100 Questions about your new Baby.

1.)      What’s up with my baby’s wrinkly feet and hands?

a.      It’s just dish-pan-hands, your baby has been floating in liquid for the last 9 months.

2.)    Why is my baby wearing a stocking hat?  It is not winter and my baby is not a hipster.

a.      Your baby has a cone-head just like every other baby and the hospital is trying not to shock you.  Don’t worry it will go away.

3.)   Why is my baby’s skin and the whites of their eyes yellow?

a.      Your baby is Jaundice.  Their liver will kick in a take care of it.

4.)   Why are they putting eye drops in my newborn’s eyes?

a.      It is an antibiotic to prevent infections.

5  .)     Should I breast feed?

a.      Yes, it is better for their immune system.

Don't Kill Your Kids with Kindness

A saying my dad often used was: "Your killing 'em with Kindness."  What he meant to say was, "I know you mean to be nice by doing these things for your kids, but the reality is that your "kindness" is just empowering them to be incompetent."

I had two different little girls come to my door this month to sell me Girl Scout Cookies.  One walked up from her mothers car and the other was accompanied by her mother.  Guess which one was actually learning something from the experience and which one was bored and just tolerating it. And guess which one of the two girls was at least 2 years younger than the other...

Sometimes it is just best to let them bump there head a little along the way.  They may actually learn something from the experience.  Besides, haven't you sold enough Girl Scout Cookies?

Teddy

High School Senior Year Blues

Well it is that time again when another one of my kids, is making her way through her "Senior Year."  As hard as it is on her to tolerate another year of high school, I think it is just as hard on us to prepare for her departure.

I really don't want to sound like the overly sentimental parent, but the one thing that I know for sure is that there is no going back.  I always think of the final song in "Grease" as the kids dance and mistakenly sing "we will always be together." That fact that this is not true but they believe it is , is kind of sad.

But just like the mother bear, there comes a time to take the cubs out, chase them up a tree and to disappear into the distance.  As hard as it is to do, I do realize that it must be done and this just may be the biggest gift you ever give you kids.  The right to their own life.

We have done the best we could and I hope it was enough.

Teddy

Who Comes First, You or Your Kids ?

I have recently been attending meetings of some of the local "Parenting" organizations. I really do not want to call anyone out, but I have been amazed at the amount of time that they spend taking about themselves, instead of their kids.

What seems to be foremost on everyone's mind is how they can best position themselves to win in a never ending battle with their ex-spouse. Unfortunately these battles seem to go on forever. So in the meantime, who is thinking about the kids?

Now I know that everyone has the best intention for their children at heart, and they all feel if they win their battles that they will be better positioned to help and support their children. However in the mean time who is stopping to consider the quality of care that the child is getting right now? I mean today.

I realize that these are all good people with the best intentions but it just seems to me that there should be more discussion about how to work with the kids instead of how to defeat the spouse.