parenting – Momginerd

Millennial is not a bad word

February 9, 2017September 11, 2018 Momginerd

Can you hear me now? No, Please text it to me.

R U getting this? No? TTYL8R!

So recently and not so recently, I have seen a lot of complaining about “millennials.” Hell, I have made some comments myself. However, if you truly pay attention to them you may be surprised. Sure, they spend all their time on their phones/laptops and sometimes conversations with them are less forthcoming and understandable than a Neanderthal, but they seriously have some fantastic morals and awareness that I know I did not have at their age. For example, almost every one of my oldest’s millennial friends were extremely aware of the election as the platforms. Even though most were not old enough to vote. They had interpersonal debates, discussions and delved deep into public policy, women’s rights, consumerism, and foreign policy.

They also have a true touch on the future of the planet. You know the one WE are supposed to be protecting for them? THEY may end up saving it for us! We call my kids the recycling nazi’s because they will honestly chastise me if I put the wrong bottle in the wrong bin. My son and daughter even compost in the summer!

Another thing I have noticed about Millennials is that they genuinely love “people.” By this, I mean they are open minded, forgiving and accepting. Empathy is valued more than criticism. I have witnessed open and honest conversations between teens that have deep tones of empathy for each other….yes, they are done via Snaps, Lines, MMS, etc and not face to face, but they are doing it. And this isn’t just girls, it is the boys too. The millennial young men I have known are not afraid to express themselves and their feelings. They stand up for themselves and do not discount their or their friends’ feelings. They not only accept individual differences, but truly seem to embrace and make efforts to understand the “why” of differences.

Some may call them “liberals” in a snide or dismissive way. Or say that they are unrealistic and romanticizing real life. However, historically speaking, they said the same thing about flight, women’s rights, and autonomous cars….

Millennials have a lot to say and a lot of it is awesome. Maybe we should stop criticizing them and

start listening. We may need to adapt to the new genres of communication and not expect them to go back to telephones with 5foot cords in the kitchen. We may just learn something important.

Cheers!

Momginerd

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The good news is your son doesn’t have dyslexia…

November 19, 2012September 11, 2018 Momginerd

My son Bubbie has been struggling in school. Not your normal “Your son is slightly behind,” or “Your son is fidgety and disruptive” kind of struggles either. Bubbie can not write. You can BARELY read his own name when he writes it down. He also can not spell….not even simple words like “the.” He is in 4th grade, so this is totally unacceptable. I have been to numerous meetings with the school, but was told that because his overall academic performance fell within the “normal” range he was ineligible for services. In my heart I knew something major was going on. Bubbie is a people pleaser by nature and was very depressed and self-critical over his academic and sports performances. He WANTS to do well and he just couldn’t.

I took him to be independently tested by a Developmental Neurologist. She ran her tests and came in and said: I have good news and bad news. The good news is Bubbie doesn’t have dyslexia. The bad news is he has Dysgraphia, fine-motor dyspraxia, severe vision disturbances, and ADHD.

I was floored. All these years I have been telling everyone that would listen that there is more going on with Bubbie than just ADHD. But it was falling on deaf ears, or if his teacher KNEW that Bubbie needed special help his hands were tied by the fact he did not have any formalized medical diagnosis.

Dysgraphia: a learning disability that affects writing, which requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills. Dysgraphia makes the act of writing difficult. It can lead to problems with spelling, poor handwriting, and putting thoughts on paper. People with dysgraphia can have trouble organizing letters, numbers, and words on a line or page. This can result partly from:

Visual-spatial difficulties: trouble processing what the eye sees

Language processing difficulty: trouble processing and making sense of what the ear hears

Here is what Bubbie’s writing looks like:

Most times he can’t even read it

Dyspraxia: a term that refers to a specific disorder in the area of motor skill development. People with dyspraxia have difficulty planning and completing intended fine motor tasks.

Coordination difficulties can be particularly problematic in physical education classes and other sports activities.
Writing difficulties such as poor letter formation, pencil grip and slow writing can make school work frustrating.

Visual Disturbances: Bubbie has visual disturbances both in eye tracking and eye teaming. In a nutshell, this means that his eyes do not work together. So for him, most writing looks like the bottom line to the right. This means that his brain then has to decode what he sees and/or decide which eye is going to dominant, neurologically shutting down all inputs from the non-dominant eye. Because the brain does this, he is unable to track moving objects in his field of vision. So, for example when playing sports he either sees 2 balls coming at him, or he can not “follow” the person carrying the ball.

