Receiving advice – whether it’s wanted or not – is just part of being a parent. It comes with the territory. All parents at some point both give and receive advice. New parents will most likely receive the bulk of the advice, while parents with any experience at all tend to want to give it. It’s like once you become a parent, you’ve been accepted into this secret club or community where you’re suddenly “in the know” about a lot of things (which is mostly true). But more often than not, it seems that parents receive more advice than they want or even need. How do we deal with that,…
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5 Tips for Taking Your Toddler to a Wedding
I love going to weddings. Dressing up, flowers, vows, family, dancing – I love it all. In the last year or so going to weddings has been a little different for us. You usually don’t see many children at a wedding, unless they’re a ringbearer or flower girl, or possibly part of one of the families in the wedding. Weddings are generally events for adults, and many people get babysitters for their kids when they go to weddings. We don’t really have the luxury of affording a babysitter for a wedding, nor do we really want to – I think our little one enjoys weddings just as much as we…
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Letter of Apology to Working Moms
In the last 50 to 100 years, there has been a constant tension and disagreement about whether mothers should stay at home or go into the work force. I was raised in such a way that led me to believe that working moms were neglecting their duties to their children and their husband, although I didn’t really know any working moms personally. My own mother was a stay-at-home mom for most of my life, though when I began ninth grade she went to work full-time. This definitely put a strain on our family because her role in the home changed a lot, but I also could see that she loved…
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Father’s Day Gifts for Every Love Language
A couple days ago I heard on the radio that mothers have it better on Mother’s Day than fathers do on Father’s Day. Moms get flowers, chocolate, clothes, jewelry, gift cards, soaps – and what do dads get? A tie, or maybe some grilling tool. While I don’t think it’s that extreme of a difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I will admit that dads are usually harder to get gifts for than mothers (and in general, men are harder to shop for than women). But maybe dads don’t necessarily want a material gift for Father’s Day. Maybe they want some of the things that most moms get more frequently than…
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Why We Don’t Celebrate Our Child’s Birthday
Our little one just had her first birthday this past week. The “1st Birthday” is probably the most Instagrammed and publicized birthday in our culture. Whose little baby will look the cutest with their smash cake? How many gifts did your little one get? Will they wear a tiara or crown? Pinterest is teeming with first birthday party ideas, decorations, and cakes. Our little girl didn’t get a smash cake (though the grandparents did want to have her taste a bite of cake – more about that funny episode here). She didn’t get a party, or any presents from us. Now, we aren’t trying to be cruel, we just don’t think…
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3 Things to Keep in Mind when Visiting the In-Laws
Traveling of any kind with children can definitely be stressful, but visiting family can sometimes be the worst (or best) of both worlds. Let’s just say that everything is amplified when visiting family, whether good or bad. Visiting your own blood relatives has challenges of its own, but I think a visit with the in-laws can be a little more difficult to navigate. Maybe you’ve only known them for a few years, and yet they’re your family at the same time. Everyone has different struggles when it comes to familial relationships, but these three tips to keep in mind will help especially when visiting your in-laws with your child(ren). 1.…
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Alone Time for Kids
I grew up with three brothers and no sisters. I had my own room and spent a good amount of time in there by myself, playing imaginary games and making crafts. Being an introvert, I liked playing by myself and I had an extensive imagination. Growing up I could never understand why anyone would not want to spend some alone time now and then, because I enjoyed it and had learned to play that way. As an adult, I still enjoy spending time by myself, but in regards to my own child I feel differently. When I first began to leave Lilly alone to play…
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Encourage People to Hold Your Baby
Growing up as the third child of four and my “baby” brother only being two years younger, I did not get much experience holding babies until I had babysitting jobs as a teenager. Even then, I would only babysit kids that were over a year old. I always wanted to hold all the new babies in my church, but never felt comfortable because I had next to no experience. Also, many moms I knew tended to be very possessive or protective of their baby, so if they wouldn’t let other adults hold their baby, there was no way they’d let me hold that little bundle of…
