Posted by
janet on Mar 8th, 2010
Today, while many prepare for the most glamorous event of the year (the Oscars), I’ve got my head in the toilet. The advice I’m reading on the web about potty training makes me want to scream! Potty training in 3 days? One day? Tips and tricks? People, have a little respect. Potty training is not something we do to a child, or ask the child to do to please us. Children are human beings, not puppies to...
Posted by
janet on Dec 20th, 2009
I know the gift all children want most — we all want it — but it’s a hard one to remember. I’ve forgotten it for days, even weeks at a time. Sometimes it takes a desperate situation to remind me.
Once, I remembered it when my independent ten-year-old went through a phase in which she saw no reason to bathe. Days would pass. She would come up with excuses. I would let her off the hook and then forget...
Posted by
janet on Nov 25th, 2009
I saw a cartoon recently depicting a mom on a street corner with a sign that said “Will Worry for Food.”
I know the feeling. I often wake up in the night in chest pounding worry for my children — worries about their hurt feelings, their disappointments and bad moods. And, of course, I worry most for their health and safety. One small worry can spark a blazing wildfire fueled by anything and everything...
Posted by
janet on Sep 11th, 2009
Loren needed to leave the room. She walked with trepidation toward the door exiting the RIE parenting class. But then she paused and she asked me, “Should I just go?” Since she had clearly told her ten-month-old Trevor what she was doing, I encouraged her, “Yes!” Seeing his mother depart, Trevor began to cry. I approached him and spoke softly. “Your mom went out. She’s coming back. You didn’t want her...