Posts Tagged ‘parents’
Mom Advice That’s Also Good For Dad
From Mom365 comes some good advice about how to be a “Calm and Happy Mom.” Dads can use these tips as well.
(Full disclosure — I write for Mom365 periodically; here’s an example.)
The third item on the list, “Be Grateful,” is something that I personally want to spend more time on. The author, Valerie Reiss, suggests that a good way to practice gratitude is to “Every day, name three things you’re thankful for; it’s an instant joy boost.” Sounds good to me.
This particular piece of advice is perfect for parents of all genders, dads as well as moms. Most people know that parenting can be frustrating at times. What is less often discussed is how dealing with kids on a daily basis can distract you from other parts of your life. Children, especially young ones, require a lot of attention. It is very easy to get caught up in the details of dirty diapers and daily dinners. That can lead to forgetting how good life is and how lucky you are.
Lest you think gratitude isn’t cool, a certain band called The Beastie Boys would disagree with you.
So would Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. Also me.
Other items on the list include “Dance” (this may not be for everyone but I’ll give it a shot), “Create” (defined here as making something, “even a doodle”), and drinking lots of water, which is healthy and forces you to take a trip to the bathroom more often. Sometimes that counts as a parenting break.
Click the link below for the full list.
10 Ways to Be a Calm & Happy Mom – Mom365.com
The Best Article About Homework I’ve Ever Read
The best article about homework that I’ve ever read, and probably the best one ever written, is in the December 17, 2012 issue of The New Yorker, written by Louis Menand.
It begins:
Here is something you probably didn’t know about France: its President has the power to abolish homework.
Nice, right?
And lest you think that le President de la France is doing this to appease the parents who proclaim homework to be history’s greatest education monster:
[French President] M. Hollande, however, is not a progressive educator. He is a socialist. His reason for exercising his powers in this area is to address an inequity. He thinks that homework gives children whose parents are able to help them with it—more educated and affluent parents, presumably—an advantage over children whose parents are not. The President wants to give everyone an equal chance.
Sounds reasonable. If nothing else it’s a different perspective on the so-called homework wars.
As with most education issues, it’s not that simple. Read the whole article, it’s worth it.
Louis Menand: The End of Homework? : The New Yorker
How To Stop Online Gaming From Being a Hellish Pit of Vicious Verbiage
This article about a video game called League of Legends (which I’ve never played or even heard of) intrigued me because the game maker, Riot Games, is attempting to address what is apparently a serious problem within the Legends community.
Apparently many of the players are dickheads.
And as lead game producer Travis George puts it in his interview with Gamasutra, “Nobody wants to play a game with somebody who’s mean.”
Amen to that.
Of course, mean people playing games online is not limited to League of Legends. Which is a problem once your kids want to get involved.
As a parent who grew up playing video games, I’m highly conflicted about the current “social” state of gaming. What used to be a niche element of the gaming world — online play with strangers — has become as ubiquitous as broadband Internet connections. Read more »
Wherein I Bash Parenting Blogs On A Parenting Blog
I’m not familiar with the parenting blog EarlyMama, but it sounds like the author, Michelle Horton, gets her chops busted a lot for having kids when she was in her early 20′s.
I have some thoughts to share. Generally we call these rants. It’s not really a rant, per se, but calling it a rant makes things easier. Read more »
My Parents Want To Control Me [iPad]
Funny comment on Apple.com’s discussion boards: “I just bought the iPad today and my parents want to control me.”
(Emphasis added). Read more »
Excercise Good, TV Bad
Two news items today that apply to parents and kids alike. Simply put — exercise good, TV bad.
Also — floor down. Ceiling up. Read more »
Making Lists When You Have Kids
When someone makes a list of things to do, the assumption is that those things will get done. Maybe not right away, but the point of making the list is to remind yourself of things that you want to do.
