June 2009 – The Best of Uncool Mom

Siblings

Those “Scary” Kids With Older Siblings

Posted on June 30, 2009September 6, 2020 by uncoolmomdotcom

Good parents care about who their kids hang out with– right? I remember, when my first child began elementary school, being concerned about the influence of her friends who had older siblings– those kids saw movies I wouldn’t dream of letting my child see; those kids heard words I wouldn’t want my own to hear. They were more “worldly”– they “grew up faster”. And I wasn’t the only one who thought that– I met other parents who felt the same way.
I never stopped to think that not only had I been one of those kids, my second child would become one.

There is a ten …

Luke the Dog

Mom’s Pet Service

Posted on June 26, 2009September 6, 2020 by uncoolmomdotcom

It’s such a cliche’, but it’s true– all family pets eventually become Mom’s. Over the last 15 years, I’ve become the reluctant (and eventual guilt-ridden) caretaker of two goldfish named Goldie and Glowy (accidentally killed ’em within a week of owning them); a long-haired guinea pig named Snickers (he lasted a few years– but eventually got a kidney stone and died, probably because I didn’t add enough fresh veggies to his diet); an anole named Colors (kind of looked like the Geico gecko– I dutifully bought him a bag of mini crickets and a meal worm each week…but I think …

Being a Better Parent, Random Thoughts

Friendship 101

Posted on June 18, 2009 by uncoolmomdotcom

Do you have friends you’ve kept up with since childhood? High School? College? First job? If you’re a parent, who among your kids’ friends do you think they’ll still be close to when they’re in their 40’s and beyond? I think one of the best gifts we can give our children, and ourselves, is to help foster and nurture deep friendships. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, as I count down the days until my teenager starts high school (66 as of today– I can’t believe it!) and watch my kids spend their summer hours. Having “best friends” in …

Being a Better Parent, Giving Kids Some Freedoms

In Defense of Summer Camp

Posted on June 11, 2009 by uncoolmomdotcom

Growing up, I was a huge fan of summer “sleep away” camp. I went, year after year, to a small one that sat on the bluffs above a wide bend in the Mississippi River near Montrose, Iowa, and I liked it for all the reasons you’d think someone would like camp: New friends (that became lifelong friends), fun stuff to do, nice counselors, new skills (I learned synchronized swimming, macrame’ and tetherball, to name a few), campfires, crazy songs, and being surrounded by nature, for a whole week. But when my teenager first went to the same camp when she was nine, she loved …

Helicopter Parent Hall of Fame

When Helicopter Parenting Results in Tragedy

Posted on June 4, 2009August 29, 2020 by uncoolmomdotcom

This weekend marks the one-year-anniversary of something outrageous that happened in my neighborhood. It is so outrageous yet true, and I think ultimately related to parenting, that I wanted to share it. First, a bit of background:

We have a long alley that runs behind our house. Most people in our neighborhood just see fences when they look across their alley. A couple houses have city streets running perpendicular into the alley, directly behind their property. Our neighbor, whom I’ll call David, owns one of those houses. When he and his wife bought the house, they were assured by the realtor that …