The Valium Chronicles: Mothering Feedback for Mother’s Day

May 11, 2012 By

someecards.com - Apparently, they've loosened the requirements. I just won Mother-of-the-Year.

 

Now that I’m officially a Parenting Adult, I feel that its time that I get some official feedback on my mothering skills.

 

For Mother’s Day.  Since I love Mother’s Day.

 

Anyways, even though the general public thinks I’m a bad mother, I think I’m pretty decent at this job, thank you very much.

Just to make sure, I asked my kids, very nicely.

 

It's always a good idea to ask nicely.

 

And, their answers:

 

Sky:  What?

Me:  For my Mother’s day post.

Sky: __________

I’m still waiting…I guess she’s punished…

 

Ben:  You do everything perfect.

Excellent Answer, son. 

 

Jonah:

The proof is in the pudding

 

And that really, is all I need.

 

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone.

May nobody annoy you today. May you get to go to your yoga class, may your Mother not start a fight with you.  May the coffee be hot and the wine liquor-y.  May everyone pick their crap up off the floor without you asking 17 times.  May your baby sleep through the night, and your teenager come in before it’s over.

May your day be filled with love, and butterfly kisses, or at the very least, no laundry.

 

 

Filed Under: Humour, Kids, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

One more reason I’m a bad parent. Thanks a lot ADHD.

May 8, 2012 By

Source: wikipedia

 

Well, the jury is in. My husband and I are bad parents. That’s because we have a child with ADHD.

 

According to 1,000 people who took part in a survey conducted by The Child Mind Institute on children’s mental health, not only are we endangering our son’s health by putting him on medication, its even worse because his ADHD probably isn’t real, and is really the result of a combination negligent parenting, lax discipline, and our desire to have a zombie child.

 

Sure, we’re responsible for J having ADHD.  After all, he is the product of our mutual genetic material.  But, did we cause ADHD in any other way?   Nope.  No way.

 

I haven’t seen the full survey, and I’m trusting that The Child Mind Institute conducted it with good intentions in an effort to gauge public opinion about children’s mental health issues.

Here’s my take on the results.  I put them into three main categories.

Are you F*cking kidding me?

32% of parents said… ADHD is sometimes more a result of insufficient or absent parenting rather than a true medical condition.

Ok, we’ve already established that I’m a shitty parent, but thanks to 320 people for rubbing it in.  Guess they don’t know how much time parenting an ADHD kid takes. Or, how they complete monopolize the entire house with their ‘antics’. Oh, also, guess they haven’t seen the imaging of an ADHD brain in action.

 

13% of parents said… ADHD should not be treated as a medical condition, but rather as a behavioral issue that can be corrected with discipline.

OOh, let’s teach a child who has impulse control problems to hit when they don’t like something someone does.  Hey 130 people, have you tried to spank the seizure out of an epileptic today?

 

6% of parents said… Psychiatric or learning disorders are more common in single parent families.

No comment except, those are 60 stupid people.

 

10% of parents said… Extended time on standardized tests give children with learning disorders an unfair advantage.

Holy shit. Obviously, those 100 parents are big fat sucky babies who think because their kid didn’t get the highest score because the other kid got more time.

 

16% of parents said… Kids who take medication now are more prone to drug or alcohol addiction later in life.

Actually, kids with ADHD who go untreated are more prone to addiction and legal problems due their impulse control problems.

Food for thought

45% of parents said… Kids with learning disorders tend to have other behavioral issues that hamper their learning.

This is true. For example, my boy has ADHD, a learning disability, and he’s gifted in the 100th percentile.  Poor guy.

 

52% of parents said… Starting kids on medication so young in life is dangerous.

Any medication at any time in life has side-effects and should not be taken lightly.  A child on medication should be monitored frequently for side-effects. For example, we see the psychiatrist anywhere from every 3-6 months, depending on how J is doing, both physically and socially.

 

74% of parents said… Kids are often put on medication as a quick and easy fix.

I actually agree with this one.  My son saw a psychiatrist for three years before we took the leap into the world of Concerta.  Here’s a list of 50 conditions that can present as ADHD.

 

72% of parents said… Doctors and parents are too quick to put kids on medication for ADHD rather than looking for other solutions.

