Topic: children’s behavior

Britain Is Tackling The Hotly Debated ‘To Leash Or Not To Leash Your Kids?’ Question

When I think of a kid on a leash, I am immediately taken to Disney World or some other amusement park. It is scorching hot and people are everywhere — and so are children being lead on a leash by their parents. I do understand the reasoning: the child probably has a penchant for making a run for it or perhaps has special needs. Still, I always feel bad for the child even if the leash they’re wearing has been made to look less restricting in the form of a teddy bear backpack. This is a long debated issue and with a new form of “reins” becoming popular in Britain, the question remains – is leashing your child the “right thing” to do? More »

Too Much TV May Make Your Kid A Jerk

I watched a lot of television as a kid and I’m happy to say that it didn’t lead me down a path of giving wedgies and stealing lunch money. It looks like I may have been one of the lucky ones. A new study by the University at Glasgow reveals that in addition to being bad for a child’s health watching too much television may cause children to become bullies. More »

With 3 Older Sisters, I’m Confident My Son Will Learn How To Respectfully Treat Women

The poor dude hears A LOT of girl talk. So maybe he’ll learn growing up, once he understands words, that it’s not cool to date a girl’s best friend right after you dump her. Or that asking for nude photos from a girl (which happened to my 13-year-old stepdaughter) is so way out of line, disrespectful and plain rude. Maybe he’ll learn that he actually has to TALK to a girl at school or that girl will feel like he doesn’t really like her. Maybe he’ll learn that girls always look at men’s shoes. More »

A Shopping Mall In Australia Has Flat Out Banned Your Screaming Kids

All those among us who have ever had to drag a screaming 2-year-old from the floor of a Target or have been faced with quieting a 3-year-old in a bookstore are officially not welcome at Dee Why Grand shopping complex. The Australian mall has banned screaming kids — and therefore you.

Wait, Bribing Your Kids Is A Bad Thing? There Goes My Entire Parenting Philosophy

Although my kids are past the bribing stage at this point, I really don’t think it’s a bad parenting tactic, especially when you are rushed and trying to convince a three-year-old to wear their heavy winter coat. The idea of reasoning with little kids is all fine and good, but sometimes you have to bring out the big guns, and by big guns, I mean a cookie or an extra 20 minutes of screen time. More »

Sorry, But Etiquette Classes For Children Are A Colossal Waste Of Money

I think that teaching children manners is extremely important. I think that kids as young as four or five years old should be capable of sitting through a full meal at a nice restaurant without making a mess or disturbing any other guests. I agree that, in general, etiquette can sometimes feel like a bit of a dying art. So I should be completely on board with etiquette classes for young children, right? Wrong. More »

I’m Shocked That My Daughter Isn’t The Perfect Angel I Thought She Was

I know. I know. You’re probably thinking, “Of course she’s not perfect! What kind of mother are you to think that you’re daughter is perfect?” Well, I knew she wasn’t perfect, but I always thought she was the kindest, sweetest girl ever and, well, yes, aside from her morning breath, I did think she was pretty damn near perfect. More »

Yay! Advent Calendars Are My Favorite Bribery During The Holiday Season!

I have always purchased advent calendars to help them count down the days until Christmas, as a nice tradition to get them in the holiday spirit, and because it’s nice to be able to have something new to make them be on their best behavior. More »

Your Colicky Baby May Not Grow Up To Be A Serial Killer After All

Mothers who watch their colicky baby with suspicion — and maybe saw We Need To Talk About Kevin too many times — take a deep breath. Those wails through the night, and the day, and the night don’t necessarily mean that your son or daughter will grow up with compromised mental health. Put that mother’s intuition aside for a moment and consider science’s assessment of the situation. More »

What We're Reading:

More Parents Than Ever Have No Shame In Medicating The Crap Out Of Their ADHD Kids

Medicating children continues to be anxious territory for parents, as treating a toddler with bipolar disorder certainly isn’t what your average family is expecting at the pediatrician’s office. Yet with more mild conditions in comparison, such as ADHD, more parents than ever apparently aren’t hesitating in filling those Ritalin prescriptions. So much so that the number of prescriptions for children has jumped in eight years — way up. More »

It Takes More Than Money To Spoil A Child

A study ranked the cities with the most spoiled children, and they based the whole thing on money spent at toy and clothing stores. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it takes more than money to spoil a child. It’s not about how much a child receives, it’s about how they handle being told “No.” More »

Mommy Confession: I Let My Toddler Wear Make-Up

This weekend, my daughter had her spring pre-school performance. As we were getting ready, practicing her songs and pulling out her “good shoes,” she walked into the bathroom and reminded me that I needed to plug in the curling iron. “Mom,” she bellowed from across the house, “you need to turn on the hot curly thingy.”

Brenna and I have a pretty solid “dress-up” routine. Every holiday, performance, or any other event that she deems necessarily fancy, we pick out a pretty dress, curl her hair and then we apply a little make-up. Alright, we apply a full face of make-up. On both of us. More »

Like Lady Gaga, Nice Children Are Just Born This Way

Like the Lady Gaga song goes, they may be gay, straight, or bi, but children may just be born courteous and empathetic towards other people. So suggests a new study that speaks of a possible “nice gene.” Now, when people applaud your child’s kind behavior, your can also credit your DNA in addition to your stellar parenting. More »

8 Ways To Keep Children Quiet During Church, Weddings, And Any Other Public Event

The first five years of motherhood can have a variety of names. I particularly enjoy “The Time Of Isolation.” Or maybe “The Era Of The Cry Room.” How about “The ‘We’d Better Stay Home’ Period? Let’s face it, for the first couple years, many moms would rather miss their second cousin’s wedding than actually try to control their toddler in public. We think of it as a public service. We’re saving everyone at Church or at a play from hearing our chattering little monkey.

Unfortunately, sometimes an event rolls around that you simply can’t miss. That’s when moms have to get creative to ensure decent, and quiet, behavior. Here are some of our tricks. More »

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