Wednesday, May 11, 2011
What are some of your favorite children’s books?
“Oh, the places you’ll go!” Can you ever have too much Dr. Seuss? At this time of the year, with all the graduations and award ceremonies, not to mention politicians reading to kids, I think the answer is simply, “Yes.” I realize that this position may not be popular but there are many, many books in the world and sometimes we can get tunnel vision about what we read. My family loves to read. We read voraciously and are not picky about what we read, whether it be the back of a cereal box, a comic or classic literature. But some children’s books continue to be favorites, earning their places of honor on my teenager’s and pre-teens bookshelves to be read again and again – when a young niece or nephew comes to visit or a wave of nostalgia …
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Please join our conversation about this weighty issue and how it affects the children in Waukesha and Muskego.
Based on results of a recent study, chances are good that your teenager has been bullied, knows someone who has been bullied or has bullied someone. According to a fall 2010 study by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, half of all high school students admit they bullied someone in the past year, and nearly half (47 percent) say they were bullied, teased, or taunted in a way that seriously upset them in the past year. The study reports the responses from more than 43,000 high school students, public and private. The results were similar among different types of schools attended. In public schools, 47 percent of public high school students reported that they were bullied, teased, or taunted in a way that seriously upset them at least once …
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Waukesha and Muskego parents are asked to weigh in on this topic that has mixed views.
At what age do you get a cellphone for your chilld? Under what circumstances and why? What type of controls do you have in place regarding texting and use? None? Some? And what type of phone – basic or smartphone? There are so many choices and decisions to make. According to a 2009 study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 58 percent of 12-year-olds have cell phones. Also, on a broader scope, 75 percent of American teens ages 12-17 have a cell phone, a number that has steadily increased from 45 percent of teens in November 2004. Texting is the preferred method of communication. Using a cell phone to call someone ranks second. Recently, my friends and I had a discussion about this topic. Discussion centered around the …
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
How do you help your children handle the ups and downs of competition? Is good sportsmanship a thing of the past?
With spring sports starting up and our family heading off for a big competition this week, I've been pondering sportsmanship. How do you help your children handle the ups and downs of competition? Losing a big game or match? Or creaming an opponent? Is teaching good sportsmanship a thing of the past? And what about when your child loses? It's never easy to watch them fail. My friends and I discussed this recently. Please join the conversation. My friend Katie had some choice words of wisdom. "I never agreed with parenting ideas that said there should be no competition. Competition is part of life, and we all need to deal with it. You have to learn how to (both) win and lose, because there really are winners and losers, a.k.a. political …
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
What to do when all the racks offer are bad choices?
I'm officially appalled. A push-up bikini top for 7-year-olds?! How gross, Abercrombie Kids. Unfortunately, it's just the latest example of what I call "inappropriate" clothing for kids. Sassy, only mildly-funny shirts and underwear-showing jeans for boys aren't good but worse in my opinion, are the girls clothes that are skimpy and suggestive. As a reformed retail clerk, I know that risqué sells. I just don't think it should sell on the back of a child. I'm careful when I buy clothing, whether for my adorable nieces or my picky teen and pre-teen boys, making sure that the clothing fits the child, not only in size but in style, taste and appropriateness for the occasion. But I know other parents aren't so careful, like the parents of the …
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Carefree days of childhood? Yeah, right. How do you help your children handle stress?
Ah, the carefree days of childhood. As a parent with a bird’s eye view, it seems life isn’t as carefree for children as it was years ago, when we were children. I’ve talked about this issue with a number of friends over the past 14 years I’ve spent parenting. One friend said that when she was a child, her family just didn’t do all the things children do nowadays. Homework was minimal and project work didn’t really start until middle school. Extra-curricular activities like sports weren’t considered because living outside the city, her mom would have had to drive her, which just wasn’t feasible with only one family car. But life has changed and moved on. Much has been written about today’s over-scheduled children but today let’s discuss …
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Let's talk health.
Hey, Parents! We’re looking for your input. We parents all know how much heart and head work, not to mention stamina, it takes to raise healthy, happy kids. So why not talk about parenting issues with your Patch neighbors? Recently, we had a question from a parent about wheat intolerance and celiac disease. Can you help? Let’s start a conversation. “I believe my daughter may be intolerant to wheat or possibly have celiac disease. Where can I go for help?" Cindy, Waukesha
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
How can you teach your children about government as history is happening.
First of all, I admit I am not a mom. I am the farthest thing from a mom. Sure, I will take care of my nieces and nephew for a few hours here or there and smile at the little kids who are happily playing in the park as I am taking a stroll around the Fox River. Coming from a big family, I have changed plenty of diapers, wiped a lot of runny noses and taken my youngest sister for those late night drives through the country to get her to fall asleep (she is significantly younger than me). But when it comes to teaching moments and explaining state and national issues to a group of children, I am useless. So how do you teach your children about the protests in Madison? How do you explain to them both sides of the issue to explain why the …
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Just don't let your children find out your little secret...
Waukesha Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for parents and their families right here in Waukesha. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and other smart parents take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Moms, dad, grandparents, and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children. Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Do you know of local moms raising their children in the Tiger Mother's way and is it the best way? Where can we get …
Suzane Moore
11:19 am on Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A great series for girls is the Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George. She also has a series, beginning with Dragon Slippers. Her heroines are not the usual run of the mill wimpy girls. When Creel's aunt decides to sacrifice her to the dragon, she instead talks her way out of the dragon's clutches - way to go girl!! more ›