Growing Up

For the purposes of keeping the post on a specific track, I will be focusing on sexual awareness in children as young as 2 years old and under the age of 7. If your children are older, that doesn't mean this post doesn't apply to you and that you can't still apply certain techniques. Raising Safe Kids: Sexual Awareness   75% of the moms reading this just totally freaked out with that title. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you or insult you or make you blush, but I believe with this topic you just have to be straightforward. Are you aware that our city is one of the major human trafficking hubs in the country? Did you realize that 44%...

My almost 10 month old has crazy hair. Crazy adorable hair. Crazy long, gets-stuck-in-the-bib-velcro hair. It curls just a bit in the back, and sometimes sticks out on either side of his head. And most strangers think he is a girl. They swing by with their grocery carts, stop, and say, “What a happy baby! How old is she?” Sometimes I don’t even bother correcting them. When I do correct them, they apologize profusely and say, “He is a pretty boy! He’s going to break some hearts one day!” Honestly, it doesn't bother me that people think he’s a girl. You can’t really tell at this age. Babies look like babies. But, it has started to annoy my husband. (I...

"Stranger Danger" We've all heard it, but is it true? Experts are agreeing more and more that, no, this is not a good concept to teach our children. As  I think about this concept in my own life, it doesn't make much sense. I'll easily strike up a conversation with a mom on the park bench, sometimes sharing our life stories and all kinds of personal things. We've never met and she's definitely a stranger, but there really is no danger in this situation. Not all strangers are dangerous and not all strangers are safe, but not everyone we know is safe either. We need to help our kids recognize who can and can't be viewed as a "safe...

I could probably write about a hundred posts about lessons I have learned since my son was born over 9 months ago, but one has stuck out in my mind lately: I’ve learned to say “No” without guilt. Well, without much guilt anyway. Being a well-raised Southern girl, my first inclination whenever I get an invitation, or a request to do something, is to say yes. I get it from my mother. I am a people-pleaser and hate feeling like I have let anyone down. It drives me crazy. For my whole adult life, my inclination has been to always agree to as much as possible. Generally, I think this is a good policy. I miss out on less and...

It starts at the very beginning. Are they eating enough? Are they in pain? Why are they crying? Are they "normal"? Will this be harmful to them? The endless questions about what is best for our children. We worry about everyone who gives our children a sideways glance, comes a bit too close, feels just a bit "wrong". We worry about them if they don't gain enough weight, if they don't reach a milestone, if they disappear for 2 seconds and we can't find them. Life is scary. The world is scary. It feels as if there is danger lurking at every turn (and in reality there might be...) But we, as mothers, can do things to prepare. We...