advice
It takes a village to raise a family; advice and tips to make the most of yours.
Best friends not Lovers!
How many times you see yourself in the friend zone? I see myself all the time! I know right, and its difficult because they're almost all the time your best friend or a close friend. The worst is when they make themselves available all the time and lead you on.
By Liliana Duarte7 years ago in Families
The Toddler Poop Stage
Poop: that's what I am dealing with right now. This stage of toddler life, what I have deemed "The Toddler Poop Stage," is crappy for sure. For those that don't have kids (there are days I envy you), allow myself to explain... so that one day, should you conform to the social norm and have those babies, you can make special arrangements to ship them to Grandma's for a month or three.
By Ashley Vadood7 years ago in Families
In Appreciation of the Mom at Home
Like a lot of other people, I am the product of a single mother. I always respected my mother, imperfect as she may be, because I knew she worked hard for us. I was very aware at a much younger age than most people might have been before learning about money, and the value of it. I watched my mom for years sacrifice for me and my brother, and let's be real, that is what being a parent is. Especially being a mother.
By Jessica Feral7 years ago in Families
Schedules vs Newborns
Starting out as a new parent(s) you just want to do what is best for your baby but also have time to relax yourself and get things done. I was always told you can't put a newborn on a schedule but I decided that it was worth a try. A few weeks before my due date, I decided that I would make a list starting off with how many times she poops, tinkles, eat, naps and when bedtime was. I made sure I had the list hanging up so my husband would know and put down the times that any of these things would occur and how long her naps lasted.
By Quiana Guzman7 years ago in Families
Does Family Always Come First?
I'm sure you all have heard the saying, "Blood is thicker than water," referring to family coming before anyone else. I used to use that saying all the time, until I grew up. Of course, it still stands true, but I'm here to let you know that it doesn't HAVE to be the case all the time.
By Amelia Hart7 years ago in Families
Being Grateful
I cannot tell you how great it feels to hit that “Write” button after so many months of having a mental creativity block. Recently I was inspired to recreate the look of my blog and, when I did, I remember how I felt when I first created it…optimistic and motivated. Writing again, I feel as if I am in my comfort zone, sitting in front of my brightly lit computer screen at roughly 3 AM, listening to the clicking and typing of my keyboard, pouring out all my thoughts and feelings that have been kept inside of me for these past four months and, let me tell you, it feels amazing. As I am sitting here, trying to think about what I could possibly write about next, one thing in particular hits me, it was a conversation I had today with my mom and little brother. See let me start from the beginning. Growing up, I was extremely outgoing, friendly, and not one shy trait in me, basically carefree, but as I got older I became more conservative and really cared about what people thought of me. See growing up in Rosedale is pretty difficult, because a majority of my friends lived in large homes, had extraordinary birthday parties, and had a large selection of material objects you wish you could have, but realistically you know you cannot, so you say and do things to help you fit in. I was one of those children. See in fourth grade, I had a crazy, active, creative imagination. I kept my parents away from the school because little did they know, I was living a double life during school hours. I wasted a school year telling my friends I had my own Build-A-Bear workshop, McDonalds, and ferris wheel all in my larger than a millionaire's house backyard. Everyday during groups, everyone would lean in close to hear my stories about how I got to travel and I made so many friends…. I was the center of attention. Then, one day, my mom showed up at the school to surprise me and well, you can probably guess what happened… “Oh my gosh, are you Amanda’s mom? Can we go to your house? I want to build a bear! I want chicken nuggets! I want to ride the ferris wheel!” and let me tell you, I will never forget the look on my mom's face. As a child, you don’t know any better than just wanting to make friends and wanting to fit in, but that look on my mom's face made me feel ashamed and I knew exactly what I did was wrong. As you get older, you just stop caring about what people think and you start living your life, because, in reality, people are going to reject you no matter the choices you make. Looking back, I didn’t have to lie, we lived in a beautiful gated community with a home that my parents built together from scratch. We take these things for granted and we don’t realize we have these things until they are gone. It’s sad how society can turn an 8-year-old girl insecure about things she already has, but doesn’t realize it. I now see this happening in my youngest brother who is 12. Although, I started lying at a younger age, I can tell he doesn’t want us around as much as he used to. The idea of my parents and I coming to his school events makes him cringe and he slowly slips away. He stops giving us the school event papers and he doesn’t get excited for future days like his 6th grade party, Bulldog day, and graduation. He could still be lying and embarrassed, kind of like I was when I was younger, but that might not be the case here. I guess his friends at school believe it's uncool and weird to bring your family to family events like open house and things like that, and it’s sad, ya know? Society ruining my little brother's head like that… he is the last baby in the family, the last child for my parents to watch grow up. You may not believe me when I say his friends say these things, but we’ve been attending this elementary school for 15 years and the attendance rate for tonight’s open house was the lowest my mom and I have ever seen… and we’ve been to every single one, since 2002. Going back to the conversation that influenced me to write today, I found myself holding back tears as I explained to my brother that my biggest regret was not appreciating my parents being as involved in my life as they were. My parents showed up to every school event, or at least tried to, to the best of their ability, and now here I am, going to be 20-years-old next year, wondering where time went and realizing the only family event I get to look forward to is my college graduation. I no longer get to walk my parents around campus to show them my classrooms, my handmade art projects my teacher hung on the walls, my own desk I kept so clean with my FREE educational books. I no longer get to show them my Valentine’s day boxes, my AR reading goals, or take them to my Honor Roll Banquets. I am still a child to those who are older than me, but in reality, I am not. I just hope he and other kids realize… time flies. Don’t be ashamed of yourself or your family. You can feed into the ways of society and your friends, but remember this… “Friends come and go, but family is forever.”
By Amanda Ante7 years ago in Families
A Letter to New Moms
Where was my time? What had I been doing all day? I thought this as I sat on the couch slumped in a heap. I reminisced on my day with a groggy mind. Diapers, diapers, diapers, feedings, feedings, feedings, laundry, laundry, and more laundry. I wanted to do so much more than just those things today. I was motivated to get dressed in an effort to not stay in the house all day.
By Nothing New7 years ago in Families
We All Kinda Suck
My bad. I am totally the worst. A hypocrite to the MAX. I spend my entire time worrying about how moms are being judged or shamed—trying to give okay moms a voice. Trying my hardest to tell moms from every walk of life that it’s okay to be okay—to ignore the perfect instagram mommies because there’s a lot we don’t see behind their perfectly filtered pictures.
By Hannah Howard7 years ago in Families
What Happens If Your Baby Is Born Earlier than Expected?
My friend Karen discovered this when she went into labor several weeks before her due date. Her husband was at work at the time, so she took a taxi to the hospital. After a substantial wait at the hospital, staff told her that she was several weeks too early. They sent her home.
By Andrea Dawson7 years ago in Families
