Chronicles of a “Mr. Mom”

Take my life, for example: I have a house full of kids, and yet I’ve found ways to streamline my life, to find peace and happiness among the chaos. How is this magic trick accomplished? Nothing magical, actually, but just little things that have simplified my life over the years.

The main magic trick, however: making my family my top priority, and choosing only a small number of priorities in my life. If you have too many things you want to do, or need to do, your life will become complicated. But if you choose just a few things that are important to you, you can eliminate the rest, and simplify your life greatly.

What follows is a list that might seem complicated to some — 25 items! Trust me, I could easily double this list, but I don’t want to overwhelm you. Instead of trying to tackle everything on this list at once, choose a few things that appeal to you, and give them a try. Bookmark this page and come back to it from time to time to try out other ideas. Best yet, they might inspire new ideas of your own!

1. Self-sufficiency.

2. One calendar.

3. Toy bins.

Full story: 25 Ways to Simplify Your Life with Kids

For a few decades, it’s been noted that a large percentage of all gifted students (those who score in the top 10 percent on aptitude tests) severely underestimate their own abilities. Those afflicted with this lack of perceived competence adopt lower standards for success and expect less of themselves. They underrate the importance of effort, and they overrate how much help they need from a parent.

When parents praise their children’s intelligence, they believe they are providing the solution to this problem. According to a survey conducted by Columbia University, 85 percent of American parents think it’s important to tell their kids that they’re smart. In and around the New York area, according to my own (admittedly nonscientific) poll, the number is more like 100 percent. Everyone does it, habitually. The constant praise is meant to be an angel on the shoulder, ensuring that children do not sell their talents short.

Full story: How Not to Talk to Your Kids

Got this amazing piece forwarded by a friend. Very smart story, but it will hit you on various levels if you are a father, and more importantly if you have a daughter (I do - 8 year old!). - Ravi Jayagopal.

“A father passing by his teenage daughter’s bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope propped up on the centre of the pillow. It was addressed “Dad”. With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter:

Dear Dad,

It is with great regret & sorrow that I’m writing you, but I’m
leaving home.I had to elope with my new boyfriend Randy because
I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom & you. I’ve been finding real passion
with Randy & he is so nice to me. I know when you meet him you’ll like him
too -even with all his piercing, tattoos, & motorcycle clothes.

But it’s not only the passion Dad, I’m pregnant & Randy said
that he wants me to have the kid & that we’ll be very happy
together. Even though Randy is much older than me
(anyway,40 isnt so old these days is it?),& has no money,
really these things shouldn’t stand in the way of our relationship,
don’t you agree?

Randy has a great CD collection; he already owns a trailer in the woods
& has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. It’s true he has
other girlfrnds as well but I know he’ll be faithful to me in his own
way. Randy taught me that marijuana doesn’t really hurt anyone and he’ll
be growing it for us and we’ll trade it with our friends for all
the cocaine and ecstasy we want.

In the meantime, we’ll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS
so Randy can get better; he sure deserves it!!

Don’t worry Dad, I’m 15 years old now and I know
how to take care of myself. Someday I’m sure we’ll be back
to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

Your loving daughter,
Rosie

At the bottom of the page were the letters ‘PTO’
Hands trembling, her father turned the sheet, and read:

PS: Dad, none of the above is true. I’m over at the
neighbour’s house.I just wanted to remind you that there are worse
things in life than my report card that’s in my desk centre drawer.
Please sign it and call when it is safe for me
to come home. I love you !!

This video is awesome. It is in chinese (I think), but the language doesn’t matter - Just watch the little girl solve the cube in under 2 minutes! Wow!

Yes, the girl is indeed very smart, but guess what - it takes a bit of parenting and a lot of patience for someone to sit with kids like this, and teach them a skill - no matter how rehearsed it might be.

Isn’t it that a lot of skills in this world are about how well rehearsed you are? How well you can hit that 18 footer, how many aces you can serve, how perfect your walk down the aisle is?

So, don’t discount things just because they are rehearsed. Practice does make a (wo)man perfect.

When accidents happen to a child, it is almost always the fault of the parent(s).

See video for proof. It is not the child’s fault - it is the idiotic parent (or caregiver) who is responsible.

Doctors recommend safety gear for kids who wear trendy ‘Heelys’.

CHICAGO - Trendy wheeled sneakers that let kids zip down sidewalks, across playgrounds and through mall crowds could also send them rolling into emergency rooms on a stretcher, say doctors who blame a rash of injuries on the international craze.

It’s called “heeling,” named after Heelys, the most popular brand. They’re sold in 70 countries and are so hot that their Carrollton, Texas, maker, Heelys Inc., recently landed atop BusinessWeek’s annual list of fastest growing companies.

But doctors from Ireland to Singapore have reported treating broken wrists, arms and ankles; dislocated elbows and even cracked skulls in children injured while wearing roller shoes.

Full story: Rolling sneakers blamed for rise in kid injuries

“Q: My son is 2 and his big sister is 6. He’s her little shadow, and in some ways that’s good: His vocabulary and other skills are great. But when they’re together he wants to do only what she does, and I wonder if he should be more independent.

A: We think your son is lucky to have his big sister to help him develop important experience and skills.”

Full story: Toddler gains by shadowing big sister

“Everyone cries, whether they are adults, children, male or female. People cry when they are happy, sad, angry, hurt, scared, proud or embarrassed. Children also cry when they are tired, dissatisfied, sick, hungry or just plain bored.

Sometimes children use crying as a means of getting their own way. Coddling children when they are old enough to know how to manipulate a situation by crying sends the message that turning on the tears is an affective way to get what they want.

The best way to get children to stop crying is by distracting them. If they forget why they are crying in the first place, they have no reason to continue crying. You might compare this to adults by thinking of something that makes you upset or worried. If you keep thinking about it, your mood will not improve; but by distracting yourself and thinking about or doing something else, you will forget that you are worried and be able to move on.”

Full story: Stop Crying - The art of re-framing

All Nathan Moore says he wanted to do was smoke pot and get drunk with his friends.

Killing Rex Baum was never part of the plan that day in 2004.

“It all started off as a game,” Moore said.

The 15-year-old and his friends were taunting the homeless man — throwing sticks and leaves — after having a couple of beers with him.

No big deal, Moore says, but he’s sorry for what came next.

Full story

A 27-year-old newly divorced daughter tells her mother that her boyfriend of two months is moving in with her. A grown son is stressing out over the bills his wife keeps piling up on her shopping sprees.

Even after children are grown and gone from the nest, it seems that isn’t the end of the job of parenting. Once a child is born it’s the start of a job that lasts a lifetime.

Children might look like adults, and even have children of their own, but it’s obvious to most parents that even adult children still need help working out the kinks in their lives.

Full story