First of all, HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? Did you call everyone of us and ask us if we’d tried anything else?  If these 720 people are speaking from experience, get another doctor.  There are other options, depending on the type of ADHD, the behaviours, and the impact on the child’s well-being.  That being said, cutting out fruit roll-ups is not a cure for ADHD.

 

63% of parents said… Too many children are being diagnosed with ADHD when they just have behavioral issues.

These are the only 630 smart people who took the survey.  Even my son’s psychiatrist said that ADHD is definitely over diagnosed. I myself went through hoops with my elder son when the school thought he had ADHD. After extensive testing, we found that he had a fine motor delay and a weak eye muscles.

The ones that I wish weren’t true:

50% of parents said… Many doctors downplay the risks associated with putting kids on medication to treat ADHD and depression.

I really hope that doctors are discussing all of the side-effects of any medication that they prescribe.  I really hope.

 

45% of parents said… Normal children are being labeled as mentally ill or having learning disorders simply because their teachers can’t handle them.

I am sad to hear people think a teacher would tell parents that their child has a mental illness to make their own life easier. I really hope that this one is ignorant opinion and not based on fact. Because, I would really be disturbed if it was true.

(You can see the results on the Parents Magazine Website, as well an article about the survey in the Globe and Mail.)

I am so tired of hearing that I cannot control my son. I’m tired of the looks, I’m tired of the comments. I’m tired of him being left-out of parties, or of people telling their kids not to play with him because he’s bad.  I’m tired of being judged, of being told that his mental health issue, his medical condition, isn’t real. I’m tired of my son coming home and telling me he’s not like ‘normal’ kids.
I’m done with ridiculous surveys like this one, which use such a small sample of people who have opted in, as opposed to a sample of people who represent a random cross-section of society .
I’m so angry at the media for sensationalizing the answers to the survey with headlines like ‘Nearly a third of people think ADHD is caused by bad parenting.  Would they ever even DARE to headline an article on Tourettes, autism, or even depression that way?
I am fed-up. How is my son supposed to live his life when every where he turns there’s someone telling him that he could stop if he would only try a little harder.
I’m tired, really, of people who don’t live my life, live my son’s life, giving their opinions.  I’m just tired.








Filed Under: Family, Kids, Life Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

On Regaining Equilibrium

April 23, 2012 By

divi divi trees keep growing crooked

The last few years were full of change for me.  Multiple career changes, workplace bullying, the loss of my father, babies turning into teenagers.  Change.

I felt unbalanced.  Emotionally, out of whack. I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.  My self-esteem was at an all-time low.

My body felt it too.  I gained back the 10 lbs that I’d kept off for  years.  I stopped exercising, and used every excuse in the book to justify purchasing the next size up, including insisting to myself that my nanny was shrinking my clothes.

I started working full-time again, after years at home with my kids.  I disconnected as a Mother, even forgetting to search my scattered boys’ backpacks for notes.  I didn’t even know what they liked for lunch anymore.  I started travelling for work, missing days upon days of my childrens’ lives.  I hated trying to balance everyone else’s needs with my own. So, I got lazy, gave up, just let everything slide.

I started practicing hot yoga, but wasn’t committed entirely to strengthening my body, but more than importantly than that, my spirit. I would go, and stop, and go.  Even with the new ways that yoga enabled my body to move,  the physical effects of my imbalance continued to show.  My skin was dull and blotchy, my hair thinned out, and I started to see some wiry greys poking their way through.

The worst? My body started to rebel against the instability, and I started to get aches and pains and injuries that interfered with both my daily life and my ability to stay fit.  One day I couldn’t move my neck, the next I had tendonitis so bad in my wrist I couldn’t even type, never mind wash my hair.  I had pain in my leg so bad I sometimes felt I couldn’t walk.

Even when I was practicing yoga, I felt crooked. When I’d lay in Savasana, it was like I couldn’t get flat. My hips weren’t level, one should higher than the other.  It was like one side of my body wanted to go one way, and the other another. In the mirror, I saw the physical effects of my lack of symmetry. I’d pull back into boat pose and would appear to be leaning to one side.  I’d lie to myself and think it was my towel or my mat askew, but it wasn’t. It was me.

A few months ago, I started to feel my life straightening itself out.  I found work that I loved, had supportive friends; I’d weeded out the chaff.  So I thought….

My yoga teacher pulled me aside after class last week.  ’I notice you’re crooked.  You’re off balance.’  What?  I was totally feeling on track.

