Saturday, July 28, 2012
My son wanted a sparkly, pink and purple, cupcake-shaped backpack, and I was tempted to let him have it.
Not too long ago, my sister-in-law started a conversation by expressing frustration over her daughter’s first trip to the dentist. Already anxious to take my son, who’s due for his first visit, I expected to hear a tale full of kicking, screaming, maybe even biting. But, to my—and my sister-in-law’s—surprise, the appointment actually went off without a hitch. Three-year-old Sylvia allowed the dental team to examine, floss, and clean her teeth without any fuss. Tantrum avoided. Challenge met. Rite of passage reached. But, just when my sister-in-law thought she was in the clear, Sylvia’s newly widened world closed in on her a little when the hygienist offered her a new toothbrush. Though there was a rainbow of colors to choose from, Sylvia …
Saturday, April 28, 2012
The women in my life, including a Brighton business owner, teach me a lesson in how to dress.
I wear sweatpants in public on weekdays. They’re typically tattered, ordinarily stained, and only occasionally (every three days or so) freshly laundered. But they’re always comfy and easy—paired with a t-shirt, they’re the perfect uniform for a mom. I hardly thought my attire offended anyone until recently, when a Brighton business owner called me on it. The Story Dressed in my beloved sweatpants and toting two children, I’d gone into her store in search of a birthday present. That’s imprecise. To be fair, I stumbled into her store frenetic and inarticulate after walking a half mile through cold wind and drizzle at a wide-eyed, easily distracted two-year-old’s pace (What’s this? Oooh, a rock! Look! Another rock! What’s this? Oooh, a leaf…
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Parenthood can cure even the most irrational squeamishness.
Let’s face it; kids are gross. They’re grimy, snotty, crusty, crummy, and all modes of stinky. My infant son operates a cheese factory in his neck folds, and my nose often knows when my two-year-old son enters the room. If they weren’t absolutely charming otherwise, we’d be a troubled family. It hasn’t always been this way. I, too, used to think of children as perfectly pure, sweet-smelling joy manufacturers. I wanted to be a young mother to many, many children. We’d frolic around barefoot in a field full of shin-tickling wildflowers, bouncing rainbows off one another’s hearts. That romantic image was dissolved long before I had children of my own. I was lying on the floor holding my super smiley three-month-old nephew up in the air at arm…
Saturday, January 28, 2012
It can be difficult for new mothers to let go and ask for the help they need.
When my second pregnancy reached the 41 week mark, my sister called to say I probably wasn’t pregnant after all. I had just, you know, accidentally swallowed a basketball, she joked. It wasn’t impossible to entertain the idea. I had been expecting for so long. The anticipation had somehow dulled my mind, making reality difficult to discern. I had an easier time imagining that I had sleepwalked to the nearby high school to appease a midnight hankering for sweaty leather. When my son was born a few days after I talked with my sister, I certainly felt as if I had expelled a basketball. Not the ordinary filled-with-air kind, but one filled with sand or rocks or clay. At an unfathomable 11 lbs. 2 oz., my son was a beast. When I first held him, …
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Books can serve many purposes in a home.
When it comes to parenting, I can be an overachiever — especially when it comes to literature. Noting my continual references to books and articles about parenting, my mother actually accused me of reading too much during my first pregnancy. I can’t help myself. Access to a variety of viewpoints on any topic is virtually unlimited these days. As a parent-to-be, I thought it’d be a serious misstep to not prepare for what is arguably one of the most endlessly difficult (and rewarding) experiences of a person’s life. I actually wish I’d had the time and energy to read more. I also do all I can to expose my children to books. My husband and I started reading to our older son as soon as possible. While he was still in utero, we read sections of…
Saturday, January 14, 2012
At 41-weeks-pregnant, I’ve been dying to go to the hospital - until yesterday.
