About The Parenting Blog
Probably more than any generation before us, we're the most obsessed with parenting. We read guidebooks and magazines, tune in to morning show experts, pause to consider what other moms and dads at the playground are doing, and forever second-guess our own maternal and paternal instincts. People warn you that parenting is the hardest job you can possibly have. "Say goodbye to a full night's sleep for the next 18 years," they say. Then you think about people like your great grandparents who raised eight kids in a three-room apartment without the benefits of things parents of today take for granted, like dishwashers, disposable diapers, and portable DVD players. How did they do it?

Back then they didn't have electronic learning toys, or put their infants on waitlists for competitive pre-school programs, that's for sure. Bedtime counselors and those dubbing themselves "Super Nanny" would have been unemployed during their era. And forget about shopping cart protective coverings and keeping antibacterial hand cleanser in every room of the house–germs make kids stronger, they'd declare!

What was true then as it is today, though, is that once you think you get the hang of being a parent, some new curve ball comes your way (a winter full of stomach flu and the croupe, potty training, sibling rivalry, puberty!). The only thing you can do is learn how to deal as you go, have a few laughs along the way, and realize that kids are more resilient than you give them credit for. Once you take the pressure off of yourself, parenting can be the greatest job you'll ever have. That's what this Parenting Blog is all about! Just forget about sleeping in.

Keeping Your Children Occupied After Christmas Ends
Looking back on my childhood, Christmas vacation felt like vacationing in heaven: this limbo where time practically stood still, and I had da...

Continue Reading Keeping Your Children Occupied After Christmas Ends

The Importance of Leaving Your Child Alone
The novel I discussed in a recent posting, The Nanny Diaries, broached an interesting subject: the rather recent idea of having to watch over ...

Continue Reading The Importance of Leaving Your Child Alone

Fun Ways to Teach Your Child Their Letters
The best way to interest children in learning to their letters is to make a game out of it. Put away those flash cards – here are so...

Continue Reading Fun Ways to Teach Your Child Their Letters

Keeping Santa’s Secret
Playing Santa can be one of the best parts of being a parent, making it a priority to prolong the game as long as possible. Here are a few ti...

Continue Reading Keeping Santa’s Secret

Fun Christmas Projects to Do With Your Child
Christmas is coming, and your child is sure to be excited – and more than a little impatient. The key to your sanity is being able to...

Continue Reading Fun Christmas Projects to Do With Your Child

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Childhood Revisited
Tonight I saw The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – the beginning of the first attempt to make movies out of C.S. Lewis’ entire Chro...

Continue Reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Childhood Revisited

The Nanny Diaries: A Lot of Truth, A Little Bit of Fiction
During one of my regular trips to Barnes and Noble not too long ago, I spotted a novel called The Nanny Diaries. Of course, as I’ve been babysi...

Continue Reading The Nanny Diaries: A Lot of Truth, A Little Bit of Fiction

Socializing Gender: Baby Clothes, Baby Showers
There are so many jokes about it: the babies that aren’t dressed in pink or blue, letting you know which gender they are. And while I ...

Continue Reading Socializing Gender: Baby Clothes, Baby Showers

Poor Little Rich Girl: Wealth Doesn’t Guarantee Spoiled Children
You know the image: the wealthy only child who gets everything she sets her heart on. That doesn’t have to be the way it is, though....

Continue Reading Poor Little Rich Girl: Wealth Doesn’t Guarantee Spoiled Children

Children and Television: Implications for Violent Behavior
There is no doubt that television has become an enormous problem to our nation’s upcoming generation. Surveys show that on average, pr...

Continue Reading Children and Television: Implications for Violent Behavior