Lately, I’m often reminded of something a friend of mine once said in a Christmas card note, just after she’d listed all
the volunteer activities in which she was involved, like PTA and Girl Scouts: “It’s ironic that the things we do to benefit our children keep us from spending quality time with them.” At the
time, I’d barely started a family and couldn’t relate. 16 years later, with at least 13 of those years spent on various volunteer boards, I can. And now that my husband has gotten involved as an
office-holder in “stuff” like PTA as well, we’re doubly aware. This year, we’re officers or committee chairs in 10 organizations combined, and in one, we each hold both a board position and
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Category: Being a Better Parent
The Talk, The Film, and Teaching Kids About the Birds and the Bees
As I got out my brand new 2011 calendar the other day and was going through the stacks of papers and emails in the “add
to calendar” files, I found one about “The Film”. You know, that film, the one on human growth and development that they show to kids in upper elementary grades (well, there’s one for
girls, and a different one for boys). Around here, there’s a film every year beginning in 4th grade and continuing thru 6th. The subjects …
Mare E Kriz Muss
Several years ago for a newspaper story, I interviewed a Dallas mom named Sue about the great lengths she and her family
go to every year to come up with a crazy family photo for their Christmas card—often complete with costumes, props, and backdrops. In one memorable photo, her family is seen atop a fake
“snowcovered roof” dressed as Santa and other holiday characters. The youngest child, a baby, is wailing mightily, one of the dogs is sliding off the roof, and Sue …
Ordinary Family
Just watched a sneak preview of the new ABC TV show, No Ordinary Family, about a family who discovers they each
have a superpower after surviving a plane crash. And I must say, while I know a lot of people are into superheroes these days, I thought the best parts of the show were the ordinary moments. The
moments that people can relate to, where they can say, yeah, I know someone like that, or wow, they act just like my …
Communication Breakdown? Start Writing…
I’ve been thinking that the joke about “people texting each other inside the same house” might not be such a
bad idea. Or carrying around a white board. Or sticking notes in lunch bags. According to a study released last week from Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 1 in 5 teens now has at
least a slight hearing loss, due possibly to iPod volume. The study, conducted with almost 5,000 kids, showed slight hearing loss increasing in the past 15 years, …
Water: The Great Parent-Child Equalizer
One of my favorite photos: Allison and I in San Diego, 2003
Family therapists, take note: when looking for another way to help families
relate, tell them to “go jump”. In a pool, that is. Or a swimming hole, or lake. With lifeguards on duty, of course. And a shallow end. Because it’s in the shallow end …
Complaints and Compliments: Teaching Kids About Consumer Feedback
The story in the news these days of Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater has me thinking—not just about the
straight-outta-the-movies way in which he quit his job, but about the onboard incident that preceded it, when a passenger reportedly cursed at him and cut Steven’s head with her suitcase, mad
because she was told to sit down until her arriving plane came to a complete stop. I wondered if that passenger had children watching. Yes, we’ve all been ticked off …
Taking Stock: Does Our Family Measure Up?
Talk about a staycation. We are about to embark on a huge adventure without having to leave home: we’ve applied to host a foreign exchange
student through AFS for the upcoming schoolyear, a girl from France. And I must say that even if we don’t get approved, just the process of applying has been worthwhile. I mean, how often do
you get the opportunity to really take stock of your family, your home, and your community, …
Parents and Movies: Hopelessly Forgetful
The re-release of the movie, “Grease” in “Sing-A-Long” version this month has reminded me of something a parent
recounted to me not long ago: She’d been all excited about showing her kids the original “Grease” but when she watched it with them, she was embarrassed that she’d forgotten about all the sexual
references. Oops. You can bet with the song lyrics now plastered onto it, it’s going to be even more embarrassing for forgetful parents! J
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When Tag-a-long Time is a Treasure
Sometimes the best activities that parents can do with their kids are the things parents also enjoy doing on
their own. No, I’m not talking about the twisted Moms and Dads who force their kids to see movies they shouldn’t, just because the parents want to watch and won’t get a babysitter—or the parents
who drag their kids to smoky bar/restaurants and make them sit at a table and color while they get drunk…I’m talking about letting your kids tag along …