Friday, December 14, 2012
27 people, 20 of them children, are reported dead in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, according to Newtown Patch. What will you say to your children?
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Parents' hearts are in their throats across the country as news spreads of an elementary school shooting in Connecticut that reportedly took the lives of 20 children and seven adults. Newtown Patch in Connecticut is posting live updates about the shooting, which was reportedly carried out by a single adult who is now dead. The incident will raise questions about how future such massacres can be prevented. It will also require parents everywhere to figure out how to discuss the violence with their children, many of whom will be returning to their schools next week. Parenting.com offers advice for discussing tragic incidents with children. Among the suggestions: The New York Times parenting blog offers a dialogue and a video about discussing…
Monday, July 25, 2011
Each child requires a unique approach to establishing routines.
Experts are always throwing around the saying “children crave routine,” and it drives me crazy. Catchphrases like this one annoy me for many reasons, chief among which is that it’s simply not true. Kids crave ice cream. They crave toys, television shows and those moments when the prying eyes of mom and dad aren’t on them. But they don’t crave routine. If anything, what they crave more closely resembles chaos. That’s certainly not to say that chaos is what’s best for them. Quite the contrary, obviously. For most of us — our kids included — routine is a necessary part of our lives. Routine keeps our days in line, in a way that allows us to get from point A to point B (breakfast to bedtime, if you will) with the least amount of strain or …
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Tuesday, July 5, 2011
As we recognize the freedom of our nation, let us support our children's freedom.
Editor's note: Family Friendly Canton normally appears Monday morning. This column was delayed by a glitch. The independence of our nation was not won overnight. It began with an idea, which was put into action in fits and starts, eventually becoming a protracted struggle. The outcome of that struggle is evident today, though it wasn’t immediately clear to the founders of this country what our independence would amount to. As a parent, I am beginning to understand what that must have been like. Neither of my daughters will be moving out of the house any time soon – one is nine months, and the other will turn 3 on Saturday – but I can already feel them pulling away from me. My infant daughter is already hauling herself up on furniture, …
Monday, June 6, 2011
Regardless of what it is a young girl wants to become, guidance is key in her success.
In the May issue of Metro Parent magazine, author Lynne Meredith Schreiber laments the ever-growing movement in Hollywood and corporate America to harness the sense of sexuality of pre-teen girls – or, more precisely, to spur within them a false sense of sexuality. She discusses what I refer to as the “princess syndrome,” which many young girls have contracted (at the hands of Disney), and the push by make-up companies and clothiers to continually expose them to the concept of outer beauty. The crux of Schreiber’s argument is essentially that young girls are under attack, that their ability to develop an empowered sense of self is being undermined by society’s skewed view of beauty, and its insistence on making it such a prerequisite for …
Friday, February 4, 2011
Grandparents can be lifesavers, but at times they can also blur the line between being helpful and overreaching.
No one saves more time, money and reduces stress for parents than their own parents. Grandparents are the first ones we turn to in sticky situations, times when we need to work, shop, go to the doctor or just take a break from our kids for a few hours. But they are our parents. So, they often feel an obligation to parent our kids thorough us. A day rarely goes by that my mom doesn’t call me up to tell me about something she tried out with my daughter that might be helpful to us. It could be a park she took her to, a new method of disciplining or encouraging her (my mother is a preschool teacher, so she is up on all the emerging trends in parenting) or just a place she found something on sale or at a good price. These things are great. But…
Friday, December 17, 2010
Harness the spirit of the holidays to spark a child’s interest in giving.
About 2 1/2 months ago my wife and I had our second daughter, Avery, and it took no time at all for our 2-year-old, Emma, to realize she was no longer the star of the show. Prior to Avery's arrival, Emma had enjoyed all the perks and comforts of being an only child. Now found herself in uncharted territory: The land of sharing. Accustomed to being the center of attention, she was overcome with jealousy. It only lasted a few days, but my wife and I quickly realized what needed to be done. With Thanksgiving a few weeks off, and Christmas ahead, we figured the timing was perfect. We could ease Emma into her new role as a big sister and give her a primer on being charitable. Introducing her to the concept of sharing – be it blankets, toys, or …
Peg McNichol
6:01 pm on Saturday, February 5, 2011
Jessica and Sean, How much have you talked with your respective parents about this? What kind of stories did they share about their experiences as new parents trying to set boundaries with grandparents? more ›