your kids can have an impact on other people's children. That's one of the biggest issues vaccinating parents have with parents who choose not to. When kids aren't vaccinated, parents fear, then the risk of their children contracting those illnesses increases. Says Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "One of doctors' biggest concerns is loss of 'herd immunity.' Because no vaccine is 100 percent effective, successfully fighting disease requires most children be vaccinated."
School's a busy place these days. It's a long stretch between lunch and the day's last bell. School kids are hungry when they get home, and they need a snack to give them energy for extra-curricular activities, homework, and chores. If chips and cookies are what's in the cupboard, chances are that's what they'll reach for. But a healthy snack will not only satisfy their hunger, but give them the energy and nutrition they need.
Nutrition experts recommend that we all get at least 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That's nearly impossible unless you incorporate these kinds of foods into every meal and snack. Sure, you may offer kids a cookie, but serve it up next to a heaping pile of blueberries or a sliced apple. That's just one tip I discovered in AOL Health's gallery about making the most of after-school snacks. Another tip: Skip the snack food altogether and serve a mini-meal instead.
My own kids love to help in the kitchen and are far more likely to eat something they've helped create. Since they were tiny, we've been baking sweet potato muffins, and they are now a favorite snack. But it's also easy to keep washed, fresh fruit or chopped veggies in a bowl on the bottom shelf of the fridge... perfect for self-serve.
When a spouse cheats, it's the ultimate betrayal. For most, it's a highly personal, private matter dealt with behind closed doors. For John and Elizabeth Edwards, it's been a media circus. But that wasn't always the case. Both John and Elizabeth say that he confessed the affair to her in 2006, two years before the news was made public. On the liberal blog Daily Kos, Elizabeth explained, "This was a private matter, and I frankly wanted it to be private because as painful as it was, I did not want to have to play it out on a public stage as well."
But a handful of former followers aren't satisfied with that position. They're blaming Elizabeth alongside John in the cover-up of the affair, and say that she should have never agreed to stay silent when he began his run for Democratic nominee. "I think she's complicit," said Brad Crone, "Obviously, she knew. While she's the victim, she clearly didn't stand in the way of the cover-up."
It's hard to imagine being in Elizabeth Edward's shoes, and I'm think that Brad Crone is too busy pointing fingers to try and put himself there. In reality, none of us know what happened behind closed doors when John broke that particular piece of news to Elizabeth, a blow that had to be utterly devastating. Blaming Elizabeth for actions that were mostly out of her control takes the focus off John, who is the one that let his family and his supporters down, but more importantly off the important issues that these people, perfect or not, so fervently support. I, for one, would like to see Elizabeth return to working on those issues, but it's unlikely she'll be allowed to while her personal life is still making headlines.
He's an actor, celebrity, philanthropist, father to some of the most famous offspring in the world. In his spare time, Brad Pitt also fancies himself a photographer, so much so that Angelina gave him a Littman 45 Single camera for a recent birthday gift. Now he's taking his hobby to the next level.
Rumor has it that Brad shot the cover for November's issue of W magazine, and it includes some pretty noteworthy subjects -- his family. Angelina, along will all six kids -- even newborn twins Knox and Vivienne -- will appear on the cover.
Back in 2005, Brad and Angelina appeared on a different, more notorious cover of W. In a spread called "Domestic Bliss," Brad and Angie appeared as husband and wife with undeniable chemistry, and pretty much blew the lid off any denials they were making about being "just friends." Jennifer Aniston, still married to Brad, was quoted as saying that shoot was evidence that Brad "had a sensitivity chip missing." She filed for divorce a few months later.
If that cover was a staged version of domestic bliss, what will appear in November by all reports will be the real thing -- a happy, content family in their prime.
"Brooke and I are thrilled," he said in a released statement. "She's the best step mom Sam, Lola, and Cassandra could every hope for. Seeing her love and affection for those three, I'll know she'll be an amazing mom." (Awwww. It's almost enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, but yet....) Sheen is referring to his three daughters: He had Cassandra with ex-girlfriend Paula Profit in 1985, and daughters Sam, 3, and Lola, 4, with Richards.
Maybe this is a sign that Sheen really is moving forward with his life and is ready to let the healing begin between him and Richards. No word on what she thinks of the couple's exciting news, but if she's not happy about it, there's no doubt we'll be hearing about it before too long.
My older daughter's soccer coach called last night. I groaned when he told me he'd set soccer practices for the same day of the week that my daughter has dance. Now, one evening a week, she'll go from one dance class to the other, then directly to soccer practice. It's too much, in my opinion. But she's adamant that she doesn't want to give either activity up. Luckily, soccer season is short-lived.
