This weekend I took DQ with me to the salon where we both could get our last haircut before the wedding. I love my new hairdresser. She remembers details told to her at previous appointments - like the fact the DQ has a new baby brother on her dad's side and that she was preparing... Continue Reading →
The cool parent
This post will publish in the Press Democrat on Friday, September 7, 2012. On a recent afternoon, my daughter DQ and I were on our way back from dropping my son, Taz, off at his friend’s house. I had assumed that DQ was going to spend the rest of the day bored since one of... Continue Reading →
7 things to say to your toddler
(This article publishes in the Press Democrat on August 24, 2012.) Raising a toddler is much like going the opposite direction on an escalator – you have to work twice as hard to get to your destination or you’ll never reach the top. Between coaxing them to get a move on and pleading with them... Continue Reading →
Being noticed
Everyone has a desire to be noticed. Yet, in this huge world, oftentimes we aren't acknowledged anymore than an ant in an anthill. Even our own children can go a whole day without us seeing them.
But what would happen if we took the efforts to change all that?
Should we all be Tiger Mothers?
Amy Chua's autobiographical account of Chinese parenting vs. Western parenting has many people up in arms. But could she also have been right?
Getting to know Taz
In a perfect world, parents would be able to give their kids a significant amount of their undivided attention, getting to know each child as a separate human being with different goals and dreams and interests than their brothers and sisters. In the real world, time has a way of slipping past us. The daily grind of everyday life takes precedence over slowing down and enjoying a soul to soul conversation with each child, one on one. With more than one kid, the time spent with each child individually grows significantly smaller. (read the article...)
Why are you doing this?
Parenting is the hardest job in the world. It's thankless, exhausting, and endless. So why are you doing it? (read the article...)
Education – Who's in charge here?
Over the past several months, I have written several articles on kids in school, mainly because of the troubles I’ve been having with the Taz – a bright kid who has a hard time not being a distraction in class or staying focused on the lessons he is being taught. Mark Alton, a teacher at... Continue Reading →
The difference between moms and dads
Growing up, I was fortunate to have both my parents in the home. My dad is a real estate appraiser, and though he worked a lot, we were often able to accompany him on local road trips when he went to look at houses. Sometimes we’d ride along with him, fascinated by the beauty of some areas that we never would have seen otherwise. Other times he would drop my mom and us three girls off at the park so we could have a picnic. He’d join us when his appointment was done.
Wine Country Mom 