“Mommy, why are you crying?” “I am not crying.” “Mommy, why is daddy so mad about the new couch?” “Daddy has a lot on his mind.” Simple questions, simple evasions. But kids are not that simple – they have incredible imaginations. It’s like this: Have you ever read a best-seller and then watched the movie version? No matter how big the film budget is, the movie is never as good as what you envisioned while reading the book. In your…
Dear Matt, Meredith, Ann and Al, What a great question you ask about Katy Perry’s Sesame Street video with Elmo—What is and isn’t appropriate for children? (see Today show ) This is my “mom” take. What a simple fix this could have been. The video with Elmo was entertaining and appropriate in content. All Katy needed was a mere two extra inches of fabric across the top of her otherwise adorable costume. That is the good news. The deeper, more…
Children have “icky” borders and that is a good thing. Not sure who told me about this concept, but it helped me shift my thinking about my kids. Icky borders are natural lines that children instinctively don’t feel comfortable crossing. This natural caution would be the reason most little girls hate getting their hands dirty, why smoking doesn’t make sense to most eight year olds, and why the idea of sex is disgusting to an eleven year old—at least it…
As I prepared dinner one night, I was feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and practically beat up by my day. When my husband walked in the door I greeted him with a relieving smile and a turned cheek. No kiss on the lips—I was just too tired for that. As he planted a peck he smiled and said, “Guess what? I got courtside tickets for Marky and me to go see the Magic game!” He was excited. And why wouldn’t he be?…