I admit it. I’m a skeptic when it comes to parenting books. I think I was put off after reading the touted What to Expect When You’re Expecting and finding it saccharine and patronizing. Or maybe it is just the sheer volume of parenting tomes on display at any given bookstore, each touting its own […]
I’m writing to you today as an official resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where the clams are tasty, the gays can marry, and the Red Sox . . . well, ask me again at the end of the season. Thanks to the scheduling savvy of my sweetie and the heroic efforts of John the
It’s just my luck that we had a sleet storm here in the Hudson Valley yesterday, when the movers packed all our stuff onto a truck. Yes, the move to the Boston area that I mentioned back in October has finally arrived, despite the vagaries of the housing market and New York real-estate laws, which
I don’t often write about my family’s daily happenings, but this incident was too funny not to relate.
It seems like I’m perpetually running late for my son’s playgroups, music classes, and doctor’s appointments. Winter is the worst time for this. I always find myself torn between not being late and taking the time to let him learn to put on his own shoes, jacket, and mittens. He can sometimes get his jacket
Kids’ shoes that grow with them? Sounds like a long-overdue idea. Maria Angeline, who hosts the Carnival of Shoes and Bags at Daily Dose of Queer, brought Inchworm shoes to my attention (via a sighting on Boing Boing). They grow one full size in half-size increments, thanks to a sliding center panel that locks into
The first in what will hopefully be a short-lived series on our house selling and buying experience: Tip #1 for keeping a house clean for buyers yet tolerable for pre-schoolers: Buckets. Lots of buckets. I favor the 35-pound cat-litter pails from our local warehouse store. (In truth, I’d been saving the empties for a while
Two recent studies offer somewhat contradictory advice on the importance of free play vs. structured activities for kids. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says: Free and unstructured play is healthy and—in fact—essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient. .
Today my son and I saw the first episode of Sesame Street to feature the new character Abby Cadabby. Most people concede it’s nice to have another female Muppet on the show, although many criticize the fairy Abby for being too stereotypically girly, pink, and sparkly. Frankly, I don’t see her as so much more
Has anyone else noticed that some containers of Play-Doh products contain the warning: “Molded results vary depending on child’s age and level of skill”? I suppose I should have expected such a thing in a country where all takeout coffee cups must caution us that “Contents May be Hot.” Come on, though. Is any parent