I know that, down the road, we'll have this conversation again. We're lucky that there are so many great programs out there for our kids to take part in, but yet there has to be room in the schedule not only for family time, but for downtime too. It's got me wondering, how does a parent know when to say when to after-school activities?
According to Scholastic, extra-curricular activities benefit kids in a myriad of ways -- academically, emotionally, and socially. But kids need to play a role in deciding what and how much they want to take on. (In other words, trying to turn an uninterested child into Tiger Woods through early and intensive golf classes isn't really going to do anyone any good). They've also got a grade-by-grade guide to after-school activities for little ones. According to them, our two extra-curricular activities are perfectly appropriate... I just wish they didn't all happen on the same night.
What about you? Where do you draw the line when it comes to extracurricular activities?
Pimples are no fun, whether you're 13 or 30. Though anyone can be surprised by a blemish (usually just before an important event), teens are much more prone to acne due to their raging hormones, and some teens develop especially severe cases that can even leave scars. Having to navigate the minefield that is the high school social scene is hard enough without the additional challenge of acne, but teens aren't willing to break the bank to avoid it.
A recent survey found teens would pay a median of $275 to have never developed acne, $100 to have their acne disappear, $10 for half their acne to go away, and nothing for clear skin, but with scarring. Parents would pay $250 for their children to have never had acne, $100 for acne to completely to clear up or for 50% clearance, and nothing for acne with scarring.
While $275 is no small amount, for forever perfectly clear skin it just doesn't seem like that much. I'm long past the stage of worrying about pimples, but if someone asked my how much I'd pay to have my 20-year-old body back, I'd pull out my wallet and give them everything I had.
Before I was a parent, I was a pet lover. In addition to the two cats that I had brought into our relationship, my husband and I also adopted a dog and another cat. The menagerie was totally manageable... then our kids were born. In an instant, they went from being four-legged kids to pets, a distinction they couldn't help but notice. And not only did I not have time to give them the attention they were used to, suddenly they were in the way and underfoot.
One cat had an uncanny knack for walking into the nursery just as the baby was falling asleep and letting out a very purposeful yowl that never failed to wake a child up. Another would hide under the crib, unbeknown to me, then cry to be let out of the room 30 minutes into the nap (and therefore ending it). The dog barked at the kids playing ball in the street, the mailman, the air. And I spent far too much time dealing with their hair and bodily fluids. I was infuriated with them for months.
We never seriously considered giving any of them away, though I worried they were taking years off of my life. But I daydreamed about it on more than one occasion. That's why this essay Take My Pets, Please really hit home for me. I'm wondering if this is a common phenomenon, this pets to pests transformation that takes place when kids enter the picture.
Lemonade stands are a rite of passage for kids, their first foray into the world of entrepreneurship. Kids may haul out a table and chair in front of their house to earn a little spare change, or they may have more elaborate setups to raise funds for their group or charity. Rarely, do officials bother them about zoning ordinances or permits.
Some Clayton, California residents are saying that 11-year-old Katie Lewis's organic produce stand is little different than any other child's lemonade stand. She makes about $20 a week for her savings account selling fresh fruits and vegetables at her roadside stand, but last week Clayton city officials forced her to shut down, saying that her business violates zoning rules and health regulations.
Katie's parents are stunned and are asking for an exception, while the community is split on whether or not the city is being too heavy-handed. Some applaud their "no exceptions" rule, but others think that Katie should be allowed to run her business. I think I'd ask the officials, this: Why is it ok for kids to sell lemonade, but not lemons (or zucchini or watermelon, for that matter?)
What do you think? Should Katie be allowed to sell her veggies, or is the city correct in shutting her down?
Fisherman love to tell tales about the one that got away. But how do you explain to your fishing buddies that the one that didn't get away was caught with a Barbie fishing pole that came with its own hot pink tackle box? Doting grandfather David Hayes isn't embarrassed. In fact, he's having the record-breaking catfish he caught with the pole mounted along with the Barbie fishing rod itself!
It all started when Hayes and his three-year-old granddaughter Alyssa were fishing in his private pond. She ran to the house to use the bathroom, and while she was gone, Hayes got a bite. He hung on until she returned, and they pulled up a 32-inch catfish -- two inches longer than the fishing pole he was using -- that broke the state record.
