tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678539663650258086.post1533165456849182951..comments2023-06-30T11:16:47.737-04:00Comments on Cheshire Cat Sunflower: most likely you go your way and i'll go minetriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04129014274274876601noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678539663650258086.post-55324553288933517722010-06-12T17:47:46.560-04:002010-06-12T17:47:46.560-04:00Rob just told me about your experience. As my frie...Rob just told me about your experience. As my fried Maryanne would say-that really frosts my ass!<br />I remember being at a "friend's" and hearing derogatory remarks about stay-at home moms being stupid! I reminded her that I stayed home and worked 2nd shift/weekends. She worked full-time and she was/is a wonderful mom-I never felt the need to judge her. I still don't know why she said those things.<br />Enrichment at 5?!! Why do people think that kids need that? I totally get the childcare aspect but<br />play is one of the most important forms of enrichment children can get, ask any child psychologist!If it's a good program it will have lots of play built in-even in K kids have free time to play because that is what's developmentally appropriate. That's how kids learn. So many children lack social skills in terms of free play that they are overwhelmed by recess and really can't handle it.<br />It reminds me of the movie "Parenthood" with Steve Martin when they are telling a child(that you can't see) that she is not working up to her potential in French class-they cut to the child and she's three! So silly.<br /><br />AND-you don't catch cold from being cold-you catch cold from germs-it's healthier to be outside in 34 degree weather than being inside with someone coughing on you-obviously they need to have warm clothes on.<br /><br />I could go on but I should stop.<br />ChristineChristinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678539663650258086.post-25762210861966846512010-06-03T17:20:05.331-04:002010-06-03T17:20:05.331-04:00I loved this! And I think you are 100% correct abo...I loved this! And I think you are 100% correct about people's insecurities leading them to judge others. Sometimes I get insecure and think I'm putting my child at a disadvantage if I don't "follow the herd" and do "x,y and z." Thankfully, it only lasts a minute and I realize that I know my child best. I know he needs unstructured, spontaneous free time to just play and be a kid.LLOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13729104373267233953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678539663650258086.post-77411918471483712082010-06-03T17:05:52.823-04:002010-06-03T17:05:52.823-04:00Right on, Teresa!Right on, Teresa!triciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129014274274876601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678539663650258086.post-37155617228595351952010-06-03T16:52:12.009-04:002010-06-03T16:52:12.009-04:00Yay to Play! I just read an interesting article on...Yay to Play! I just read an interesting article on babycenter titled "Top 5 Parenting Fears and What to Do About Them." The number one fear? <br /><br />"1. Great expectations<br /><br />The Fear: I'm afraid my child won't get the education and opportunities she needs to reach her potential.<br /><br />This was the top fear of the parents in our survey — which surprised us, given that we polled the parents of relatively young children. It didn't surprise author Pamela Paul, however, who has spent the past few years examining the mammoth baby-products marketing machine for her book, Parenting Inc.<br /><br />In the book, Paul shows how parental anxiety fuels this lucrative industry. Marketers feed the fear, claiming "educational" toys and products and early reading programs will put your child on the fast track to success — before he's even out of diapers.<br /><br />Paul believes this parental anxiety is a rational reaction to a scary economic climate. "Underlying a lot of parents' fears is a broad sense of economic insecurity," she says. "Parents are afraid that their children won't have an easy go of it because they aren't having an easy go of it. Many parents today are struggling to make ends meet, and they want a different kind of future for their kids."<br /><br />The Reality: There's no question that we're living in a time of economic uncertainty: Unemployment and the cost of living are both on the rise, while wages are stagnant and increasing numbers of jobs are going overseas. It makes sense that parents should be concerned about their children and how they'll fare in an increasingly competitive world — but this doesn't mean that you should panic and begin grooming your child for the Ivy League the day you bring him home from the hospital.<br /><br />What You Can Do: Paul and other experts agree that it's not necessary to buy every educational toy that hits the market or fill each hour of your child's day with enrichment activities. When it comes to helping your child reach her potential, it turns out that less is often more.<br /><br />"There is evidence that the best thing you can do for your child is to buy fewer things," says Paul. "The average American child gets 70 new toys a year. But it turns out that kids who are more creative actually have fewer toys. Having a small number of simple, basic toys will help children develop their imagination and resourcefulness."<br /><br />Psychologist Paul Donahue, author of the book Parenting Without Fear, offers a similar perspective. "Parents think they should do it all for their kids: stimulate them, keep them constantly entertained, do everything for them so they won't have to endure any frustration. They worry that if they don't do these things, their child will somehow fall behind."<br /><br />Donahue argues that the reverse is actually true: Constant parental hovering makes it difficult for kids to develop independence, resourcefulness, imagination, and basic life skills — all things that will help a child achieve in school and in life.<br /><br />Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner explore this issue in their book, Freakonomics, concluding that many of the things parents do to ensure their children's success, from moving to a better neighborhood to exposing them to classical music, have little impact."<br /><br />Trish, I say skip the after school program, skip the structure, skip anything labeled "enrichment" and skip worrying about what all the other parents think or have the nerve to say! <br /><br />Bring on the fun, the outdoors, and the unstructured play....and that bottle of wine you spoke of.<br /><br />You're a FABULOUS mom!! <br /><br />And what about the grandparents...if only I could say "...you go your way and I'll go mine" :)Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17983254609295307936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678539663650258086.post-2373014092097905122010-06-03T16:50:27.833-04:002010-06-03T16:50:27.833-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17983254609295307936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678539663650258086.post-83859463073580635052010-06-03T16:48:46.027-04:002010-06-03T16:48:46.027-04:00They were actually playing with a hair dryer in th...They were actually playing with a hair dryer in the tub during the thunderstorm we just had.triciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129014274274876601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678539663650258086.post-31034571244150570612010-06-03T16:42:58.227-04:002010-06-03T16:42:58.227-04:00Very nice piece! Hope your kids weren't watchi...Very nice piece! Hope your kids weren't watching TV, rotting their minds, while you wrote it...JUST KIDDING :)Staceyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12517902492108397777noreply@blogger.com