Search Results for: blog do you ever wish you could start over

“Hypo-Parenting” is Not a Parenting Style

Have you ever wished that you could hypnotize your children so they would behave the way you wanted them to? One parent has been doing exactly that, though there is no science to support the idea that hypnosis is an effective parenting tool. Lisa Macheberg is a hypnotherapist who has three children. She says she started hypnotizing her children the help them get through the night without wetting the bed. She didn’t stop there, though. She now uses hypnotizing as a tool to help her kids deal with range of problems from performance anxiety to difficulty focusing. In an ABC … Continue reading →

Pregnant: Am I Doing It Right?

During my pregnancy I’ve felt a couple times like I wasn’t “doing it right.”  Not that I wasn’t taking care of my body or baby properly, but that I didn’t care enough, and that meant I wasn’t going to be very good at this whole mothering thing.  I didn’t feel that way in response to serious events, or in the face of friends with children, or anything like that. It started when I was asked “what’s your countdown?”  I had no idea what the person was talking about.  Apparently it meant how many days left until my due date.  I … Continue reading →

Maternity Care in the U.S.

The recent birth of the royal prince cost $15,000.  That sounds like a lot, right?  It is, but it’s only half the cost of a birth in America.  That’s right: the average price of a birth — in a normal hospital, not a luxury wing — in the U.S. is $30,000.  That makes us, according to an in-depth article by The New York Times, the nation that pays the most for maternity care.  Yet, we also have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the developed world.  It seems like these two things should counter one another, but in … Continue reading →

Should You Create A Birth Plan?

Should you create a birth plan?  It can be a helpful tool for making your wishes known both to your healthcare provider and the labor & delivery staff, but it also seems a little silly to plan something like one’s labor: after all, if we could control it, we would all have easy births. When I first heard about birth plans, I decided that they weren’t for me.  I’m a very Type A person; I get stressed if even my silliest of plans get messed up, if they’re ones I’m excited about.  Trying to plan my baby’s birth, and everything … Continue reading →

Financial Advice I Wish I Could Tell the Earlier Me

Once you get to a certain age, you are supposed to be wiser, right? While I’m not ready for the retirement home yet (I don’t think they would let me bring my three school-age kids), the fact is that I no longer have as many years ahead of me as I once did. I do have a little more wisdom than I did then, especially when it comes to financial strategy. It is too bad that we can’t go back in time, isn’t it and give my younger self some financial advice? If I could go back in time, I … Continue reading →

Teen Challenges: Attitudes

I started off this new series on teen challenges with the issue of lying.  Today’s parenting topic is the challenge of dealing with teen attitudes. At some point even the most compliant, “model” child will display some version of an attitude.  It could be eye-rolling, clucking of the tongue, shaking of the head, arms folded, feet stamping, or words such as “Whatever,” “Oh my gosh!” or even, “I hate you!” Attitudes can also include doors slamming, objects being tossed and storming off to sulk. Some are less dramatic, while others go all out. I wish I could tell you that … Continue reading →

Dealing With a Traumatic Event

One of the ongoing discussions taking place since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary is how the survivors are going to cope.  Fearful children who are afraid to return to school, some asking if there are anymore “bad guys.”  Or having to explain to them why their teacher or friends won’t be returning. Then there are the horrific images that some of these children witnessed.  The sound of gunfire, hiding in closets and so much more than we can probably only imagine. I wish I had answers as to how a parent can help a child cope after a tragedy.  … Continue reading →

Three Simple Rules for Anyone Attending a Birth

 This post is dedicated to all of the fathers, partners, husbands, and others who will be attending births in the near future. While we, the pregnant women, appreciate your willingness and desire to be present at the births of our children, we do respectfully request that you follow a few ground rules during your participation in this important event. Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind when the time comes. Rule number one. Everything changes once those contractions start coming. It does not matter what I said last month, last week, yesterday, or even this morning. It does … Continue reading →

Bullies and Mama Bears

There’s a bully in our preschool. All the kids are afraid of him. He hits, kicks, screams, throws toys at them. He’s younger than all the other kids, but they couldn’t handle him in the toddler room so they put him in the preschool room with the older kids. Logan has come home with bumps and bruises and it is almost always because of this little boy. The teachers do what they can, but he beats on them too. I’ve never seen a more difficult child, and it has been hard for me as a mother to have my little … Continue reading →

Celebrate Justin Bieber’s Breakup

Justin Beiber is a free man. And by free I mean you still have a chance to become Mrs. Justin Bieber. Christmas has come early for billions of the Beib’s ferociously loyal female fans. According to reports, the uber-popular singing sensation and his girlfriend of nearly two years, actress Selena Gomez, split late last week. Yes, ladies, hope is still alive. Now, get out there and celebrate by wrapping your arms around the 18-year-old’s latest love letter to you–his nearest and dearest supporters. Just Getting Started by Justin Bieber is your key to what makes this boy toy tick. The … Continue reading →