Home > Health > MOMania > Archives > 2009 > March
March 2009
Richardson’s death makes me worry about her young boys
How can we help children who lose their mothers at a young age? How did you cope if you lost your mother
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was very sad to read last night about actress Natasha Richardson’s death. Not so much because she was a wonderful actress but because I feel for her two children. I kept searching articles trying to find out how old her sons were and finally found it. They are just 13 and 12.
Permalink | | Categories: Health
One year later: Did you try the 30-Day Sex Challenge?
It’s been a little over a year since we first learned about the 30-Day Sex Challenge. Did you give it try during the year? What were your results?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s been a little over a year since our discussion about whether you could manage to have 30 days of consecutive sex with your spouse and if it would improve your marriage. I thought it would be an appropriate time to check back in and see if any of our moms actually tried it during the year and what their results were from the challenge.
Permalink | | Categories: Battles between Mom and Dad
What should working parents do with older kids during the summer?
Too old for day care but too young for a real job, parents ponder what to do with young teens during summer.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What should working parents do during the summer with young teens that are too old for day care but too young to get a job?
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
How much help do you give kids on big school projects?
Do you let your kids fail at large art projects or reports? Do you help them? How much is too much help? When does it become the parent's project?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I knew we were in deep trouble the moment I saw the First Communion projects that some other kids had turned in early at church. Read more about my school project dilemma …
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
How far are you willing to go for a cheap vacation?
In this terrible economy how far will you go to save money on vacations? Would you listen to a two-hour sales pitch for an almost free stay at a major Florida theme park?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In this super terrible economy, how far are you willing to go for a good deal on a vacation?
Permalink | | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
Do your kids suffer from allergies/asthma?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The pollen count in Atlanta is only going higher. Do your kids suffer from allergy and asthma? How do you treat their symptoms? Do you see an allergist? Join the discussion at our new link above.
Permalink | | Categories: Health
What to do when your child can’t stop stealing?
A mom needs out help figuring how to help her child stop stealing. What type of punishment should she give? Is there something deeper going on?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ladies, one of our own needs our help! I received a note from a regular MOMania contributor who has a big problem with her child …
Permalink | | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
After 50 years, is Barbie still a good playmate?
Some say Barbie is too shapely, others say she reinforces gender stereotypes, but after 50 years is she still a good playmate?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After 50 years, is Barbie still a good playmate for your daughter?
Permalink | | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
Our last baby is growing up!
Our third and final baby turned 2 and is doing such big-girl things! Are we out of the baby years?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our youngest child turned 2 this weekend, and, although I love watching her become more independent, it makes me a little sad that our family is leaving the “baby years.” …
Permalink | | Categories: Family Life
Woodstock scare makes parents think ‘How well do I know my teen?’
Would you know if they felt alienated at school? Would you notice if they were stockpiling weapons?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Parents and students at Woodstock High School had quite a scare Thursday. The school was locked down and an unloaded handgun was found in a restroom of the Cherokee County school. Two teens were arrested and two assault rifles were found at one of the student’s homes. A third student was being questioned.
One twist here: The parents of one of the boys arrested called the cops when they believed he ran away. When the police arrived to investigate they realized several of their guns were missing. Here’s the full AJC story.
Police are still trying to figure out what the teenagers planned to do with the guns.
“It may end up that there was no plot,” said Cherokee County Sheriff’s department spokesman Sgt. Jay Baker in the article.
In situations like this thoughts pretty quickly turn to the parents. How much did they know? How much could they have prevented? (It seems like these parents and these police officers did a pretty good job piecing things together.)
For more of this entry and to comment follow this link.
Permalink | | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
Does your child have a toxic little buddy?
Do you get involved if you see a little friend who’s not really healthy for your child?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve heard from two moms recently about little friends that are bad news for their kids.
One mom was telling me that the little friend was very jealous and didn’t want to share her daughter. She would call to find out where her daughter was and who she was with and would leave repeated messages if her daughter wasn’t at home. We’re talking about an 8-year-old.
Another mom shared that her daughter had a similar friend. When they played together the friend didn’t want anyone else involved. She even told her that if she played with other kids on the playground she wasn’t her friend.