Bubbie the next Gatorade spokesma

Add ADHD into the mix described above, and basically it is a miracle and a testament to Bubbie’s intelligence level and temperament that he has achieved as much as he has both academically and physically. He has played football (not well, but not horribly either) for 4 years. He played baseball for 4 years and actually made some pretty good catches and plays this year. He reads above grade level and can do long division in his head (even though he can’t write down his answers). He is well liked by his peers, and his classmates actually protect him and stand up for him. He does have a lot of anxiety and frustration levels, but has been working really hard to be in “better control” as he calls it. I am so VERY proud to have this wonderful child in my life who is teaching me that when life hands you lemons you make lemonade. I strongly feel that BECAUSE Bubbie has had to overcome so many obstacles as a child, he will be a very successful adult who will not quit or give up when presented with seemingly insurmountable problems. He will have the skills to break them down into manageable parts and realize that he can DO ANYTHING he sets his mind to achieving.

There is a lot of hope and hard work in the next couple of years for Bubbie. He will finally be getting and Individualized Education Plan through his school. This means he will be getting occupational therapy, assisted technology (laptop or tablet), as well as any accommodations he needs to reach his full potential academically, interpersonally and physically. He will also be going to occupational therapy to help him train his right and left sides of his brain to communicate with his body (he can’t skip, or successfully touch his right hand to his left foot, for example). He will also be seeing a developmental optometrist to work on the eye teaming and tracking. Of all the developmental concerns he has this one is probably the easiest to overcome through vision therapy.

The best news is WE FINALLY have a diagnosis and are working on a plan! It is like a huge boulder has been lifted from my shoulders. Bubbie is also relieved to know that all of his academic problems weren’t “because he didn’t try enough.”

To all you parents and families and individuals that struggle with learning disabilities, I salute you and have much respect for the paths that you have forged allowing my son to be able to get the help he not only needs but deserves!

With much gratitude to medical science,

Momginerd

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Anxiety….Why do things have to come out?

September 13, 2012September 11, 2018 Momginerd

We all have anxieties or things that make us feel anxious. I have quite a few, but none are as embarrassing as my fear of things that come out of the human body.

One of my biggest ones is lutropublicaphobia (OMG, I want to use that in words with friends so bad). This is the fear of “going” in public restrooms. I really don’t have a problem with using a public restroom….it is I just freak out a bit if ANYONE else happens to be in said restroom. AND, I get uber-panicked if I don’t have to just pee.

My favorite type of bathroom…NO stalls!

There have been more instances than I can ever count when I have to “go” so I head to my work restroom. All the while I am PRAYING and talking to myself that there PLEASE not be ANYONE in there when I open the door. Most of the time, if some poor soul has had the gall to actually use MY bathroom, I will simply leave and then stalk the door waiting for them to leave.

Nothing is worse than having a “taco bell syndrome” day….and I have those frequently due to side-effects of my medications. I mean, how do you call in to work and say you can’t come in because you have to poop a lot that day? Think my boss would be sympathetic? My male boss who actually PEES standing up right next to other people??????? I think not.

My fear of bodily functions extends itself to pretty much anything coming out of a body that isn’t words. I have never passed gas in the presence of Hottie Husband (okay, maybe that one time when I sneezed, and I was mortified!). I try to not burp or belch either. I realize that this is not “normal,” but I can’t help myself.

I pretty much have issues with anything that comes out of anyone’s body, unless it is a baby. For example, my kids are at the age where they are losing teeth. It grosses me out so much when those teeth are wiggling and the kids are SO damn proud. I just want to put a bag over their heads until the damn thing is gone and I don’t have to look at it any more.

One time Manudo had a VERY loose tooth that really bothering her. She couldn’t get it out and was in tears begging me to help her. I took a shot of vodka, sat her on the toilet, straddled her, reached in, pulled out the tooth, then immediately got light headed. As soon as I regained consciousness, I was running all over the house holding that damn tooth like it was an Olympic torch and I just won the Gold Medal of parenting.

Yeah Muthafracker! I pulled that tooth!

