Families

#toddlerlogic

A Week Of Parenting A Toddler — In 12 Facebook Statuses I Didn't Post

Parenting a toddler is invigorating, exhausting, dirty, and intense. But since I want my daughter to have cousins (or at least pseudo-cousins) one day, I can’t always share the truth about my tiny tyrant on social media, for fear that my friends and siblings would never reproduce. And because, sometimes, you just want to project the image that you're calm, cool, and collected.

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I remember the way that we always locked eyes whenever I fed him a bottle.

4 Ways I'm Keeping That Special Relationship With My Firstborn

We do our best as parents, but there is no plan or prediction that can determine how your relationship with your children will be, grow, and change throughout the course of our lives. That is one of the most unpredictable things in parenthood.

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We can either stamp our feet and ban some of their activities, or hold their hands through the process so they can learn as they go and (hopefully) lose interest.

I Told My 10-Year-Old Son That If He Watched Porn, There Would Be Some Rules.

I had a rough idea of what I wanted to say to him about porn. The way I parent is to give my children all the information and then let them make decisions for themselves. I feel that if I restrict activities I make them more alluring. That’s why I don’t join my mom friends in banning technology throughout the school week and that’s why I don’t ever ban junk food. Instead I sit the kids down, explain my concerns, and then monitor their use or consumption, making suggestions along the way.

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“Hormonal changes during and after pregnancy are NORMAL. Mood changes are NORMAL.” Image: Thinkstock

Something Is Finally Being Done About Pregnancy And Postpartum Depression

“All mothers need access to affordable, reliable, and appropriate mental health care,” explains Jenna Hatfield, 34, the Online Awareness & Engagement Manager for Postpartum Progress, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about maternal mental illness. “Too often we see moms slip through the cracks because there’s too much red tape to access care or continue care they’ve sought out. Additionally, under-served moms aren’t always made aware of the care available to them, and that’s simply not acceptable.”

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If they want to have sex, they will find a way to have sex. They will have sex anywhere. Like, literally ANYWHERE.

5 Things Teens Won’t Tell You About Sex, Drugs, Other Scary Stuff

Peer pressure is real. And it’s applied in this order 1. Sex 2. Alcohol 3. Drugs (sometimes 2 and 3 trade places). Are you? Have you? How often do you? By the time they’re are in their junior year, it’s expected that they will have “done it.” And if they haven’t “done it”, they will certainly feel a lot of pressure to “do it.” All of it.

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How much do these tests REALLY tell us?

Standardized Tests: Intelligence Indicator? Load Of Crap? Worth The Stress?

Standardized tests are taking over the world. I can say this because it is true. Like a creeping vine that seems attractive and charming at first, tests appear to be reasonable for the data and direction they can provide.

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My daughter is about as sweet as they come. Image: Thinkstock.

My 2-Year-Old Is The Most Empathetic Person I Know

You see, every time we watch The Lion King — every freakin’ time Mufasa dies — her small fists ball up, her nose and brows furrow, and tears well up in her eyes. But instead of worrying about herself, she asks “Mommy, what happen? Dis sad?” She pauses and waits for my response, but when I let silence linger a moment too long, she asks again, “Dis sad, Mommy? Dis sad?”

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Even if our situations were similar, we are different people.

My Husband Is A Better Parent Than Me

My husband never, ever drives thru a fast food restaurant because it’s easier, and instead makes it back to the house and gives our daughter something that WILL grow mold if left out too long, unlike the McDonald’s hamburger I would have let her have.

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