Frank Parenting

It is said that President Teddy Roosevelt coined the phrase "Bully Pulpit" because he thought the office he held gave him an incredible platform to advocate for the causes and agenda he found worthwhile, an arena for him to express his views and persuade public opinion.  At the time, the word "bully" meant "terrific" or "wonderful" but today "bully" has taken on a very different and powerful meaning in our culture. One of my favorite movies growing up was "The Karate Kid." I doubt that there's anyone reading this that hasn't seen the movie 400 times, but in case you haven't.... the story is about an unassuming boy named Daniel who is being threatened and beaten up by a jerk (Johnny). Daniel studies karate with this eccentric old man and triumphantly beats Johnny in a karate tournament at the end of the movie. This movie defined "bullying" for me: One person in a more powerful position degrading or...

For Mother's & Father's Days we subscribe to the philosophy that it should be a day of enjoyment and relaxation or fun for the parent in question, not necessarily a day dedicated to family time. In our house, we spend quality time with our kids every day. Every weekend is full of playdates, birthday parties and fun excursions. Mother's Day is for ME; it's MY day, not their's.  For Mother's Day I want to sleep late, have a quiet, peaceful meal (i.e. NO kids) and do something I enjoy (shopping, pedicure, reading, etc) WITHOUT the family I spend the other 364 days with. We have two boys. They are ages 8 and 10. They fight all the time. They're also best friends all the time, so go figure that out.   This past Sunday was Father's Day. Our original plan had been to go out for lunch at a restaurant my husband has always wanted to try (because this is what HE wanted to do). We were getting ready to leave the house and my children would NOT. STOP....

Child:  Mom, I have a joke for you. Why are people afraid of your private parts? Me:  I really don't want to know. Child:  Because they're 'BOO-bies!'

For the past 3 summers, my boys have gone to a day camp at a local park. The camp has a very active, old-school mentality. The kids go on a field trip every day, the rest of the time they're running around at the park. Upon drop-off, the kids are invited to join a game of football, Gaga ball, catch, etc. Those that aren't ready for sports have the option to go in the pavilion for arts and crafts or board games. Phones and tablets are strictly prohibited, even from the CIT's and counselors (only the director has a phone for emergencies). The camp has a very laid-back, relaxed atmosphere. It feels like a camp straight out of the 80's. Here's a picture of the happy boys after a day at camp. This year we decided to switch the kids to another camp that (as we understood it) has a similar format. The benefits of the new camp are that it's significantly closer to our home and many kids from their school attend. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the camp on t...