Perspectives in Parenting

While scrolling through Instagram a couple weeks ago, I happened upon another mama’s setup to celebrate the first week of school. She had decorations in her living room, a first day of school breakfast planned out, a banner over her mantle, and several other details all fitting the theme. It was fun, creative, and adorable. “Wow,” I thought to myself, “I should do this!” But I came back to reality after a few minutes and realized that just the idea of gathering the supplies and setting it all up felt overwhelming rather than exciting. What gave that mama joy, would give me unneeded stress. These days there are so many “extras” that we can do as mamas. There’s absolutely...

The world is stressful and chaotic, and sometimes I can’t bear to even watch / read the news or listen to current events podcasts. Sometimes I just want, and need, to stay in my bubble. Sometimes it’s all too much and we need an escape. Sure people like their serial killer documentaries and their true crime podcasts, but sometimes we need pure escapism. We need the absurdities and the farcical situations of Scranton, or Pawnee, or Greendale. We need a sitcom. Sitcoms are like comfort food. Here are a few of the silly, absurd, lovely sitcoms that help me escape. What I watch  The one thing that all of these seem to have in common? They are all about a group...

I have been in the parenting game for 14 years, and until this week have never had a 911 emergency. Since my firecracker of a third child has blessed us with this recent emergency situation, I could not let it go without writing about it! Calm Before the Storm Just like all things in life, it happened in an instant. We went from a perfectly peaceful Wednesday evening on the patio to a gut wrenching, panic filled, adrenaline pumping, quick decision making kind of moment. My family had just finished up a 10 day quarantine, and we were delighted to be together again. The hubby was at the grill cooking delicious burgers, my oldest (14) and youngest (3) were playing in the...

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...