So much of parenting entails thwarting.
I must thwart my toddler’s attempts to travel staircases and wade in toilets. I do this with gates, latches, and other inventions meant to keep small children safe and properly frustrated.
I take away the cordless phone, which is often left on a low table. Everyone knows a story [...]

My daughter Hadley’s butterfly obsession began last summer when my parents bought her a butterfly net and book.
She was not quick enough to capture even one.
That’s why I wasn’t too surprised when she announced she wanted a butterfly kit for Christmas. It seemed like a brilliant strategy: if you can’t catch ‘em, why not grow [...]

Dear Mama Drama:
My eight-year-old son has recently become very rude and disrespectful. Every time I ask him to do something he argues with me. When I try to help him with something he becomes surly and impatient. When he is with his friends he is either rude or acts embarrassed to be seen with me.
We [...]

On Wednesday, I posted the following on Twitter:
Off to bang my head against the wall a.k.a. once again attempt to teach 5-yr-old Hadley to ride her bike.
I was only kind of joking. My husband Jamie and I tried to teach her last summer but to no avail. To be fair, it was a half-hearted attempt [...]

Dear Mama Drama:
My 5 year old son seems to be very sensitive.  He cries at nearly everything; if we say no, if things don’t turn out how he hoped, if he doesn’t win a game.  I’m not sure how to help him deal with his feelings.  I am not sure if he reacts this way [...]

My husband and I have been practicing the family bed with our son who is now eighteen months olds. We all sleep in the same bed, with him either in the middle or on the outside of me with a portable bed-rail next to him. He also sleeps in our bed during his naps. As he is getting bigger we think he is ready to begin sleeping in his own bed in his room.

Guest Blogger Gwen is expecting…for the second time. And once again, no baby bump or stretch-marks will grace her with their pending bambino. Step inside their world of growing a family through adoption. Follow along here at Mile High Mamas and her blog and get a candid feel for the ups, downs, highs, lows and [...]

Last Monday was one of those days. It was one of those days where tiny little things, as innocuous as single, solitary ants suddenly converge in a mass of creatures that can fell a rainforest.
(Stock photo credit: cbicenhour)
In the midst of this, was Claire. All she really wanted was for me to help her tie [...]

It was a Monday morning. We were getting ready for another grueling school week. The kids were moaning about the injustice of heavy backpacks and state laws.
I told them I went to school and survived. Put your shoes on, spit-spot.
My oldest son asked how many years I spent in school. I told him 20 years—13 [...]

My three year old was doing great with potty training until we visited the museum and an automatic toilet flushed unexpectedly. He now screams and cries when we take him into any public bathroom. How can we help him get over his fear and handle these flushing monsters?
~Flushed away
(photo credit)
Dear Flushed Away:
Automatic toilets can be [...]