Hayes isn't just a good grandpa, he's also a doting husband. He and Alyssa were invited to New York City by CBS News, but because his wife just had knee surgery, he figures it's more important to him to stay home. Alyssa's getting a new pole to replace the one that's being mounted, but no word yet on which one she'll choose.
Before I was a mom, there were a lot of things I was never going to do as a parent. I was never going to let my kids watch TV, I was only going to feed them homemade, organic food. I was never going to let them play with plastic toys adorned with licensed characters. And I was certainly going to make sure that most of the toys in our house were gender neutral.
Then I gave birth and became a real parent, and all of that (or at least a lot of it) went out the window. So when my girls, at around 12 to 18 months, embraced the baby dolls and princesses kind of girlhood, I figured it was because I hadn't given them enough trucks and tools to play with when they were babies.
But according a psychologist at CNN, many of the differences we see between boys and girls is actually hardwired at birth. Boys are more likely to enjoy watching mechanical motion, walk sooner, and are more fearless. Girls enjoy looking at human faces, are good listeners, and talk earlier than boys. Do these differences eventually lead to different interests in toys? She says that in one study, when toddlers were shown photos of dolls and vehicles, the girls tended to opt for the dolls, while the boys chose the trucks.
Posh has her three boys, Geri has Bluebell Madonna. Scary and Baby Spice are both moms as well, which left Mel C, aka Sporty Spice, the only ex-Spice Girl left who had yet to enter motherhood. Just two weeks ago, Mel told the media that she had no intentions of changing that either. "Everybody asks whether I'm going to be next or whether I'm trying. I hate to disappoint people, but the answer is 'no'."
But today, the pop artist is singing a different tune. Mel C announced last night that she's expecting a baby with long time partner Thomas Starr, a property developer. A friend says, "Mel's absolutely delighted with the news."
MTV is reporting that the rumors that Mel was pregnant have been circulating for a while, once she started showing up to events in loose clothing and with a suspicious looking "bump." Mel C acknowledged that speculation in a recent message on her website: "As I'm sure you'll understand we needed time to wait for results and tell our families."
Traditions are an important part of family life. Traditions not only create positive feelings and a sense of belonging, they help parents pass their values on to their children. There's a good reason why, as parents, we often find ourselves repeating some of our favorite family traditions with our own children.
There are a lot of ways that we, as parents, put ourselves into groups. Breastfeeders vs. formula feeders, co-sleepers vs. cry-it-outers, stay at home moms vs. working moms. I think it's really unfortunate when these very personal issues divide us, because, really, what do variations in parenting technique have to do with adult friendships and relationships? I'm very committed to the way I choose to parent my children, but I'm not committed to making sure other parents parent their children the same way. That's just not my business.
School's a busy place these days. It's a long stretch between lunch and the day's last bell. School kids are hungry when they get home, and they need a snack to give them energy for extra-curricular activities, homework, and chores. If chips and cookies are what's in the cupboard, chances are that's what they'll reach for. But a healthy snack will not only satisfy their hunger, but give them the energy and nutrition they need.
When a spouse cheats, it's the ultimate betrayal. For most, it's a highly personal, private matter dealt with behind closed doors. For John and Elizabeth Edwards, it's been a media circus. But that wasn't always the case. Both John and Elizabeth say that he confessed the affair to her in 2006, two years before the news was made public. On the liberal blog Daily Kos, Elizabeth explained, "This was a private matter, and I frankly wanted it to be private because as painful as it was, I did not want to have to play it out on a public stage as well."
He's an actor, celebrity, philanthropist, father to some of the most famous offspring in the world. In his spare time, Brad Pitt also fancies himself a photographer, so much so that Angelina gave him a 
He may be embroiled in one of Hollywood's .jpg)
Lemonade stands are a rite of passage for kids, their first foray into the world of entrepreneurship. Kids may haul out a table and chair in front of their house to earn a little spare change, or they may have more elaborate setups to raise funds for their group or charity. Rarely, do officials bother them about zoning ordinances or permits.
Before I was a mom, there were a lot of things I was never going to do as a parent. I was never going to let my kids watch TV, I was only going to feed them homemade, organic food. I was never going to let them play with plastic toys adorned with licensed characters. And I was certainly going to make sure that most of the toys in our house were gender neutral.
Posh has her three boys, Geri has Bluebell Madonna. Scary and Baby Spice are both moms as well, which left Mel C, aka Sporty Spice, the only ex-Spice Girl left who had yet to enter motherhood. Just two weeks ago, Mel told the media that she had no intentions of changing that either. "Everybody asks whether I'm going to be next or whether I'm trying. I hate to disappoint people, but the answer is 'no'."
