Ryan just got back from Winco. He was grocery shopping. For me. My entire weekly list of items. For over a year, Ryan has asked me if he could do the grocery shopping. He knows it’s way down on my list below scrub the toilet and clean the hair out of the sink. But for some reason, I thought it would be more of a hassle having him do it than me just going and getting it over with. I…
Okay, so it’s just a free tux rental, but the suit…that’s $400 that he gets to hang in his closet forever. And Nathan loves suits. Last year, when he did an internship with my brother in D.C., we went shopping for his very first suit. When the tailor brought out the tape measure and Nathan had to lift arms, he was in awe that people actually got treated this way. $600 later, it made sense why. That’s a lot of…
I was in Walmart the other day, lost. I don’t usually shop at Super-Sized Walmart, but I was on that side of town and, being all about efficiency, it made sense. But I’m so used to my dinky Walmart, that I was getting a little overwhelmed with all my aisle choices. I decided to step out in the “middle” and survey my surroundings. That’s when my ears pricked up as I overheard a mom say to her 6-year old-ish daughter…
Trust…the ultimate confidence builder in kids. It requires that we let go and shift control into their hands, but the result is the development of self-esteem, competency, and independence. Giving your 3-year old a sponge so that she can help wipe up the kitchen table, and then allowing her to do the task according to her abilities, lets her know that you think she is capable. Similarly, having your teen print the What to Bring to Summer Camp list and…
All parents want their children to succeed in school. And since Kindergarten is a child’s first exposure to “formal” schooling, preparing them for success is an important first step on the academic ladder. But “preparing” our kids for academic success does not mean completing reams of worksheets and stacks of flashcards. It’s actually a lot easier than that. It simply requires looking for opportunities to seamlessly tie “lessons” into daily life. And the good news is, because these lessons are…