Both moms are trying to intervene. The first mom is trying to nicely let the girl’s mom know that her daughter is calling. She’s also not letting them hang out when possible. The second mom is not letting the girls have any more alone time and reminding her daughter frequently not to leave friends out.
I don’t remember my mother getting involved with my childhood friendships but as an adult she did. I had made friends with a new woman, and she just kept telling me that she didn’t think this woman was nice to me and wasn’t really a friend.
What do you think: Does your child have any toxic friends? Have you intervened to separate them? Do you point out when it’s not a healthy relationship? What do you do with teen friendships where it’s much harder to control their interactions?
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
Fresh news on ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8’
What really happened to Aunt Jodi and did Jon really get fired because his employer didn’t want to insure all the kids? Read this new story to find out all this and more!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We are still having tons of visitors and comments on our discussion from October about the show “Jon and Kate Plus 8.” As of last night we had 336 comments!
So I knew when I found this brand new dishy story on the family you guys would want to read and talk about it.
It’s from this month’s “Philadelphia.” The family refused to be interviewed by the reporter Jessica Remo, but she did talk to about 100 people that knew the family.
It talks about them breaking speaking engagements, what really happened to Aunt Jodi and best friend Beth and why Jon got fired from his job.
The story is long, but I think it is well worth the read. Here are few interesting nuggets from the story:
“Nielsen ranks the series eighth out of 149 cable shows for product placement.”
“All of this has left former friends of the Gosselins who have been shoved out of the family’s life both puzzled and concerned. One is worried because she claims Beth and Jodi often ‘were the ones on set taking that role [of looking out for the children’s well-being], telling the film crew, ‘Okay, they need lunch’ and ‘You’ll get your shot later.’ ”
“The latest episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8 detail the Gosselins’ move to a new $1.13 million house on 24 acres in Lower Heidelberg Township, near Reading in Berks County.”
(I was just interested in how much the house cost and that it wasn’t in North Carolina as previously reported by other news agencies.)
So read the article and see what you think. Does it change your opinion of Jon or Kate? Does any of it surprise you? Does any of it upset you? Do you think it’s untrue?
Permalink | Comments (23) | Post your comment | Categories: Family Life
Should dads help out more at school?
Do you have many dads working at your child’s school? Is it a big deal when they show up?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Right before the presidential election, my husband went to speak at Rose’s second grade class. He did a Power Point presentation about how the election process works and explained how his company, The Associated Press, covers the election. His photo ended up on the front page of the school’s Web site.
I was pretty shocked to see it. There are literally hundreds of moms helping at the school on a regular basis who never get their photos featured on the front page of the school’s Web site. I honestly wondered if the news wasn’t that this journalist came to talk to the kids, but that a dad came to talk to the kids.
When I attended the room mom meeting at the beginning of the school year I don’t remember seeing a single man in that packed cafeteria. We do have one dad that always helps in Walsh’s class. He is a chef and super creative, and the kids adore having him! But he’s the only one I see at the school on a regular basis.
The Chicago Tribune reports that there is a greater push to bring dads into the schools, particularly the Parent Teacher Association. Here’s the full story.
“The country’s Parent Teacher Association, which was conceived as the National Congress of Mothers more than a century ago, will be led by a dad for the first time starting this summer, when Charles Saylors steps in as president. “
“Ten percent of the group’s 5.5 million members are fathers, up from 3 percent five years ago.”
“The National Center for Fathering found more fathers attend classroom events, take their kids to school and volunteer than they did a decade ago, according to a recent study by the organization, based in Kansas City, Mo. President Barack Obama took his daughters, Malia and Sasha, to school and attended a parent-teacher conference just days after his November election.”
“Changing the vocabulary is key to boosting male involvement, said Peter Spokes, the center’s president.”
” ‘Historically if we talked about parents, it meant moms. …What we found is in the last decade we’re starting to change the vocabulary from ‘parents’ to ‘moms and dads’ and talk to dads as dads,’ Spokes said.”
Do a lot of dads help out at your school? Are you a dad that’s involved in your child’s classroom or PTA? Is it a bigger deal for dads to help out at school? Why do you think dads help out less often than moms?
