Perspectives in Parenting

  The “Mom Tribe." I don’t know what a mom tribe is, but I have my guesses. I am guessing it’s a group of moms who have a lot in common and “get” each other. That would be my best guess. I don’t have a “tribe.” Everything on the Internet tells me that I need one. I just don’t think they are for me. As far back as I can remember I have been one who just plays by herself. I have always had just a few friends, actually I’ve had more acquaintances than friends, and that has been perfect for me. Don’t get me wrong, I am a GOOD friend. I try to be a good listener and be supportive....

Every child deserves to be in a loving, stable and safe environment. When children are in foster care, a basic standard of care has been compromised, yet reunification of the children with their parents is always the first and primary goal. For foster parents, it can sometimes be difficult to navigate the waters of interacting with parents, especially knowing the child's history. These are the only parents the child has ever known, and if at all possible, these parents will be able to raise their children to thrive. So how can foster parents help to make the adult relationships as healthy as possible for the children involved? Here are a few ideas!   1. Love the Child Duh. Love the child is...

"Mommy, I want a real baby. Emily has a real baby. I only have pretend babies." My almost four-year-old reminds me of this daily. I never intended it to be this way. My brother and I are 13 months apart. While I never thought I would have two children in just over a year, I love how close I am to my brother and expected my children to be fewer than three years apart in age. But alas, it's looking more and more probably that dear daughter will likely be in grade school before her "real baby" comes along. And my feelings about this are, in a word, complex. My girl is, and always has been, a strong-willed child. She...

Disclosure :: May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, and our sponsors, The Emerge Center, want to make sure the kids, moms, dads, and grandparents of Baton Rouge have healthy hearing this summer!  Summer, Swim Plugs and Healthy Hearing A Louisiana summer doesn’t go by without a LOT of time at the pool. And what comes along with a ton of pool time? You guessed it – swimmer’s ear and ear infections. Before diving into the season, now is the best time to get custom swim plugs for your little ones. Why bother with swim plugs? Well, if your child is prone to ear infections or Swimmer’s Ear, swim plugs will keep your kiddo from having to deal with those issues! Also, any...

Well, it’s more like 7:30-4 and not all of me looks like Dolly Parton, but I am a working mom of an infant. My second baby, Declan, is nine months old and I am still nursing him. So ladies we all know what that means: pumping at work. I previously nursed my daughter, Salem, until she was nine months, and pumped at work for seven of them after returning from an all too short maternity leave. So far, I have learned it is definitely a “do whatever works best for you” and “learn as you go” type of thing. Once I was about two weeks in, I formed a pretty good routine. Since this is my second child, you...