My education at a cooperative pre-school
Then I discovered my dream come true: a cooperative pre-school. A co-op cuts costs by hiring only the teachers; parents perform all other work and take turns as teacher aide. This innovative solution would give the boys the benefits of school and allow me to be involved in my children’s education while also having personal time.
Step in during kid conflicts or let them handle it themselves?
As the mother of a long-haired boy who has already had feminine-flavored insults thrown at him by other kids, I’ve already had to make choices on when to step in to help him handle the situation. I wonder, though: how do you decide when to let your kid(s) fight their battles, and when to stop potentially damaging situations?
11 artful activities to try with your kids
If you’ve been scouring the internet or your local library for fun art activities for your kiddos, look no further than The Artful Parent. Today Jean shares eleven of her favorite kid-friendly, warm-weather artistic pursuits. Note: step-by-step directions can be found by clicking the link associated with each activity.
Cartoons that might teach your little kid a thing or two
Instead of feeling guilty about the amount of video entertainment Conan gets to watch, I’ve started focusing on the benefits. Besides giving me a few much needed minutes of guaranteed kid-unencumbered time, the programs Conan watches are so educational they’ll just about make your teeth hurt.
How to Land Your Kids in Therapy
The behavior of the parents described in this piece from The Atlantic mirror things I’ve both seen and that I’ve done — catching my child right after he falls? Yep. Watching with eagle eyes while a kid acts like he’s about to snatch Jasper’s favorite train from him? Totally guilty.
What kind of comics can I share with a four-year-old?
Meredith wants to get her kiddo into comic books, but the trouble is she doesn’t really know a lot about them. Comic book geeks: fill her in on all of the kid-friendly but not cheesy-cartoony comics out there!
Making lunch fun with dinosaur quesadillas and bento plates
Want to shake mealtimes up a bit? Cook up your own version of Jen’s self-titled “bento on a plate” — cookie cutter sets and creativity go a long way to calming a picky eater.
Four ways to reconnect with pets after you have kids
Sarah was the reason I came home and slept in my own bed in high school. In college, she kept me feeling safe and comforted in my string of lonely student rentals. She greeted my husband at the door on our first date, and she met us at the door when we brought home each of our kids. But that was where the old times ended; the truth is, several years into motherhood, I felt like my relationship with Sarah was altered beyond repair.