I also have problems with snot and boogers. This one time (not at band camp), I had a friend who had kids the same ages as mine. We used to have playdates frequently….until that one fateful day. We were at my house and her son, who we will call Lizard, was playing with Bubbie. All was well, and the mommies were having nice discussions about whose kid was smarter (duh, MINE), when I happened to glance over to where the boys were playing. Lizard was sitting there playing with Legos when I noticed he had some snot about to drip. I turned to mention it to Lizard’s Mom and offer her a Kleenex, when Lizard calmly stuck out his tongue and stuck it UP HIS NOSE to lick away the snot……I swear I am not exaggerating when I say I screamed and threw up in my mouth. Needless to say, I was suddenly very busy when Lizard wanted to have more playdates.

Like this but UP HIS NOSE!!!!!

So, do you have any anxieties? Do they inhibit you in any way? How WEIRD am I?

Nic

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My top menus that satisfy almost ALL of my offspring

January 12, 2012September 11, 2018 Momginerd

Being a working mom, I struggle with meals. One of the big rules in my household is we eat dinner, sitting down at the table, with REAL plates every single night….even if I don’t want to! 99% of our meals are home cooked, from scratch. This mostly started due to Bubbie and his pervasive food allergies, and then just became the way we do things at the House of Chaos. So, without further ado, here are the top meals that are in my rotation that can either be made ahead, made quickly, or put in the crock-pot while I am gone. We only have 3 rules at our family dinners.

1. We eat what we get and we don’t throw a fit.

– I am NOT a short order cook. I make every effort to prepare meals they will all at least tolerate. I am also fair in NOT putting things on plates if it is something that they have a real aversion against (Manudo: No food touching, Bubbie: No onions, Princepessa: No tomatoes, HH: Triple servings of everything).

This is wrong in so many ways…electronics AND
elbows on the table????

2. NO electronic devices allowed….not even for Mom and Dad. There is nothing so important that means we have to eat meals while our noses are buried into cell phones, iPods, DS’s, TV, etc. No one is going to DIE if they miss a text, I promise.

3. Family meals are a good time to practice our manners so if mom is nice enough to take us OUT to dinner one day, we won’t look like we have escaped a barn.

Those are the rules, and for the most part the kids and HH don’t complain about them. It works for us, so we all make the effort to be sure we are home and present (both physically and mentally) for our daily together time.

I will try to link to recipes if I have them. If there is a meal you’d like the recipe for, add a comment and I will post it there.

Homemade Mac -n- Cheese, Smoked Sausage baked in the oven with green onions and mushrooms and Steamed Broccoli with lemon. I SWEAR my kids would eat all of these daily. I know that I am very lucky that they like veggies, and I hope that by typing this, I have not jinxed myself.
Breakfast for dinner: Eggs (okay, I WILL make eggs to order…some like them scrambled, some like them over easy), Bacon or Sausage, and a fresh fruit salad. Sometimes I will mix it up with pancakes or French Toast. Let’s face it, kids of working mom’s don’t have the luxury of really good breakfasts on most days, so it is always a treat to have their favorites as dinner.
Crock-Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, steamed Green Beans. My kids, and especially HH are huge carnivores. They love meat, even if I don’t eat as much as they do. I like the pot-roast because it usually leaves left-overs for HH and my lunches. If I am especially organized, I will pre-boil the mashed potatoes the night before to make it a faster meal.
New Improved Joe’s, Sweet Potato Fries, Sliced Apples. I had to stop using almost all pre-made canned items when Bubbie was younger, so I came up with this recipe for sloppy joe’s using no canned sauces and with spinach for extra nutrients. My kids LOVE it! I have also served it over pasta ala Cincinnati Chili.
Salmon Patties, Rice, and Asparagus. I make the asparagus in a pan on the top of the stove with a pat of butter, splash of soy sauce, and 1/4 cup of water. I have a rice cooker, and have found it so worth the investment. Rice comes out perfect every.single.time.
Broiled whole pork tenderloin (just baste with a mixture of stone ground mustard and maple), Vanilla sweet potatoes, and spinach salad with orange/balsamic dressing. I bake the sweet potatoes the night before, and keep the dressing for the salad in a cruet in the fridge at all times.
Tacos, Refried Beans, Spanish rice….need I say more?
Pasta with Basalmic Puttenesca Sauce, Garlic Bread, and a Salad. When I serve this, I try to keep the olives out of Bubbie’s serving :).
Pulled Pork (whole pork tenderloin, favorite BBQ sauce, diced onions, cook in crock pot all day, shred with two forks), Cole Slaw, Baked Beans.
Chili, Homemade Corn Bread, Salad. I mix it up by sometimes doing white chili, beanless chili, or traditional red chili. I like to really spice it up, but keep some extra spices on hand to sprinkle on HH’s and mine when the kidlets are around who seem to be opposed to anything spicier than a hot dog some days.