It wasn’t just in my head, I realized.  Other people could see on the outside how I’d been feeling on the inside.  I thought I was more centred;  at least that’s how I felt. What was going on?  Was it just taking longer for my physical to catch up to my spiritual?

‘You need to stand more grounded.’ the yoga instructor continued, ‘Plant your feet to the earth. Centre yourself, keep your weight even on both sides.  Other people work on contracting. Your practice is lengthening.  Grounding and lengthening. Use your centre and your breath to keep you even.’

I walked away thinking about what she said. It seemed like I still had a lot of work to do to regain my equilibrium.  But, I was heading in the right direction, since I was aware.   I knew, that unlike the Divi Divi Tree that naturally grows crooked, I didn’t have to stay like this permanently.

I could stretch and lengthen, open myself up to balance, use my centre, and, of course, breathe.

 

If I’m losing balance in a pose, I stretch higher and God reaches down to steady me.  It works every time, and not just in yoga. 

~Terri Guillemets

 

Editor’s Note:  Today at Yoga, another teacher said something even more compelling:  ’You cannot change from the outside in.  You must change from the inside out. ‘

Filed Under: Exercise, Life, Yoga Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

When Bullying has Become a Buzzword

February 28, 2012 By
pink shirt day to stop bullying and anti-bullying

Stop Bullying

I don’t know anyone-child or adult-that doesn’t have a bullying story. I talked about bullying before here. And, just after the Oscars, I wondered if commenting on weight is bullying.

I’ve been bullied. My kids have been bullied. My friends have been bullied. The children of my friends have been bullied. Like actually been bullied. As in, ‘I don’t want to go back. I’m afraid’ bullied.

Unfortunately, though, that’s not always the case when the word is used, or rather overused. I’m concerned that we’ve lost sight of what true pervasive malicious meanness is.

We’ve forgotten that in this world, sometimes people say mean, teasing, or stupid things. And that’s not bullying. That’s just life. Crappy, dorky, normal, everyday life.

Accusing someone of bullying has become a tool for kids to get someone in trouble. Employing phrases like anti-bullying measures and zero tolerance have become a way for people to pay lip service to stop bullying without really doing anything. All the wolf-crying is diluting the message. And children are suffering in so many ways.

I’m so scared the word bullying is losing steam, and the true horrible destructive nature of the action will get lost amongst its buzzword-ness. That scares me.

I had to threaten to call the police before the school stopped another boy from kicking and punching my son to the point he wouldn’t go to school anymore. That’s bullying.
 
Boys told my kid his shirt was funny looking. That’s not bullying. Its just mean.
 
I was FIRED from a job by the very person that was tormenting me at work. She stayed, I went. That’s bullying.
 
My kids observed other kids making fun of SPECIAL NEEDS kids. Nobody said anything. That’s bullying.
 
A girl told another girl she wasn’t invited to her party and couldn’t sit at their table for lunch. That’s not bullying. Its just mean.
 
A teenager spread rumours that a boy was gay and posted it all over Facebook. That’s bullying.
 
A car full of teenage girls drove by another girl, laughed at her, then drove off. That’s not bullying. Its just mean.

I’m GLAD people will wear pink tomorrow to make us aware that we have to DO something. But, I hope they don’t think wearing a t-shirt is actually DOING SOMETHING. We’re all aware that we, as a society, have a problem. But, the the solution is hidden in what we as human beings do after we take the t-shirt off.

What can you ACTUALLY do to stop bullying?

1. Teach your children NOT to bully. Teach and MODEL kindness, compassion, empathy, and acceptance for ALL people.

2. TAKE YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND! Everybody’s kid screws up! If you know your child is being nasty, TAKE CARE OF IT! You aren’t doing your precious flower any favours by not seeing their weaknesses as well as their strengths. If your child is bullying at school, they are obviously in need of help from you, their caregiver. Do your JOB.

3. Teach them that COOL kids are not the bystanders, but those who stand up for others. Let them know that being a bystander is JUST AS BAD as being a bully.

4. Let school administrations know that ZERO tolerance doesn’t mean ‘we’ll investigate.’ Controlling destructive behaviour is not the time to be politically correct. We’re growing up people, and we need to teach them that there are consequences, not just conversations.

