Category Archives: On The Go
Can’t you control your kid?
We’ve all heard it. Our kid is screaming on a plane, tantruming in a store, melting down in a restaurant and some annoyed bystander asks us, “Can’t you control your child?” In a word, no. At least, not at this particular moment. Sure, we can try to guide, model, coach and cajole, discipline, punish. Sometimes [...]
Also posted in Parenting Police 1 Comment
Outsourcing Toothbrushing
The Wall Street Journal’s blog The Juggle posted what I initially thought was going to be a silly article, “Outsourcing Toothbrushing and Other Parenting Tasks.” Of course parents who work outside of the house have to rely on nannies or daycare staff to oversee the care of their kids, and that includes hygiene. I get [...]
Also posted in Judgment Days 4 Comments
Surviving the Mommy Mafia
I’ll never forget my first introduction to the mommy mafia. A friend and I were sitting in on the couches in the Nordstroms women’s longue feeding our infants – me from the breast and my friend from a bottle. The moment my friend whipped out her bottle, another mother in the room started attacking her [...]
Also posted in Parenting Police 2 Comments
Tantrums of the World, Unite!
I was reading a Babble interview with Kristin Armstrong and laughed when she shared her strategy for handling her daughter’s meltdown at Target. During the full-on tantrum, complete with screaming and fist-pounding, Kristin realized everyone was looking at her and judging her, so she acted fast: she got on the floor, mimicked her daughter’s behavior [...]
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Labeling Parents Lazy
The parenting police are quick to judge – on blogs, in person and behind your back. If they decide that a parent is “checked out” — ignoring a misbehaving child while they shop for groceries, enjoy a quiet moment or try to engage in conversation with another adult — they are labeled a “bad parent”. [...]
Also posted in Parenting Police 1 Comment
Whatever happened to the Friendly Skies?
When asked how having a child had changed her life, comedian Amy Poehler deadpanned, “Now no one wants to sit next to me on an airplane.” Barbara Walters concurred with that opinion last week on The View when she suggested that families with small children should fly on separate airplanes, or better still a different [...]
Also posted in Air Travel 3 Comments
Mommy Meanest?
This morning the Today Show aired a great segment called “Mommy Meanest? The Dark Side of Mom Blogs” which shed light on the criticism and cattiness we talk about here at Mommy Manners. This segment discussed the judgmental zingers moms shoot at other moms online, like: “Those who don’t vaccinate deserve to have their children [...]
Also posted in Mean Mommies 4 Comments
No shame in what you don’t know
I’ve often wondered if other parents just instinctively know what to do when their kid is freaking out or if they’ve had to make as many mistakes as I have. I was blessed with a really easy first child, so by the time my active second one came around, I didn’t really know what to [...]
Also posted in Parenting Police 4 Comments
Unsolicited Advice Can be Useful
Yes, we’ve all been subject to the annoying busy body who just can’t wait to tell us how we should parent or what we’re doing wrong. But occasionally, the unsolicited advisor has something really useful to share. Over spring break, I started chatting with another mom who works as a guidance counselor for junior highs. [...]
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Resisting the Urge to “Help”