What are some of your go to meals? How do you save time? I hate feeling like I am in a rut, and I feel that way frequently in the winter when we do not have as many options for fresh fruits and veggies.

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True Story about Bubbie, Football and Bugs

October 6, 2011September 11, 2018 Momginerd

I am small, but I will bite your ankles and bring you DOWN!

The following is a true story about my 8 year old son, Bubbie “the Crusher”. He plays junior league football and also is in cub scouts. He isn’t the greatest (by far) player on the team and is on the developmental squad. This basically means he plays a grand total of 10 plays per game. He practices 5 days per week for 2 hours per day…..for a total of 5 minutes playing time per game (the games last about 2.5 hours, you do the math). Oh, and bubbie is the smallest kid on the team. He weighs a whopping 50 lbs….the biggest kid weighs 117 lbs. WHUCK?!? Imagine Angry Birds….Imagine a 117 pound kid tackling your 50 LB kid….Bubbie is the bird and the ground is the green pig.

The other day it was Bubbie’s first day as a Bear Scout. He woke up that morning and was SO excited. This kid loves all things outdoors and knows just about every creepy fact one could ever want to, not want to, or even dream about knowing about bugs…..yeah, I know. Take this factoid, shared during dinner the other night:

“Mom, did you know a cockroach can live nine days without eating. This is also the same amount of time that the body of a cockroach can live after its head has been cut off before it eventually dies from starvation.” Um……I think I am done eating now. Thank you Bubbie for introducing a new diet trend: Gross mom out so she can’t eat. I am sure it will be all the rage.

So, cub scouts is a natural fit for him and something he has really been looking forward to doing this year. It just so happens that football also has practice on the same day….of course football has practice everyday, so it pretty much puts our lives in chaos for 4 months (Princepessa and Manudo are cheerleaders for the same league as well). Being the momginerd I am, I have read the rules and regulations for the league very thoroughly. These rules specifically state that a football player can miss up to 1 unexcused practice per week and not be punished by the coach or miss any game playing time (hahahah, if 5 whole minutes counts as playing time). Bubbie’s coach is a bit……..well…..let’s just say he is really in to coaching this team. Like when the kids (these are 8 and 9 year old BOYS) lost a game, he practiced them so hard over half of them were crying and/or puking the next day….nice. Anyway, the much anticipated day of cub scouts arrived and Bubbie proudly wore his den shirt to school and drove us all nuts asking questions about what we thought he’d learn that day. This is every mom’s dream! To have a kid actually excited about learning! Am I right?

That evening when I picked him up from the den meeting he was engrossed into reading his new book and was bursting with information and excitement about all the activities he’d be doing with his den and pack. It was also raining, torrentially. I gave him the choice, we can hurry home and change for football, or he could go home do his homework and we’d start working on one of his badge activities. To be fair, he does like football and hardly ever complains about going to practice. He was nervous about how Coach would react to his missing a practice. In my head I was thinking, “What is he going to do, make you play MORE as punishment?” When we walked to the car and needed bath towels to dry off he (smartly, in my opinion) decided to stay home where it was warm, dry, and not doing pushups in to the mud (okay, you caught me, I only make him do that when he really pisses me off).

The next day at practice the following conversation occurred between Bubbie and Coach:

Coach: Why weren’t you at practice yesterday?
Bubbie: I had cub scouts.
Coach: CUB SCOUTS!!!! What is more important around here, boy, Cub Scouts or FOOTBALL!
Bubbie: Cub Scouts, I actually get to participate in cub scouts.
Coach: *Crickets*

I never in my life wanted so badly to run up and give my kid a huge hug and a kiss in front of everyone. I did spare him the embarassment, but he got an extra big piece of homemade pie that night for dessert…just because.

Now before the flames start, I will say football has been a great experience for the Bubster. He may be small, but he has learned the value of effort over size, teamwork, tenacity, and keeping your head down so it doesn’t get ripped off.

Until next time,
Nic

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parenting

Here is my take on the different types of Adults in America

August 30, 2011September 11, 2018 Momginerd

In America there are many different groups of “Adults.” These can be broken down into distinct categories, each with their own unique features.

