Author Archives: Jodi Cohen
Mom Crushes and Heartbreak
Remember the early stages of your romantic relationships when you were so excited about the possibilities of the other person. You might have shared the same hobbies or the same philosophical outlook on life or just the same freshman dorm. But it was so exciting… the future promised to be sunny and bright. Because everyone’s [...]
Posted in Conflict with Friends, When Friendships End 1 Comment
Blame the genes, not the Parenting
“Can’t you control your child?” For any of us who have been on the receiving end of those words, or worse, that disdainful glare, the answer is a shameful, “not always”. We can try. We can limit their diet, micromanage our discipline and time out until we are blue in the face, but as anyone [...]
Posted in Conflict with Friends, Judgement Days Leave a comment
Misery Loves Company
Can a friendship survive when one party outgrows their joint suffering? We often bound with friends over shared distress. We’re both single and looking to meet someone. We married into the same zany family. We report to the same tyranical boss. You get the picture. The same holds true for our mom friends. We connect because our [...]
Posted in Conflict with Friends, Envy, Uncategorized Leave a comment
Play Date Etiquette
Play dates can be a little like dating and just as full of surprises. The similarities between the guy who is late or blows you off completely resonate. A reader recently shared an even more intriguing play date dilemma – that of the parent who invites her child to your house. “Lately, I’ve had quite [...]
Helping another mom parent
Have you ever been tempted to “help” another mom parent. You know what I mean. The kid is melting down and whatever technique the other mom is using isn’t working, but you have a great strategy that always works with your kids. You sit there on the fence, trying to decide if you should offer [...]
Posted in Judgment Days, On The Go 1 Comment
Her Kid Hurt Yours and She’s Doing Nothing!
A reader emailed me about a fight between her daughter and a friend that blew up to include the moms as well. The girls got into a squabble when one lied to the other. The girl who was lied to grew so upset that she put her hands around the other girls neck and started [...]
Beware of Sharing Parenting Advice
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen recently caught flack for extolling breast feeding a little too enthusiastically, stating that she thinks breastfeeding should be mandatory for the first six months of the child’s life. She was quoted in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK as saying “Some people think they don’t have to breastfeed, and I think [...]
Posted in Conflict with Friends, Judgement Days Leave a comment
Working with other moms to solve issues between kids
An economics professor friend mentioned that membership is more valuable if others are excluded. It makes sense if you look at the greek system, wait lists for exclusive country clubs, limited edition gadgets or popular cliques among children (and moms). We always seem to want what we can’t have. My daughter has been dallying with [...]
I can’t believe she just did that!
Ahhh, those friendship altering moments. You know the ones, like when the friend you thought you knew and loved so well totally overreacts and spanks her kid in front of you, is rude to her nanny or one of your other friends. The behavior leaves you so shocked and appalled that you seriously reconsider [...]
Can you Really Pave the Road to Success for your Child?