Search Results for: blog thankful for the day that turned out okay

Thankful For The Day That Turned Out Okay

Today had all of the potential makings of a terrible day. Last night, Dylan went to bed about three hours later than he usually does. This morning, he got up a little before his regular wake up time. Since he normally gets about twelve hours of sleep each night and does not nap most days, I was concerned to say the least. When Dylan is overtired, he does not act like himself. I am sure that most toddlers act at least slightly out of sorts when they are overtired. As we ate breakfast, I wondered to myself when the difficulties … Continue reading →

Talking with Children About Special Needs

Many children who are adopted have some special needs. Children adopted from the foster care system may show emotional and behavioral needs related to neglect or frequent separations (although most of these kids do very well, contrary to the media focus on problems). Children from overseas may have a birth defect which is correctable by relatively routine surgery common in this country but not in theirs, for example a cleft palate or club foot. In some cultures facial differences can make life harder and these children may be more likely to be placed for adoption. Parents may consider a child … Continue reading →

The Snake in the House Story (a.k.a. The Day Murphy and Kitty Almost Got a Pet)

I’m fortunate to have two animals that make very little noise. Murphy might bark every once in a while when something startles him, and Mr. Meow mews every now and then (mostly when he’s hungry), but for the most part they’re very quiet. So it was with great annoyance that one afternoon when we still lived in Jacksonville I found myself on the phone with a friend and Murphy started creating a ruckus. His bark is deep and loud, like most big dogs, and in this case annoyingly repetitive. Over and over he kept on. I was in the kitchen, … 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 →

Silly Mommy Gets The Job Done

Last week, I happened upon what I believe to be the most underutilized strategy in my toddler discipline playbook. Okay, so I don’t really have a toddler discipline playbook. If I did, though, this strategy would be listed as a go to method for addressing tricky toddler behavioral challenges. I discovered it as I was trying to corral Dylan in the bathroom so that I could change his training pants. He was fooling around and trying to avoid going in the bathroom, and I was beginning to get frustrated. Earlier that day, I had made a commitment to myself that … Continue reading →

How Many Times Do I Have To Ask You?

If you have ever had to ask your toddler more than once to do something, you are not alone. I’m pretty sure that there are not many parents out there whose toddlers immediately respond to their every request. It can be very frustrating to ask your toddler repeatedly to do (or not do) something, only to feel like your words fall on deaf ears. There are a few reasons why toddlers do not respond to our requests the first (or second, or third) time. Fortunately, there are also a few things that we can do to encourage our toddlers to … Continue reading →

Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Things With Your Toddler

Sometimes, the thought of doing a specific activity with your toddler can be much more daunting than actually doing it. For example, when Dylan’s aunt decided to take him fishing about a month ago, I wondered whether she realized what she could be getting herself into. It turns out that she had thought about what fishing could be like with a toddler, and that she had age appropriate expectations. They had a great time, and Dylan is lucky that he has such a nice auntie who is willing to try doing things with him that seem rather daunting to me. … Continue reading →

Becoming A Big Brother Takes Time

If you had asked me four months ago how Dylan was feeling about being a big brother, I would have told you that he was not at all happy about it. While he never went so far as to ask me to return Blake to the hospital from whence he came, he was not exactly excited about sharing me with another little person. In the beginning, it seemed like no matter how hard I tried to make sure that Dylan’s needs were taken care of, I still felt as if I were falling short of meeting them. At first, it … Continue reading →

Giving Thanks for My Home Based Businesses

Tomorrow is my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I love the idea of dedicating an entire day to reflecting on things that we are thankful for and spending time with loved ones. In fact, one of the things that I enjoy the most about it is that the arrival of Thanksgiving gets people in a grateful and appreciative mood before the actual holiday as well as during and after it. Today, I would like to join my fellow bloggers Richele McFarlin and Stephanie Romero in expressing thanks for my home based businesses. My two home based businesses have given me the freedom … Continue reading →

Test Your Coping Skills

In a previous post I discussed how different parents react differently when faced with emergency situations. Some moms and dads act cool as cucumbers during a crisis while others are apt to have heart attacks on the spot. Earlier today I received a link from a reader that further proved the point I was trying to make in my previous piece. It featured the story of an Oregon dad, who recently became separated from his two-year-old daughter, when he decided to ride a commuter train. According to news reports, last weekend, Kevin James was riding his bike and pulling a … Continue reading →