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment | Categories: Education
I don’t want to be a 3G family
The new Sprint cell phone ad shows us what is wrong with American family life.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have you seen the latest Sprint cell phone ad?
A family is visiting a natural history museum - all with their new Sprint phones connected to the 3G network - whatever the heck that is. The ad tells us they are a 3G family - implying they are the family of the future. A family that is busy doing everything but being focused on each other and enjoying spending time together.
The opening line of the ad is that families can post their trip on You Tube before they even get home. Why? Why would they want to do that? Unless they have footage of a Woolly Mammoth coming back to life, they really don’t need to post their visit to the museum on You Tube and definitely not before they get home. Why can’t they just enjoy spending time together in the museum?
Meanwhile the commercial tells us that Dad is busy ordering tickets to the latest, greatest Broadway show. First off shouldn’t Dad be looking at the exhibit with his kids, not hiding off around a corner ordering things online. Secondly, I’m suspicious that Dad’s not actually ordering show tickets, instead he’s secretly “sex texting” with his girlfriend.
And then the ad tells us that the kids can email pictures of the T-Rex to Grandma.
Poor Grandma. She’s just happy to make her simple big-buttoned Jitterbug cell phone dial out. Does she really need to see immediate photographic evidence of the Tyrannosaurus Rex?
Do Grandma a favor and pay for some prints and GO and Visit Her! Sit on her porch, drink some lemonade and tell her about your trip to the museum. God forbid, modern-day families should communicate in person and not instantaneously!
The final scene in the ad is mom and dad looking at some prehistoric exhibit while their teen daughter is texting to her friends. I think she’s texting: “This is the lamest exhibit ever. I just want to leave. I hate my parents, and I think my dad is cheating on my mom.”
You know what? I want my kids present and interacting with me when we’re off some place. There will be plenty of time to complain to their friends about our outing when they get home.
I’m not trying to pick on Sprint, but the commercial, which is running ad nauseam right now, happens to epitomize everything that is wrong with American families. It shows what it claims to be a better tomorrow, but I think it actually illustrates the destruction of family life.
Families don’t spend enough time together and when they do, they aren’t focused on the present moment. They are still communicating with the outside world instead of just with their family members.
It’s so annoying to me to watch children play on Nintendo DSs at soccer games instead of cheering on their siblings. I hate to watch husbands and wives twittering away on BlackBerries at restaurants or in church. And I get unbelievably aggravated by parents talking on their cell phones instead of playing with the kids at the playground. I’m outraged by companies saying that’s how life should be.
Earlier this week I spent almost the entire hour I was on the playground with my baby listening to someone else’s 4-year-old tell me all about her family’s life. (They’re expecting a fifth baby. She sleeps in a bed with another child. They’re staying at a relative’s house. Their fish died.) All the while, the young mother talked on her cell phone the entire time her daughter was talking a stranger’s ear off. Clearly this child needed some adult interaction.
Our school has some public service ads on the entry way walls. They show a mom and child in the car not talking but using their individual phones. The copy in the ad is something about “Be present.” I thought this ad was cheesy the first couple of times I walked by it, but now I think about it all the time. I think about listening more to my children. I think about turning off the TV and not talking on the phone.
I also think about that “Coraline” movie ad. The parents are working on the computers at home when Coraline wants to interact with them. They both tell her not now, I’m working.
I know I am guilty of saying that to my kids, and I’m trying to either work when they’re not at home or at the very least stop what I’m doing to talk to them.
I know that our family life is not perfect (I will admit to sometimes talking on my cell phone while strolling the baby because it makes the four miles go faster), but I absolutely refuse to become a 3G family. I won’t have my kids texting and photographing to the outside world and not engaging with us. I don’t want my husband typing on his Treo when he’s with the family, and I don’t want to be concentrating on other things instead of listening to my children.
The family of the future needs to revert to the past and spend time with their children actually being there - physically and mentally. No one needs to be a 3G family.
Have you seen this ad? Did it strike you as odd? Do you want to be a 3G family? Do you feel like you are in the moment when you are with your kids?
You can reach Theresa at ajcmomania@gmail.com. Ideas and comments are welcome.
Permalink | Comments (86) | Post your comment | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