Here is how I see them:

1. DINKs (Dual income, no kids): These are the people who have worked hard at their careers and have decided either by choice or circumstance not to have kids. To those of us with kids, these people live the high life. They tend to have fancy toys, go on vacations, have no clue about that particular torture other parents call “kid(s) in team sports”, or limitations on spending money. I have some of these friends, and I can honestly say I am jealous of their lifestyle. When my other parented friends discuss this we always go back to the “Oh well, we can do that when the kids are grown.” The failing I find in that logic is, I will OLD when my kids are grown. Will I really WANT a camper, boat, big house, huge yard, cottage, etc when I am in my 60’s?

2. Partnered Parents with 1 kid: I like to call these parents “Practice Parents.” When you have only one child you are really not that inconvenienced. 1 kid is portable and shareable. Each parent can have equal share (even though most times we know Mom’s do most of the work). If one parent has something they’d like to do, it isn’t too big of a deal for the other to keep the child occupied. It is also easy to hire a babysitter or ask a family member to keep one child. Start adding complexity to the equation, and your social life ends. Most of my friends with one child still seem to lead pretty fun lives. Their Facebook pages claim they are going on vacations, many have boats, cottages, etc. I know when I only had one, I pretty much did everything I wanted to do…I just brought Manudo with me…she was portable like that.

3. Parents with 2 kids: These are the justice scale parents. They either have 1 kid for each hand, or divide the kids up equally between the parents. Extra lucky are the parents that get one kid of each sex. Then they can divide by gender and everyone is happy! It is still somewhat feasible to ask a family member to watch them so you and your partner can have some alone time…just don’t do it too often, as that leads to:

Oh look, mommy and daddy were busy with 2 of the 3 kids!

4. Parents with 3 or more kids: These are the adults that are frazzled ALL THE TIME. When you have 3 or more kids you never have enough hours in the day, money in the bank, or hands to keep them all in line. For some reason adding that 3rd (and subsequent) child will turn your household into a war-zone. Why is it that if I take any one of my kids out of the equation the other two will get along and not fight at all? As soon as the 3rd returns from wherever they have been, all hell breaks loose! Parents with 3 or more kids also find it is more difficult to do things as a family…there is no more “pairing off” as 1 child will always be free to cause chaos upon the world. 3 or more kids is especially “fun” when they all have to go to the restroom and there is only 1 parent around. At what age is is inappropriate for me to force my son to go to the ladies room cuz the girls have to go? Am I supposed to just leave him out in the restaurant to his own devices?

Image result for single parent 4. Single parents: These folks are SAINTS and SUPERHEROS! I have been there and it was extremely trying, difficult, and many times overwhelming. No matter HOW many kids single parents have, it is always difficult. Add more than 1 and your life becomes ruled by the laws of fairness and your brain becomes fixated on technology for cloning. How the heck is a person supposed to work and get 3 kids to 3 different activities, all the while planning nutritious meals and helping with homework? At some point, a single parent learns a lesson that many paired parents do not figure out until their kids hammer it into their brains during the horrid “I hate my parents” teenage years. This lesson is: We are not perfect, we will make mistakes, and worst of all we will disappoint the little people in our lives who used to think we are perfect. That look in your child’s eyes the first time you forget to pack the permission slip or are late to pick them up after school is heartbreaking for every parent. I think the Single parents feel it to a higher degree because they feel like they have to be even more perfect than their peers who have partners. I mean at least partnered parents have someone else to blame, am I right?

Which kind of Adult are you? What are some of the challenges I have missed? What do you love most about the life you are living with or without kids?

Until next time,

Nic

parenting

M.O.M. = Mean Ol’ Mom

July 12, 2011September 11, 2018 Momginerd

M.O.M. (Mean Ol’ Mom) Yes that is me, and I am damn proud of the title. Perhaps I am old school, but I believe that when I brought children into the world, I took on the job of insuring that they be: Respectful, Kind, Responsible, Independent, Inquisitive, Behaved, Educated, Kind, and Domesticated.

To accomplish these goals, I am raising my kids with a proverbial iron fist. I do not believe they were put on this Earth to be worshiped. The fact that they were born of my body does not make them perfect, nor does it make me believe that everyone in the fracking (bonus points to those fellow geeks who get this reference) world must worship them. When in public, I expect them to act like they have been there before…if they don’t then we will leave and go home where the wrath of M.O.M will be unleashed upon them and their precious privileges.

I also believe that those privileges need to be EARNED. I work hard to EARN the privilege of my paycheck and I firmly assert that my kids need to earn the privilege of their computer time, play dates, video games, etc. There are expectations that are set for them, and if they do not meet them, they lose out on their privileges.

