Children
Dance Mom Fails and Dreaming the Impossible Dream
One of the most rewarding parts of parenthood is seeing your children wade through the wall of clutter to discover their talents and passions. We tried it all–soccer, gymnastics, swim team and upside-down basket weaving. She had marginal successes but there was one activity that was a complete flop: dancing. You see, my daughter Hadley has inherited my lack of rhythm. Instead, she has a raw, aggressive athleticism that makes her adept at climbing mountains, careening down a ski slope, scaling large buildings and reducing her competition to tears at any sign of weakness. When she was three years old, she had her first – and last – dance recital. We invited the entire family out for the occasion, an event we knew would go down as yet one more painful chapter in the Johnson ...
Mama Drama: Summer Nights vs. School Mornings
Dear Mama Drama: My kids are back in school, but are still on summer time bedtime and wake up schedules. This is causing a lot of stress and crankiness around our house. They can’t get to sleep earlier in the evening and are groggy and slow in the mornings. We need help! ~Stuck in Summer Mama Dear Stuck in Summer: Switching sleeping and waking schedules can be a challenge when the weather and long evenings still tell our bodies it is summer – which of course it is. 🙂 Rest assured you are not the only family struggling with this issue. Talk with your kids about how things are going with this transition to get them on board and hear their perspective. Let them know how you would like the routine to work and then work together to make a plan that everyone can live with. Here are some ideas to...
Parenting question: You Want to Read What?!
Dear Mama Drama: I have three daughters ages 13, 11, and 8. They are all avid readers and generally read well above their age level. My eight-year-old wants to read whatever her sisters are reading, but as they get into their teens I am not always comfortable with the content. When there is sexual content or violence, my eight-year-old is often confused, scared, and has had nightmares, especially after reading some of the vampire books. The girls think it isn’t a big deal, but I do. I am not sure how to handle this with them. ~ Raising Readers Dear Raising: Your concerns about your youngest daughter’s reading material are valid. The themes in books for teens and tweens focus on different experiences and thinking processes than books for younger children. It can be difficult to find e...
How can I help my kids become more independent?
Dear Mama Drama: I am trying to get my five-year-old son to be more independent in bathing and dressing himself. I have been working with him for the past two weeks on this and he still cannot do anything on his own. I am frustrated and he starts crying every time I tell him to do it on his own. I don’t understand why this is so hard or how to help him. ~Confused Mama Dear Confused: Building independent self-care skills for bathing, dressing, etc., is very important for five-year-olds. While as adults we view these skills as fairly basic, we have also been doing them for many, many years. Tasks that seem like one step for us, i.e. washing our hair, are really multiple steps. For your son to try to master all of these things in a short amount of time is probably quite overwhelming. Rather t...
How Can I Tame My Son’s Rude Jokes?
Dear Mama Drama: My ten-year-old son is always cracking jokes and thinks he is extremely funny. The trouble is that his jokes are usually at the expense of someone else. When people respond negatively to him, he acts like they are overreacting and too sensitive. I think he has some sharp wit beneath the rudeness, but I don’t know how to tap into it. Most of the time he comes off acting like a jerk instead of being funny. ~Unamused Mama (photo credit) Dear Unamused: Ten-year-old boys often use humor to engage socially and, as you relate, they don’t always understand the line between funny and rude. Children (and some adults) also use inappropriate humor to humiliate others in order to feel better about themselves or attempt to elevate their social status. This is also bullying behavio...
You’re Not Welcome: Are We Raising Mannerless Kids?
I’m about to acknowledge something that a lot of parents are thinking, but few will actually say out loud. But I believe the first step in solving a problem is admitting that you have one and, America…we have a real problem. So, here goes. Our children are incredibly rude.
Mama Drama: Expanding Food Choices for Your Picky Eater
Dear Mama Drama: (photo credit) My preschooler won’t eat anything except macaroni and cheese. I’m afraid to give him other things because if he doesn’t eat it he’ll be hungry. I see other children, even younger than him, eating a wide variety of foods. I am amazed that they will eat things like tofu and vegetables. How can I get my son to eat a wider variety of foods? ~Scared of starving Dear Scared: Many children have difficulty expanding their food choices once they have found a favorite food. Macaroni and cheese, PB & J, and mashed potatoes are common favorites. They may like the texture, smell, or associate a positive experience with that food. However, we have to offer them other foods on a regular basis if we want them to make other choices. Our job as parents is to provide healt...
How can I navigate our unruly neighbor child and her screaming mother?
Hi Mamas! I could really use some advice! I’m completely stumped! (Image Courtesy of Kevin Shorter) Long story short, my 5-year-old daughter’s “best friend” lives across the street. They are in the same kindergarten class and play outside of school frequently! I have come upon a rather large issue! Considering the fact that our children play well, are in the same class and live across the street from one another I have become “friends” with the little girls mother. The more I am around her the more I am starting to see we are two TOTALLY different families. This mother uses yelling as her form of discipline. Not a slight raise of the voice, I mean a red face, veins popping out SCREAM! She also encourages her 2 and 5 year old to say cuss words, then laughs at t...
Fun, healthy ways to mix up school lunches
It’s Monday morning and you’re standing in front of an open fridge with a cup ‘o joe and a blank stare. What to make the kids for lunch is your number one priority, but who has time or energy to conjure up inspired meals at a moment’s notice? You grab what you know, prepare and bag it, and send your kids on their way. This is definitely a common scenario in today’s world but let’s take a moment to realize the opportunity we have at this time to make some changes. According to the CDC, obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States – that’s triple the rate from just one generation ago. Even if your children do not fall within the obesity category, this statistic is an indication of the environment and society that our children are growing up in and it’s our res...
Pregnancy Not Your Thing? You’re Not Alone
I’m 34 weeks pregnant with Baby #1, and it’s taken me an hour to get the first sentence of this story typed. I blame the restless legs, heartburn, aggressive kicking, baby brain, aching lower back, tiny feet stuck under my ribs and grumbling stomach all caused by this 5 pound tiny human squished in my uterus. While I’m not ungrateful and I don’t love my unborn child any less than other women, I’m going to be honest and admit that I don’t love being pregnant. Gasp! Over the years I’ve heard many of my friends gush about their pregnancy and about how magnificent each step was and how beautiful they felt. They loved it! Perhaps you have a few friends like that? The ones who talk about how thick and shiny their hair is, the glow of their skin, how each kick they feel is the most ea...
Parenting: How to Say “Yes” as Much as Possible
Dear Mama Drama: I have noticed recently that anytime my husband or I say “No” to our three-year-old daughter, a huge meltdown ensues. Even if we are saying, “No, not right now, but later,” she still throws a tantrum. We find ourselves in power struggles or giving in and are at a loss for what to do. (photo credit) How can we help her handle not getting her way right away with a little more grace?
The Art of Growing…and Murdering Butterflies
A few years ago, my daughter Hadley developed a butterfly obsession that began 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 that Christmas. It seemed like a brilliant strategy: if you can’t catch ‘em, why not grow your own? My younger brother used to capture butterflies and watch them die, sending my sensitive heart into a tailspin at the thought of God’s beautiful creatures succumbing to my brother’s demonic Collection of Doom.