5. Teach your children to advocate for themselves, and not be afraid to tell. Take the power back from the bully.

6. Teach your children the life skills they’ll need to manage not nice people, and help them to discern between bullying and meanness. Give them the tools to answer to nasty words, and the power to rise above. Encourage them to seek out friends who will value them and stick up for them, as opposed to those who may blow like the wind when the opportunity arises.

I’m still wearing pink on this February Leap Year Day. Because I believe we have a problem. Its a mean world we seem to have created. And it’s got to stop. We need more than awareness. We need action.

For more information, go to PINK SHIRT DAY.CA

What do you think? What are you doing to stop bullying?

Let’s link up to other posts about bullying. Please put yours in the comments or send me a message and I’ll put a link.

Whispered Inspirations

Notes from the Cookie Jar

Did You Know Canada

Multi-Testing Mommy 

Thrifty Mommas Tips

My Real Review 

Shasher’s Life

PhD in Parenting

Filed Under: Family, Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Guest Post: The Mother of All Lies

December 15, 2011 By

There’s a blog that I somehow happened upon last year that I totally love.  Its called ‘All Fooked Up’. That blog’s mommy, Lynn MacDonald, starting a Thursday feature a few months ago called GO AHEAD AND AMUSE ME.

In this feature, funny bloggers, or rather, just funny people, are featured.  Now, before you get excited and think that I got chosen for some kind of award or something, I submitted myself.  Because, Lynn amuses me frequently, and I wanted to amuse her.  Plus, the other folks she has featured on Go Ahead and Amuse me are HILARIOUS.  I had big boots to fill (big black leather ones worn over a red suit), and hopefully I did, with this anecdote about my kids, the big jolly guy, and a little fairy who loves teeth.

Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and Me

So, go, enjoy, and I hope I amuse you too!

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Holidays, Humour, Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

When its the Parents that Need Grounding

November 16, 2011 By

We had an AMAZING dinner conversation the other night.  Its curious what types of conversations spaghetti with turkey meat sauce will bring out in my weird family.  Somehow, we got to talking about my NaNoWriMo.

Diva:  What’s this NaNoWriMo?

Big J:  Yeah. What is it exactly?  (Now, two weeks in, he should know what it is. I mean, since I’m the Queen of his world, shouldn’t he remember EVERYTHING I tell him?)

Bubba:  She’s writing a book. (my son remembers everything I tell him.  He gets my millions when I die.)

Diva: But, what’s it for?  Why are you doing it? (She tends to only do things that have intrinsic value-for her)

Big J:  Yah. Is there a prize? Like money? (I’m just a cash machine in his eyes)

Me:  It’s like a writing exercise.  To start a big project and …

Big J: So, there’s no PURPOSE TO IT.  Like, if you aren’t getting anything..

Me:  The purpose is the self-satisfaction of doing it. (husband rolls his eyes and shovels a mouthful of food in)

Diva: What’s your book about?

Bubba:  Its about two people who fall in love on Twitter.  And there’s a quirky neighbour.  (Young girls, I’ve raised a future good husband. This boy really listens!)

Diva:  (rolls her eyes. Obviously, we know where she gets that from) Twitter?

Me:  I had to write about something I knew.  I was too lazy to do research. (And, I know Twitter.  Follow me @chickymara)

Diva:  How old are the characters?

Me:  She’s 32 and he’s 35.

Diva:  Why’d you make them so OLD?

Me:  Well, I don’t know anything about 25 year olds…(except that if I were to dump my husband due to him not listening to me, I’d totally date one)

Big J:  Little J is going to write a book called ‘Larry Trotter’. Its about a mortal boy who lives with wizards.

We all roll our eyes now.  Little J keeps stuffing his face with spaghetti.

Big J:  Do you get it?  Larry Trotter…Like…

All of us:  Yes, we get it!!  It’s just not funny because you’ve said it 100 times.

Big J:  Fine.  He should write a book called the Da Vinci Load.  (He laughs at himself, thinking he’s hysterical)

Little J:  (finally looks up for air)  The Da Vinci Load?  You want me to write a book about Da Vinci’s poop?

We all look at each other.  It’s silent.  The older kids raise their eyebrows.

Me:  I don’t think that’s what Dad means by LOAD…

Bubba blushes.  Diva sits there, completely stunned.  Little J doesn’t even get it.  And..

Big J:  Mara!! You’re completely filthy.  I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT!

And that’s how I said something really inappropriate to my 12 year old at dinner.

