Toddlers

I’m happy to shout to the rooftops that I don’t have a picky eater (so far). It’s convenient to not make a separate “kid’s meal” at home. It’s better for my grocery budget to not have to buy so many different things. It’s easier to eat out when we can split an entrée. She is more willing to try new things when we go to a restaurant or someone’s house to eat. This is what works for us. I had to do a great deal of trial and error to get here. Feel free to take, tweak, and reject any of the following. The worst thing you can do is not try! The “stranger” the main dish is, the more...

Dear Tiny Yogurt Handprint, This is the 5th morning you and I meet like this at my dresser drawer. It makes me chuckle, because there was once a time when the first sight of you would have sent me dashing for the Pledge. It’s been days though, and I still haven’t touched you. Boy, has motherhood changed me. Initially, I chalked it up to the fact that I haven't stopped running around chasing after your artist long enough to get rid of you. However, even when I found the time, I stopped myself. I now realize that I'm pretty fond of you, and I think I've become attached. More than that, I imagine the day you stop popping up on every...

I logged into our daycare’s camera system and saw a picturesque scene; the teacher was seated on the floor with a gaggle of toddlers around her. They all appeared to be singing and swaying, all except for one. My toddler was standing away from the group looking on in apprehension, or that was my view of it anyway. He approached the group and then backed away again and then I saw the teacher lift her phone. She was clearly playing a video or a song and it seemed like my kid didn’t know how to react. I watched as both the teacher and the other toddlers invited him into the circle; he ran in the opposite direction. It got...

My best friend Katelyn and I have been discussing Twilight for a couple months now. Twilight was THE teenage romance series, while we were in middle school and high school. It is also a perfect example of emotional abuse, which, by the way, sets a great stage for physical abuse. Wind Goodfriend Ph.D. does a great job of naming a few of the thousands of examples of abuse Edward displays: He stalks Bella He encourages Bella to have as little interaction as possible from anyone outside his family He preys on her low self esteem He damages her vehicle so she can’t get away Before you go on assuming he was doing this to protect Bella, I just want to point...

I’ve always been the type of person that had absolutely no idea what to do or say when a loved one was hurting. I’ve always felt absolutely useless in these situations and as if I needed to step aside and let an adult handle it. Here are some things that stuck with me during a time I needed help: Don’t try to fill the silence. My best friend once said, “There’s not anything you can say to make it better, but there’s a lot you can say to make it worse.” Just let her be sad, hurt, angry, etc. It’s kind of selfish to fill silence just because you’re uncomfortable anyway, right? Buy a houseplant. Even if a mom thinks she has...