For example: Bubbie has had a lot of issues with his ADHD and behavior in the classroom. He has learned that he can blame such behavior on said ADHD. Little does he know, he is not fooling anyone but himself. If he can sit and play Plants -vs- Zombies for 2 hours in front of the computer without invading someone else’s personal space, he can sit for a 20 minute math lesson in class. Repeatedly, I was called by the teacher to address this issue regarding Bubbie. We did due diligence and came up with a fair contract both at home and with the school to assist him. Guess what? The contract worked GREAT, until that smart bugger figured out that once he has XX days of success, he wasn’t going to get a damn prize for DOING WHAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO DO! The very next day, and for 3 consecutive days thereafter, his behavior was that of a howler monkey who had his banana stolen and was shot up with adrenalin.

Give me my fraking banana or I will go ape $hit!

Bubbie and I had a “discussion” with the promise made that if he did not meet his minimum goal the following day, he would not attend a field trip with his class that week. Obviously Bubbie is a bit stubborn and thinks that M.O.M. is a softie….He was SO wrong. He sat home with the Nanny while all his classmates went on a fantabulous field trip. Let me just say, Bubbie never failed to meet his “minimum expectation” again for that behavior.

Many of my family/friends told me how unfair I was being to my poor precious male child. Bah…I responded that I have earned the title of M.O.M. the hard way, by saying what I mean and meaning what I say and having the fortitude and courage to follow up with actions. Trust me, this is not the easy way to parent. Sometimes I think that “permissive” parents feel that they have made the choice that is the most work. I disagree 100%. It is so easy to let your kids treat you and others with disrespect, to run amok everywhere, to be rude and demanding, and to basically become drains on society. It is MUCH harder to set rules and consistently enforce them. It takes a lot of training of one’s offspring for them to realize that when they get “the look” or hear “the voice” (which is actually the opposite of yelling, it consists of clenching your jaw and hissing at them to “stop it right now”) to know that M.O.M. means business and they better straighten up right now. If not, you may end up like this:

Help us! We didn’t respond to “the look” or “the voice”!!!

Teaching good manners are a huge goal of effective parenting to me. It isn’t because “manners” are that important to perse, but more because the act of teaching manners requires patience and consistency and the art of learning manners teaches respect and the ability to react consistently. My kids rarely forget to say thank you, excuse me, or chew with their mouths open. I firmly believe that by consistently pushing them to practice good manners, it makes it easier for them to follow all rues. Manners is something that crosses all social situations both at home and in public so I think that they become more accustomed to life’s other rules and expectations.

I love (read hate) going out to eat when there are other families there and the kids are going bat ass crazy the whole time. Really?!? I want those parents to know: I do not like your kids, I do not think their behaviour is cute or funny or charming, and I think you are a failure of a parent if you can’t teach your kids that disturbing others who are also paying for their meals is rude. When you give the other diners who are staring at you the raised shoulder smirk that means “Kids! What are you going to do?” You can be sure that we all have some friendly advice for you that involves discipline and basic consistent teaching of manners!
My parents Button

I get so frustrated and sick and tired of listening to all the complaining of other parents saying “I can’t understand why my kid is such a brat and so disrespectful.” Ummmm….maybe because these parents are so afraid of “hurting their feelings” that they don’t discipline them????? People can blame television, video games, etc, but at the end of the day we have to realize that if we do not have high expectations in the home, why should kids feel they have to exceed at anything? And yes, I have torn to pieces homework assignments that were done too quickly and were too messy to read. I have had kids miss fun activities because they didn’t clean their room well enough, do things “because I said so,” and many other M.O.M. things that “hurt their feelings”. I tell them to build a bridge and get over it. Life is full of disappointments, but unless you learn to deal with both success AND failure, you will never be anything.

NO, I am not saying my parenting is perfect nor are my kids perfect. But I will say that invariably their teachers/other parents comment on how self sufficient they are, how respectful they are, and how they seem mature when compared to their peers. NO, I wouldn’t write a book about it or expect every parent to parent as I do. However, I do think this country is in a world of hurt in the future if the next generation doesn’t learn that mommy isn’t going to be there to schedule their every activity, tell them that last place is always okay and reward them for just showing up and taking up space. You can have the world’s best self esteem, but if you can’t hold a job, be independent, follow rules, get along with others, or make your own decisions, where in life will you end up?

Rant over!

Until next time,
Nic