Play Dates

My mother asks me what playdates are all about. After all, when she was raising us, we were just sent out to play, with the words "be home by dinner time" in our heads...


Times certainly have changed, and it is sad that kids can't just run around like they used to, sad because of what might happen if they do. On the other hand, I like that I know where my child is and who she is with. I really enjoy getting to know her friends and the parents of her friends. It is not all bad.

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A Good Parent

My daughter and I are having a conversation this morning about being a good parent. I want to know what makes a great parent and I want to hear it from a five year old's perspective...

She says I am a good parent because I give her choices, keep her in my heart while she is in school, and help her when she gets hurt. I ask her what makes a bad parent, and she says, bad parents don't love their kids, they spank them and don't give them toys and when they see a stranger, they tell their kids to go with them!

Whew! I am glad that I am not one of those parents!

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Going For The Gold

Winterfest. This year it coincides with the Olympics, which makes all winter sports enthusiasts, young and old, do their best. Sunday, February 11th, marked the day when Michelle Kwan quit the Olympics, and the day local skating talent gave it their all on the ice...

This was my five year old's first performance on ice. She just started skating before Christmas. She was great, cute as all get out, and the lessons she brought home with her were amazing. Some of her teachers performed solos on the less than buffed ice of our beloved outdoor rink. Many fell. One in particular, fell during a difficult maneuver and got up with a smile and with victorious hands in the air.

As we were getting ready to leave, my daughter told me that she was proud of her teacher. When I asked why, she told me that her teacher fell, but got back up and finished.

She said, "my teacher didn't quit."

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Our Job As Parents

"If you believe that your kids will just naturally develop into good citizens or caring people, think again." Dr. Ruth Peters from "Laying Down the Law"

Is this a prevalent attitude in America? Do we let other people raise our children? Do we expect teachers to raise our kids? It certainly is easy to blame them for our children's misbehavior, but really, who is to blame? We are, we are the parents of these kids. It is our JOB to raise good kids, kids with values, kids with an idea of what responsibility means. Responsibility comes from making good choices, and how do kids learn that? From being told what to do? Or from being given choices at an early age? Would you like your kids to learn about natural consequences of their actions when they are five or when they are fifteen?

Being a parent is the most important job a person can have, being a teacher the second most important. There is no money in either occupation, how sad.

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Pick Up Your Toys!

My daughter is like every other kid, she leaves her toys around the house.

What usually happens when I find them is that they will go on top of the refrigerator until she can earn them back with some extra chores like cleaning her bathroom sink, wiping the mirrors or cleaning the sliding glass door until it is free of dog prints. Oh wait, that is my job. The top of the refrigerator is full and the top of the armoir hasn't been dusted in weeks due to the amount of stuff there. Something needed to be done, so last night I made a deal with her. If by bedtime every night, her room is picked up and her clothes are picked out for the next day, she can pick one thing to take back, if she hasn't done those things then I get to pick one thing, and that is great, because she has some great DVDs up there.

It worked last night, she took back a Barbie, but as all experiments go, it must run over a period of time and with all the toys and clothes up there, it could run for weeks.

Stay tuned!

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The News

I probably should have just turned a blind eye to the news today. Andrea Yates out of prison, teens on a shooting rampage at a gay bar, drugs sewed inside of puppies. So, I turned off the news and went to volunteer in my daughter's classroom, where I could bask in innocence for a few hours...

We cannot tell how our kids are going to turn out, but we can do our best to raise responsible, compassionate and conscientious kids.

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Raising Responsible Children

As parents, we may need to set aside particular times or create special activities to teach our children certain things. But this isn't true when it comes to helping them learn about character. Everyday life is filled with opportunities for helping our children learn about the values we prize and want to encourage.

As you choose activities to use with your child, remember this thought: Teaching our children about character doesn't mean that we can't laugh or that we have to be grim. Our children should see that we can be serious about our values and principles and still play and have fun. In fact, you can teach a lot through play. And you can make games out of learning particular skills. We hope that you and your child enjoy these activities and that they inspire you to think of additional activities of your own.

Getting to Know Others—from Near and Far

Children need to be shown and taught that other people have feelings, beliefs and hopes, just as they do. Actually, we can learn a great deal from others, both in our families and neighborhoods and from other cultures, societies, religions and countries.

What to Do

Although we should teach our children to be tolerant and to behave respectfully toward other people, we should also make it clear that some people behave in ways that are harmful and that such behavior should not be tolerated.

• Show your child by your actions that you are interested in learning about and from other people. Let her know that you care about family by telling her interesting things about relatives, such as their hobbies or jobs. Let her see you being a friend to neighbors, store clerks, community workers and others. Let her see you reading books or watching TV shows and videos about people from other cultures, religions or countries. Talk with her about the interesting things you've learned from your reading and viewing. Invite people from other cultures or countries to your home.

• Visit the library with your child, and ask the librarian to help you choose books, videos, magazines and other materials that will help him learn about many different countries and people. Listen attentively when your child wants to tell you about things she has discovered about the geography, history, religion, music or art from other cultures and countries.


Be involved, stay involved and please comment here!

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Almost a Snow Day

We had a school delay this morning due to icy road conditions. I was hoping it would be a snow day instead, one where we could ski around the neighborhood and build snowmen, and come in for hot chocolate when we got cold, but as my daughter says, "you get what you get...and you don't throw a fit."

At least the sun is out, and we were lucky to have some extra time this morning to relax and laugh at a couple of Mad Libs before school.

I asked my daughter what I could do to be a better mom. She told me that I could play with her more, hence the Mad Libs laugh fest. I then asked her what made me a good mommy, and she told me that I was a good mommy because I give her choices. Cool. It is so great to hear from her what works, and what she likes about my parenting style. I really like the win-win approach I have taken with her, and it has been great to see the results. The Love and Logic philosophy is all about making parenting fun, and raising responsible children at the same time.

Could a parent ask for anything better?

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Post them here!

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