Monday, June 17, 2013
9 Things You REALLY Shouldn't Post on Facebook
Some days I love Facebook. Other days I hate it and remove the App from my computer until I can't take it anymore and I admit defeat download it again. In fairness, I mostly hate it because it makes me feel inadequate, like I'm not spending enough time at the zoo, at rock concerts, and at museums with my preschoolers. Oh, and everyone is at a party without me that I wasn't invited to. But I also hate it when people post about:
- Anything related to stomach flu/vomiting. Especially don't post about diarrhea running down your kids' legs. It's bad enough when it happens to my family without having to read about it on FB almost every day as it happens to other people. It's making me into an agoraphobic who never wants to leave my house. Plus it makes me want to avoid you for at least one month, for fear on contracting your gross diarrhea.
- Weight loss pics. I have honestly seen a thirty year old man pose in the mirror while taking a picture of his vastly improved but very hairy and disgusting stomach. Are you my husband? Then I probably don't want to see your stomach.
- Naked baby pics. There are so many issues with these...first, your kids will probably hate you later. Second, privacy/weirdos goes without saying. Lastly, it's never as cute as you think it is.
- Food pictures. Are you a professional chef? Great, then bring on the pics and thanks for the free advice. Or, do you have a food blog with a super nice camera with free recipes? Great! Post on! But if not, please don't post a pic of your home-made but gross looking wild rice casserole. I made one for dinner too and it was equally gross-looking.
- A list of your daily accomplishments. I really doubt anyone cares about all 15 of your boring daily tasks, especially dishes, vacuuming, etc. I take that back. Maybe your Mom would care so you should call her and she can tell you how proud she is.
- Vague, mean comments, directed to one person but no one know which one person. An example: "If only I knew who my REAL friends were 15 years ago I would have saved myself a lot of time and heartache". Now all 215 of your FB friends will be wondering if you're referring to them and what they could have possibly done to offend you. This might be okay if you're fifteen years old and not very mature. But even then, it's an iffy tactic.
- Pretty much anything that requires a sad face afterward :-(. It's not really the place for a pity party. Again, call your Mom. Especially if it makes people worried about you in a, "Do you think I should call her? She sounds depressed," kind of way.
- Bragging about your kid's ability to say the alphabet at age 2, walk at age 6 months, or anything "genius" related. I mean, my kid is riding his bike without training wheels at age 3 but do you see me bragging about that on Facebook? (You're likely thinking,"No, but you're bragging about it on your blog!" Point taken. My bad, but seriously. He's three.)
- Gross pics of your foot blisters (again, it's actually happened on my real FB page.) Spare us please those images can remain burned into an adult brain for days.
Monday, June 3, 2013
New Ways to Play with Playdough
- Pouring sand, water, salt, sugar, rice, or beans using bowls, funnels, spoons, cups, tubes, rolls, colander
- Sorting small objects with interesting textures like cotton balls, pastas, sponges, and rocks placing them into egg cartons
- Pushing objects through a slot like pennies or buttons into a Piggy Bank or container with a slit in lid; pushing pegs into a board
- Picking up marbles and putting them in a jar; for variety, have child stand up and drop marbles into jar or drop balls or other small objects into container or sack
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Life is a Journey, not a Hassle
Monday, May 13, 2013
5 Reasons I Try Not to Yell (Very Often)
- There is scientific evidence that says that Moms who are more nurturing and have more patience have smarter kids in the long run. I am very much of a goal-oriented person, so it helps me feel that I am doing something scientifically positive when I take a deep breath and force myself to follow through with a reasonable punishment instead of yelling.
- There is more scientific evidence that yelling can be almost as bad as hitting, in terms of emotional scarring down the road.
- Yelling is mean. I haven't had someone scream at me in years. I would NEVER scream at my husband so why would I scream at my kids, who are a lot more vulnerable? Bottom line is that I always feel guilty after I yell and I feel crummy for hours if not days. Why not try to avoid that if I can?
- Yelling is far more effective if done rarely. Yes, I truly think sometimes kids need to know that what they have done will not be tolerated. I remember the rare times my parents yelled at me it was very effective. But just like anything else, if overused, yelling loses all benefits.
- When I think about the kind of parent I want to be, and the kind of relationship I want to have with my kids, it never involves my yelling and them being scared and resentful of me. I want them to be respectful and not bratty of course, and that means effective discipline, but I want them to also think I am reasonable and they can talk to me about things in the future, when life gets more complicated. After all, I think there is a lot of truth to the saying, "Little Kids, Little Problems. Big Kids, Big Problems." Maybe, just maybe, if I have a good partnership with my kids by the time they're teen-agers, I can prevent bigger problems. With teen drug use on the rise, it's worth the effort.
I hope this has inspired you the way it inspired me. If not, don't feel guilty and don't yell at me. Every person and every child is different.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)

