AfterWord

Once we were done eating, my husband got up, and stuck a giant butternut squash in his t-shirt and said, ‘Look kids, its Mom.’  When he didn’t get a reaction, he stuck it down his pants and danced around.

Inappropriate uses for butternut squash

I’d like to know, who’s the more inappropriate one here.

Filed Under: Family, Humour, Kids, Life Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Time Melting

October 25, 2011 By
mémoires (source: virose.pt)

Memories.  Like the corners of my mind. Misty watercolored memories. Of the way we were. Scattered pictures…

This was one of the first songs that I played (quite badly) on piano as a child.  As I get older, as my children get older, the lyrics start to actually make sense, maybe even mean much more.  This song, from the movie, The Way We Were, starring the inimitable Barbra Streisand, and the forever awesome Robert Redford, illuminates to me the feeling of time passing, of our inability to grasp and hold those fleeting moments we call every day.

I was falling asleep the other night, and I realized that my carefully curated memories- of my children’s baby and toddler days, of  those early years of primary school- are fading.  What used to be vivid Technicolor visions are now water-coloured, diluted by the new memories that have been built on top.  I don’t know if its aging (sometimes I say that my brain is just full), or that time is just passing at hyper speed but I feel like I’m grasping at reminiscence, trying to hold on to these thoughts so I don’t lose them.

When my babies were small, I’d walk into the house and yell, ‘Mommy’s home.’ I’d hear little feet pounding the floor, gleeful screams of ‘Mommy, Mommy’ then faces, legs, arms smashing into me, squeezing, hugging, nearly knocking me over.  That feels like yesterday, except those days are long gone. Disappeared into high school, tweenhood, almost university.  But still, every single time I walk in the door I call out  ’Mommy’s home.’ Sometimes forgetting, sometimes hoping that I can turn the clock back for one moment.  Then, I could have the warmth of the baby’s breath on my neck, a pj’d body snuggling in my bed, a spaghetti-covered face smiling up at me.  Then, I could re-make that memory, make it full of colour once again.

Those days are all now melted into one silent movie called life.  They’re like sepia-toned versions of the past, vague, fleeting, impossible to grasp.

On the upside, now that I’ve stopped crying, I’ll be 48 when my last kid goes off to University. And then ME AND THE HUBS WILL BE ABLE TO PARTY LIKE ITS 1999.  Without having to rely on walkers.


Filed Under: Getting Older, Kids, Life Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Valium Chronicles: What Happened to Privacy or Personal Space?

October 4, 2011 By

Stay out of my bathroom source: www.zazzle.com

Twice on Twitter the conversation has turned to the toilet and privacy. More specifically the last time any of the moms went to the bathroom by ourselves without interruption.  The general consensus was that once you have kids, you never ever ever go to the toilet without company.  I’ve breastfed on the toilet, snuggled on the toilet, signed permission forms on the toilet, had serious conversations on the toilet, and grounded a teen on the toilet.

From my vast experience of 17 years as a mom, I’ve determined that when I became a mother, I gave up any possession of my body, personal space,  food, or belongings.  It started during preconception, when discussions of ovulation, cervical mucus,and the condition of my uterus became fair game. The loss of privacy or personal space steamrolled from there.

At the hospital:  I gave birth to my first child in a teaching hospital.  After the 10th student came in just ‘to have a look’, I declared my ‘lady parts’ off limits. I believe my exact words were, ‘If one more person tries to look at my vagina I’m going to stick a giant needle in their back all the while telling them to hold still while they’re having a contraction.  Then I’m going to f*^%en kill them.’  Once I had my girl, about 300 different nurses felt the need to manhandle my breasts and nipples in an effort to teach me to breast feed.

 Toddlers:  There’s nothing like a screaming tantrum in a store to bring out the ‘best of’ childrearing from  bystanders.  I’ve had folks tell me, in extreme detail, how I should handle my children’s tantrums, how their diet is affecting their behaviour, or even worse, glare at me and tsk tsk. Have they never heard of the expression MYOB?  Also seemingly free game to toddlers is your meals.  Nothing you’ve prepared for your child to eat can look as appetizing as what’s on your plate.  While its endearing for your wee one to scramble onto your lap during dinner, THAT’S MY FORK, KID!  My third child also had a particularly appropriate habit of sticking his hand down my shirt to cop a feel at the most inopportune moments, such as anytime we were in public.