Today, I am 41 weeks pregnant. A person has been growing inside me for 287 days. The tension has peaked. The drama of pregnancy has escalated. I am, as they say, ready to pop. At this point, my son feels like a knotty hunk of wood knocking around in his small pond of amniotic fluid. He kicks my ribs, punches my hipbones, shoulder-checks my vertebrae. His movements can actually propel my body across a room. Sometimes, I’m convinced he’s going to punch through my belly button, climb out, and immediately start sassing me in the style of Stewie from Family Guy. Anxious to meet my little muscle man and be done with pregnancy, I have been looking forward to a trip to the hospital for weeks. My bags have been packed, checked, and packed again and…
Saturday, December 31, 2011
It's the last day of the year, but it's not too late for you—and the children—to go out with a bang.
Whether or not you have adults-only plans after the kiddos are in bed, a family-friendly celebration during the day is a fun way to include the youngest family members in the holiday season's final round of traditions. If you plan to stay home, liven things up by hosting a New Year's Eve (NYE) party at noon. Fill champagne glasses with juice and watch a video of last year's ball drop or create a tradition of your own. If you'd rather get out of the house, here's a short list of family-friendly NYE celebrations happening in our area. The area's only skating rink is hosting an open skate for the youngest among us from 1-7 p.m. today with a prize-filled balloon drop at 3 p.m. Admission costs $7 per skater. Adults and children who stay up …
42.62523
-83.99353
1800 N Burkhart Rd, Howell, MI
/articles/family-friendly-nye-celebrations
/locations/6101773
42.185116
-83.73867
7025 E Michigan Ave, Saline, MI
/articles/family-friendly-nye-celebrations
/locations/6101774
42.56905
-83.81488
Rollerama II
6995 Grand River Rd, Brighton, MI
/articles/family-friendly-nye-celebrations
695478
/locations/6101775
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Does Santa undermine a healthy parent-to-child relationship?
I can't remember when I started or stopped believing in Santa. My mother, with only the slightest nod to humor, still writes “from Santa” on the Christmas gift she gives me — and, now, my husband — each year. So I imagine much effort went in to maintaining my and my sisters' belief in Santa for as long as possible. I also don't remember how I felt about Santa. Did I take comfort in his jolly demeanor? Did I fear his watchful eye? Did I actually believe that I'd receive fewer presents if I talked back to my parents or misbehaved at school? Did a belief in Santa influence my actions? Whether I feared or revered Santa as a child, I learned to loathe his existence as I entered adulthood, many years after I stopped believing. More precisely, I …
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Area businesses and organizations offer family activities and events.
Now that temperatures are dipping into the teens and twenties, daily walks to the Imagination Station and Mill Pond Park are almost always out of the question. But, as a work-at-home-mom to a toddler and baby due-any-day-now - I've got to get out. At the start of last year's cold season, this column featured activities to prevent cabin fever and listed three indoor kid-friendly retreats. Since then, we've added a few stops to our circuit of winter escapes. Here's a list of our top three. Hands On Educational Play At the top of our list is the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. Housed in a remodeled fire station in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown neighborhood, the museum's charms take effect before visitors enter the building. For us, the fun begins at the …
42.540222
-83.790268
Brighton District Library
100 Library Dr, Brighton, MI
/articles/indoor-winter-escapes
1795559
/locations/6028065
42.56905
-83.81488
Rollerama II
6995 Grand River Rd, Brighton, MI
/articles/indoor-winter-escapes
695478
/locations/6028066
Saturday, December 10, 2011
I love my real Christmas tree — and the mess under it.
We recently made plans to meet my brother-in-law and his family at a local U-Cut Christmas Tree farm halfway between Brighton and Ann Arbor, where they live. It ended up raining that day, so they canceled. Determined to harvest our tree sooner rather than later, we set out anyway — despite our lack of rain gear and our runny noses. Besides, we'd hyped the outing so much that our son had barely uttered more than “car... tree... cut” for two days. We had to shut him up — I mean make him happy — I mean follow through with our promises. No matter how you look at it, the truth is consistency is the key to good parenting. Despite our good intentions, disaster — the interpersonal kind that instigates silent treatments that can hang about a family…
Beth Kelly
9:33 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012
I felt the same way you do Tina about getting all dulled up when my child was wanting my attention, or needing me period. I wore the same things as you when my child was young. As she got older and more independent, I went back to my bluejeans! There are people in this world that judge people too quick, and they are usually wrong! YOU GO MAMA, ROCK THOSE COMFY CLOTHES! more ›