Family Life In Baton Rouge

Daughter-in-law/mother-in-law relationships aren’t always the best relationships. I find that there is a lack of communication and a need for control in the relationship with mine. It is a constant struggle to establish my place as the wife and mother of my family. She constantly undermines me and passive-aggressively makes her opinions heard. Here are some things that I feel would help have a better, working relationship. Don’t come into my house and read the things on my counter! Just because it is on our counter does not make it public reading material. We do not have an office to keep mail, so I keep it in the corner of a mostly unused counter in our kitchen and most of our...

How to be a respectful parent without losing your sh*t? Well, I don’t have the answer to that, but read on if you would like to get a little closer to the answer. First, I’ll open with this TikTok gold that a lot of us can relate to: https://www.tiktok.com/@momthoughts/video/6986397679383268613?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgow5nkYGGYc%2Bm6gr70kQYlNuwZWT4jox3Z2KTMtNYnDRUgGEXqrLBZx2zecm%2F0SN5NvGgA%3D&checksum=594ed08dc57a31f7eabdf54253d857feaa5c8286335d9c5b5a109fee56571807&clips_cover_ab=v3&enable_clips=1&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA6RNUT_xosbfhmQJoFfzXSboiI6sIKsxWqZPu3ywNiO9AyrUoPxVXY0_ZTRxdKYgZ&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=6986397679383268613&share_link_id=4C9A2099-DB57-46F3-91BA-9C990C62D3CD&source=h5_m&timestamp=1627441357&tt_from=sms&u_code=d9kf4h4aijk14a&user_id=6769390469007213574&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=sms&_r=1 Second, I’m going to explain the difference between respectful parenting and permissive parenting. Respectful parenting gets a bad rep because it is often confused with permissive parenting. Respectful parenting is treating your child as a human being and connecting with them. After all, you wouldn’t yell at or hit your other family members, co-workers, or friends. It is important to note that it does not entail not disciplining your child. Permissive parenting, on...

Mom guilt, noun, the feeling of having done wrong or failed as a mom. I imagine that is how Merriam-Webster would define it. I don't need a definition to know that I experience it regularly in ways big and small. Thanks, Lady... In preparation for full-time daycare, I dropped my five-month-old son off at the daycare center for a two-hour "trial run."  I stayed in the area of daycare and visited a local boutique for distraction while I anxiously counted down the minutes. While there, I decided to buy a necklace with my son's birthstone as something to keep with me while I was at work and he was at daycare. I went to the register and chatted with the sales...

Both of my older girls have dropped their afternoon naps a little after their third birthday. As devastating as it can feel to lose that glorious time of uninterrupted nap time bliss, we have transitioned them to afternoon “rest time” which has worked really well overall. So, if your little one has stopped napping, take a deep breath, it’s going to be ok! Here are some tips for rest time magic: Set the expectation for rest time. Don’t start doing outings or running errands or letting them watch a show during that usual nap time. It will be hard at first, but if you set the expectations right away, they’ll adjust! Start small. It is unlikely that your child...

I took a snapshot of my kids this morning. I intend to keep it close by, so it can serve as a benchmark. We have reached a turning point in our family. We have finally arrived at the point in life that most parents of small kids look to with anticipation for what feels like forever. Diapers have all been thrown away. Bottoms are being independently wiped. Mouths are being fed by utensils independently held the correct way (Well, mostly). As parents, we spend so many years training our children up to get to this point. Every time my kid runs her own bathwater, ties his own shoes, or fixes his own bowl of cereal, I almost want to run around the house with...