Kids:  I knew my son was growing up when I took him into a family washroom at Zellers and while I was hovering over the toilet to avoid germs, I looked at him and he was crouched down and peering up to see exactly where the pee came from.  That was a special moment in our relationship which I’m sure I’ll hear about more in a therapy session one day.

Tweens and Teens:  It was a lovely day the first time my son (now 15) walked into my room while I was changing, exclaimed ‘Ewwww! Disgusting!’ and ran out.  I screamed after him, ‘Its MY room!  If you don’t want to see my boobies, which breastfed you, then knock before you enter.’  Also a potential topic for therapy, it took him two years before he started barging into my bathroom again.

Apparently I don’t actually own any of belongings such as clothing, makeup, shoes, or beauty accessories. Since my daughter started wearing the same size tops and shoes as me, it seems to be a situation of ‘mi casa es su casa’.  If I want to use anything that belongs to me, all I have to do is go into her room. The exception is if was actually purchased for her. Then, its hers.  And I’m not to touch it.   By the way, its heartwarming to see her friends walking out of the house wearing my clothing. I KNEW that’s why I bought those items! (I’m being facetious, in case you were wondering)

Don't touch my clothes! source: www.welcomemats.com

The final straw was this evening. I was undressing to take a shower and my daughter followed me into the bathroom chattering away about something that was extremely important to her.  I calmly said, ‘Please leave, I’m naked and I want to take a shower.’ Her answer, ‘Who cares?  I came out of you.’

My answer?  I CARE!!! GET OUT OF MY BATHROOM I WANT TO TAKE A SHOWER! WE DON’T LIVE IN A COMMUNE!’

Where have you seen your boundaries blur since you’ve had children?

Filed Under: Family, Humour, Kids, Life, Teenagers Tagged With: , , , , ,

Parenting Against Bullying

October 3, 2011 By

My House is a No Bully Zone

Browbeat. Coerce. Terrorize. Tyrannize

Are these words of war? In a sense, yes. These are synonyms for bullying. And they are powerful words. Bullying has become pervasive in our society. From pushing and shoving to wars of words, to ganging up on the weak, to cyber threats and intimidation, these behaviours are disrupting the right to live a happy life.

I think we’ve all been touched in some way by bullying. Whether it was us as children, at work, in the PTA, or through our childrens’ experiences, the aggressive nature of bullying is terribly painful to experience and to watch.

According to Public Safety Canada (www.publicsafety.gc.ca):

  • roughly 6% of students4 aged 12 to 19, report bullying others on a weekly basis, 8% report that they are victims of bullying weekly, and 1% report that they are both victimized and bully others on a weekly basis (Volk, Craig, Boyce and King, 2003; Rivers and Smith, 1994; Haynie et. al., 2001).
  • Bullying surveys also indicate that many more boys than girls report being victims of bullying and almost all boys named male peers as the aggressors (Totten, Quigley and Morgan, 2004).
  • A recent self report survey on delinquency among Toronto youth indicates that 16% of youths in grades 7 to 9 had been bullied on more than 12 occasions during the year prior to the survey (Statistics Canada, 2007).
I’ve personally experienced bullying in my workplace, through my children, and my own experiences. It’s devastating- both emotionally and physically. What’s frustrating to watch is that much of the bullying in the schoolyard is directed towards children or teens with special needs. Most recently, in Pickering, Ontario, an 11 year old boy with Muscular Dystrophy committed suicide after being bullied on and off the school yard.
I see so many children who are seemingly lacking in compassion, kindness, and tolerance. Nobody is teaching them that we are all different. Modern parenting is so focused on worrying about self-esteem that many parents are afraid to admit to or challenge bad behaviour. How is a principal supposed to maintain order in a school when parents deny their children’s behaviour or take them to amusement parks when they’re suspended for bullying?.
Don’t get me wrong. I know parenting is tough. I do it everyday. Nobody wants to fight the fight everyday, or admit our child has a problem. But, we chose to have children, and we need to go into it with eyes wide open. We have to bring them up right. It’s our responsibility to set them up for success. If we don’t challenge their behaviour, then how will they learn to be better?
Join www.OurKids.net for a TwitterChat about kids and bullying .

Follow the hashtag #ourkids and #edchat to join in.

Date: October 5, 2011

Time: 8 pm est.
Filed Under: Family, Life Lessons, Teenagers Tagged With: , , , , , , ,