Eighteen summers, that’s all we have with our children before they leave the nest. The weight of that number is weighing heavy on me lately. I am already at summer #12 and #10 with my daughters. We long ago surpassed the halfway mark and I am acutely aware of how fast it’s all gone. Summer, like our children’s growth, is fleeting. Both need to be embraced without reservation and with complete enthusiasm. That’s why I believe there are 10 things you should do every summer with you kids without …
Five Last Minute Teacher Gifts For the Chronically Late Parent
I mean what I say and I say what I mean. When I say "last minute," you can trust that these ideas can be carried out in a swift manner, with little preparation, without breaking the most precious of budgets — time and money — and they'll still convey a message of sincere thanks. Five Last Minute Teacher Gifts Snickerdoodles This is the cookie of cookies! It's as fun to say as it is to eat and the best part of gifting Snickerdoodles is that the kids can do most of the …
The One In Which I Hate Technology, Online Games and Electricity
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about young kids and online games. For the record, I don’t like them. Also for the record, my son plays them. But he does a lot of things I don’t enjoy seeing happen, like dirt-bike jumps and growing. I hate these games in general and in specific. I hate them the way our grandparents hated Elvis and socialism and people who wore their hat to the dinner table. These games make my skin crawl and I scream into my mouth when my son asks for his iPod. We …
Universal Truths Parents of Kids In Competitive Sports Know
I love watching young parents taking their toddlers to dance, soccer, gymnastics and hockey. They are so completely adorable in their ignorance. I can’t help but smirk, er, smile I mean, when I see them beam at their little darling in their team uniform. They really have no idea what awaits them once they have kids in competitive sports. The reality is that there's a whole other side to this. A darker, more cynical side that parents of older children reside on. We used to be like them, so …
Far from Rah-Rah-Sis-Boom-Bah, Cheerleading Provides Hardcore Life Lessons
A couple of years ago we were visiting Walt Disney World in Florida at the same time the Cheerleading and Dance Worlds were happening at ESPN Sports. My girls were mesmerized. Thousands of girls were walking around with glitter on their eyes, adorable outfits and big bows in their hair. They were cute, smiling, enthusiastic and athletic. For my two little girls they were everything they wanted to be. They immediately asked if they could join cheerleading when we got home. Eeek. I wasn’t so …
