advice
It takes a village to raise a family; advice and tips to make the most of yours.
Are You REALLY a Good Role Model for Your Children?
We all want what's best for our children. At least we believe we do. Goals are important, but when do our dreams cross from the child's to our own? Some parents hope for the next Derek Jeter or Jennifer Lawrence out of their children, however, what if that's not the path THEY have in mind for themselves? On the other hand, today's athletes, models, and rock stars are all easy targets for a developing mind to latch onto as the grown up they want to emulate. These are both equally toxic for a youngster!
Joe Martinek SrPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesOvercoming Childhood Abuse
Will you listen? Why I'm Writing This Article The phrase “overcoming childhood abuse” sounds glamorous, doesn’t it? It sounds like I’ve climbed some kind of really tough mountain and am now sitting pretty on top of it with a beautiful view. Wouldn’t you love it if that were the case? Wouldn’t you love it if I could give you a road map for your own recovery or else give you a ‘rags to riches’ tale of how one woman triumphed over a horrific past to become almost normal and perfectly socially acceptable?
Sarah JanePublished 7 years ago in FamiliesHow To Save Money as New Parents
Babies are insanely expensive, and while every parent will tell you it's worth it, no one ever really drives home how expensive kids really are. According to a recent study, the average family will spend a minimum of $245,000 on raising a single child throughout the first 18 years of their lives.
Ossiana TepfenhartPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesWho Wears the Boots?
So this is a story about the war on housework. Housework is known to be a "swear word" in my house. No one likes doing it! But hey, I live in a big house so I can understand that... I think?
Carol TownendPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesFeeling Like Mom And Dad
You know how they say "it takes two to make a baby." Well, that part is most certainly true but what if that's the only part where the two actually work together? Then there's trouble. I've been with my fiance since we were 16 years old. We have two beautiful children and one on the way. Since I was pregnant with our son he has been there but not been there. Let me explain to you what I mean: when I was 3 months pregnant with our son he went to jail over something very stupid and had to do 8 months. So by the time he got out, our son was already 2 months old. He was so happy and excited. He took his role very seriously...for about a month.
Kiwana LondonPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesLife As I Know It
I'm not an everyday woman, I'm not sure where I belong, what my calling is or where I should be heading. I'm not sure I feel like everyone else or that I even have feelings at all. Today I want to write about me, tell you about who I am. I'm sure there is some scientific explanation for it all in why I don't feel, or have emotion, BUT that's another story for another time.
5 Signs You're Ready to be a Parent
I am a believer that no one can really, truly ever be 100 percent ready to be a parent. Parenting is one of those things that no matter how prepared you are, it's still going to be the most life changing event of your entire life. It's a rather quick and dramatic change too.
The 'A' GirlPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesPotty Training Tips for Beginners
One of the things that parents really detest doing is changing diapers — and who can blame them? Human feces isn't exactly the nicest part of having a baby. Thankfully, kids can actually get potty trained relatively quickly.
Stephanie GladwellPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesHow I Learned to Love Myself Again
From a very young age up to my late twenties, I was bullied. I was bullied for the way I looked, dressed, my body, my weight, for having learning problems and for being 'too soft.' It went on for so long, that I started to hide behind a 'mask,' this means, I hid my authentic self and changed everything about myself just to fit in with the 'crowd.'
Carol TownendPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesIt's Okay
You ever just feel like you're being trapped inside a little box with one little hole in the center of it. There's no way to get out and that's the little pinch of freedom you ever get. Well, I've felt like that pretty much all my life. I was the sweet girl who always said yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Never stood up for myself. Let people talk to me any and every way possible and I sat there and took it. Every last bit of it. Recently that all changed.
Sasha-Brianne McClainPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesBaby Talk
A few months back I watched Chrissy Teigen give an amazing speech about how it's not ok to ask someone when they are having children. They could be going through fertility treatments, they could be trying to adopt, or they could simply not ever intend on having children. Bottom line, we don't know someone else's struggle. It stirred a lot of emotion up in me, that I typically push to the back of my mind on most days. I identify so much with what she was saying it’s insane. Not having children by the age of thirty isn't an uncommon thing nowadays, but for some reason you still get the same old tired “your clock is ticking” or my favorite “those eggs won't cook for too much longer.” I get it, I do. It’s not that I don't want children, I do hope to have my own little bundle of joy someday. People, however, act as if they get offended that I don't have children or that I'm not actively trying. I'm honestly just not in the position I would like to be in before I bring a being that's totally dependant on me into this world. I got a late start on college, so at the age of 29, I'm still working on my degree. I want to be financially stable, not working paycheck to paycheck to barely make ends meet. I can't even begin to think about the world I would be bringing a child up in these days with being in a constant state of war, political turmoil, social injustice, bullying, and let's be frank here all the creeps running around nowadays. When people feel the need to discuss someone else's declining fertility, it tends to get a tad under my skin and here's why:
Erica TinninPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesStop Persecuting Us For Doing What Comes Naturally
So, here's an image for you. A young mom is sitting in a park, or a beach, or wherever you prefer. She's fully clothed. Held tightly against her chest is a beautiful, healthy baby, and its little round grapefruit-shaped head covers the woman from public view.
Crystal RennerPublished 7 years ago in Families