Do you tip your kid's camp counselors?Once again, summer camp is over. For the third year, my son has spent a month singing, dancing, writing, drawing, acting and visiting some of the city's secret nooks and fabulous museums as a part of a theatre camp. And for the third year, I am weepy mess, bursting with pride to see my boy blissfully wearing a mustache and paper costume on stage. I'm also overwhelmingly grateful for the counselors who teach the kids to sing parodies of Pat Benetar songs, play drama games, and learn to be comfortable goofing off in front of an audience.
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I love these counselors. They are funny and smart and create lead parts I imagine some equity actors would squeal to play. I try not to tear up when I thank them at the close of my son's final performance, but I usually do. My kid skips off, begging to go for the full eight weeks next year and I'm clutching the show program, my flip-cam and a big wad of Kleenex.
I manage to express my
Whats Wrong with Men? They Think They Are Always Suppose to Get Their Way, but Not This Time
By Tykiesha Green | Parenting – Thu, Aug 2, 2012 12:12 PM EDT
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I met this guy a while ago. I started working for him and things started getting a little to personal for me, so i stopped and we lost contact. We met back up while I was going through a hard time and started dating. He moved me to a house he own in Delaware. Ive been her since Nov 12 2011. Just recently I found out I was pregnant and decided to keep the baby. Now he wants me to move out. I dont have a problem leaving I just told him that I need about 2 or 3 months to save money so i can move. He refuses and says he starting the eviction process. Now this is what I dont understand. Yes he took care of me and my 3 children that dont belong to him for the past year. Now that Im pregnant with his child he wants me out on the streets. Does that make any sense or am I the crazy one.The other day I was having a discussion with a friend whose kid could not find a job. You know how she knew? Because she was the one doing the looking! She was the one scouring the ads, waking up her college graduate child, filling his new car (that he got for a graduation present) with gas and telling him which jobs he should apply for. Her son, in the meantime, did nothing but tell her which jobs were his "dream jobs" and which he couldn't be bothered with. This case may be extreme but it raises an important issue. As parents, we obviously want our kids to succeed, but how much should we personally be involved in that success? Here are 8 ways to raise a successful, independent kid instead of a spoiled, entitled brat. -By Rene Syler
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Read More »from 8 Ways to Avoid Raising a Spoiled BratThis is my first time blogging, but I believe this topic is well known. What our children are getting into these days. I do not have any of my own, but what I see is truly horrifying. These girls no bigger than 16 are wearing shorts, SO short, that when they bend over, you can see their bottoms and panties. I am more worried for their safety than their fashion. They wear the skimpiest of clothes and think that it is okay. If they have "dated" more than one guy in a month, people will label them as sluts! If they spend more time on their phone than they do with family, I would personally feel like I did something wrong as a parent. To make them completely ignore their own flesh and blood for a plastic box is terrible. One of the most horrific things I have seen is their make-up. They put on more make-up than clowns do! Of course young girls can experiment with make-up but only to emphasize their natural beauty. Our young girls will grow up to be amazing women. But we need to steer them
Read More »from The Youth of America. Part 1
Were you spanked as a child? Many of us were. A proponent of nonviolent discipline, Mayim Bialik shares the repercussions of hitting children and argues against three common reasons why some parents spank their kids. From her book, Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way.
1. "I have wild/hyper/crazy kids." Gentle discipline and using methods other than violence against your child are appropriate for every kind of child, no matter their temperament. There is no such thing as a child who deserves to be hit, or who cannot be parented without being hit. In some cases, an assessment by a child psychiatrist may be helpful, but hitting does not help children whom you already deem as difficult; in fact, it may make things worse.
2. "I am too overwhelmed to do it any other way." The commitment not to hit your children works if you have one child or if you have ten. If you cannot handle the stress of having a large family
Read More »from Why Spanking Doesn't WorkFrom adorable to working professionals, take at look at how these celebrity kids have grown!
Paying for College in Today's Economy: What's Best for Your Family?
By Babble.com | Parenting – Wed, Aug 1, 2012 4:42 PM EDT
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Paying for College in Today's Economy: What's Best for Your Family?Parenting time is notoriously different than other time. Instead of being measured by moments on a clock, or dates on a calendar, it's mostly measured in milestones: first solid food, first steps, preschool, kindergarten, first soccer uniform, first middle school dance, starting high school, getting a driver's license, high school graduation, and then….the most overwhelmingly daunting parenting milestone of all: PAYING FOR YOUR KID TO GO TO COLLEGE!
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And guess what? I am about to hit that terrifying super-milestone myself; this fall I will have one starting nursery school, one starting kindergarten, one starting his freshman year of high school, and one beginning her senior year at the same high school.
Senior year is one that I know all too well will go by in the blink of an eye for my daughter, and one that will see both of us consumed with college essays, entrance applications, SAT and ACT score angst, and perhaps most frighteningly, theWhy I'm Glad My Family Has to Watch Olympic Commercials
By Babble.com | Parenting – Wed, Aug 1, 2012 3:32 PM EDT
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6 Reasons Why I'm Glad My Family Has To Watch Olympic Commercials*This post contains Olympic spoilers. If all the coverage is still sitting unwatched on your DVR, you might want to read this another time.
We got rid of pay television and our DVR a while ago, opting to use our TV as a DVD-screening device and video game monitor. The few network shows we like we watch online. But there are two occasions when I miss regular, old TV: the Oscars and the Olympics.
In our mad scuffle to solve the problem, we discovered our neighbor had a digital antenna cluttering up his storage room. He lent it to us on the chance we could get the broadcast over the air despite our TV being housed in the basement. It worked! Free TV! Like when I was a kid!
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Every night since the Opening Ceremonies, we've been watching the Olympic action in London. Not only are the kids old enough to sit through four hours of nightly television - even if the featured sport doesn't particularly interest them -7 Bilingual Board Books to Help Teach Your Baby Spanish
By Disney Baby | Parenting – Wed, Aug 1, 2012 2:55 PM EDTThe fact that I was born in Puerto Rico and lived there until the age of 8 means that Spanish was my first language. However, since I am married to an English-speaker and living in the United States, my kids don't get much exposure to it besides through me. That's why I try to incorporate it into our daily lives whenever possible. Board books are a great help since they provide kids with a visual when hearing the words in Spanish. Bilingual board books in English and Spanish are even better because then anyone in the house can read them to Baby! Here are the 7 best bilingual board books to help you raise a Spanish-speaker. - By Melanie Edwards
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10 baby books that promote sensory development10 Activities to Keep Your Kids Busy when It's Too Hot to Play Outside
By Babble.com | Parenting – Wed, Aug 1, 2012 2:05 PM EDTThe best part of summer, for me, has always been the ability to be outside all day long. Running around the neighborhood, poking around in the garden, reading on the porch, playing tag with neighborhood kids, playing in the hose, going to the pool, lying on the grass, making forts out of trees ... bliss. Unfortunately it's been so hot lately that kids can't really stay outside all day. Here are 10 indoor activities to keep your kids busy, happy, and productive when it's too hot to play outside.- By Magda Pecsenye
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Read More »from 10 Activities to Keep Your Kids Busy when It's Too Hot to Play Outside
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