Christmas 2013
Wordless Wednesday
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Monthly Archives: December 2013
Children, Holiday OverIndulgence…Grandparent Style!
Do your children have Santa Claus for a grandparent?
Is there an overindulgent relative in your child’s life?
And do they disregard your requests about gift giving?
I am not quite sure how to handle this type of situation except to be very direct in your requests as a parent.
It seems that there are many parent ideas about what is appropriate when it comes to their children.
In some cases parents do not even agree with each other when it comes to defining what is “overindulgent”.
It seems that grandparents may be the biggest group of overindulgers when it comes to children, Christmas and Holidays. At least, that was the recent consensus of a group of parents discussing the holiday stresses at my grandchild’s preschool.
It seemed that the grandparents were not deterred by requests of their sons and daughters in their gift giving habits.
As a grandparent, I can understand both sides since I was also a parent of young 
I remember requesting certain things for my children and making suggestions to their grandparents. I guess I was lucky in that my husband agreed with this approach. So for the most part we did not get “stuff” that was inappropriate and not useful.
Some suggestions
- Be honest about your feelings
- Have gift suggestions
- Perhaps suggest college fund donations, even small ones so as the kids get older and more appreciative of money as a gift, this might become a habit of their grandparents.
- Be thoughtful and respectful
- Be empathic and understanding that your relationship with your kids is different than your parents’ relationship with them which is what helps to drive the overindulgence.
- Be realistic if you have really difficult grandparents…and try to make the best of the situation.
Aunt Annie’s Childcare: When grandma won’t do it your way- Part 1: The overindulgent relative.
Love Story…Theo and Beau
In November, we introduced you to Theo and Beau, a diminutive duo, that subsequently stole the Internet’s heart. As a holiday gift to everyone, the magic continues on blogger Jessica Shyba’s Instagram account.
via 22 New Chapters In The Most Adorable Naptime Love Story Ever.
If you have not seen this photo stream of Theo and Beau, you are missing a delightful experience!
Jessica Shyba has captured the innocence of a child and his dog…both of whom are attached to each other and are each other’s soul-mate at nap time.
For the holidays…if you are looking into getting a dog…please consider going to your local ASPCA or Animal Shelter and rescue a puppy or an older dog that needs a home. Mixed breeds make wonderful family members.
Pets are known to actually lower your blood pressure and make you more relaxed…they help people especially those who are older, stay healthier because they live on a schedule of eating and exercising…they are also less lonely.
Make a pet choice carefully, the shelters will help you to understand the responsibilities of pet ownership and make an appropriate choice.
Happy Holidays!
Weekend…Christmas, Kids, Consumerism
Christmas and Holidays can pose a dilemma especially for those of us with children. What is meant to be a time of joy and giving can become a time of stress and “gimme, gimme”.
So, I was overjoyed to see this post and thought I would share it with those of you who want to share some of these points with your own children….or grandchildren.
So it got me thinking – what do I want my kids to really know about Christmas? And because I started thinking that led to me making a list for my kids. Which I’m sharing with you today.
via finding joy: 25 Things I Want My Kids to Know About Christmas..
In keeping with my consumerism theme this week, I am posting a link to one of my favorite bloggers and writers, Annie Urban.
She makes an excellent effort to “quell” consumerism in her home with her own children. This, mind you, is no easy task and it is certainly made easier if you have all the family together in support…especially the grandparents, aunts and uncles and all who dote on your kids.
But then the Christmas commercials started. Not in December, not in late November, but back in October or maybe even September. And that is when the chorus began. It didn’t matter what type of plastic crap was being advertised, they wanted it, they needed it, it was the best thing ever.
Wordless Wednesday Again…Kids and Safety
Car Seat Safety for Kids
To me, there are few things more important than car seat safety since kids spend and enormous amount of time in cars.
Here is a must see video for new parents and seasoned parents as well as grandparents and any child caregiver.
My go to person for car seat information is “The CarSeat Lady“. She is in my opinion the best information source for parents when they are choosing a carseat and when they want information in its proper installation and use.
Wordless Wednesday!
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The “Mute” Elf on the Shelf!
“Naughty Nana”…A Beautiful Kid’s Book for the Holidays
Naughty Nana
Guest Blog
By Saralyn Richard, Author of Naughty Nana
Naughty Nana is available from the website: https://www.palmcirclepress.com.
NAUGHTY NANA is a children’s book based on the real-life interactions of our grandchildren with Nana, our Old English sheepdog. Writing it was a truly joyful experience.
Observing childhood through a grandmother’s lens has given me fresh insights, as I watched my grandchildren’s willingness to connect fully with animals.
Now, I realize how vital it is for children to experience positive messages while forming relationships, which are trusting and supportive with both people and pets.
Nana, the puppy, speaks for herself.
Her exasperating antics are not as amusing to Grammy and Papa as they are to Jason and Gaby, who recognize that Nana is child-like in her desire to “just have fun”. The children’s visit with their grandparents and with Nana creates a dynamic in which everyone learns and grows.
Naughty Nana is available from the website: https://www.palmcirclepress.com.
“Playing” or “Fighting” with Baby…
This video shows a dad “fighting” with his baby. To me this borders on child abuse. I know that dad is trying to be funny but at the baby’s expense…therefore …NOT FUNNY.
Just like teasing this kind of “baby rough housing” seems over the top especially when you make a video of it and you are able to see the baby’s facial and physical reactions to the actions of his dad.
What do you think?
To me, making a You-tube video, “Fighting with Baby“, actually encourages other parents to rough house with the babies in their lives.
This is just not funny…
Babies are learning trust especially in their caregivers; here we see the baby’s father literally throwing him onto the bed…twisting him around his arm and tickling him silly. The baby then tries to defend himself by “hitting” dad in the face only to be thwarted in his self-defending efforts.
I love social media and baby/kid videos but this video makes me sick as I watch it. I would like to see it taken down and a statement from the dad apologizing for using his son to publicize his own career. I would also like him to say that this activity could be emotionally and physically harmful.
Some people think that baby’s are “things” and have very few needs since they seem to just eat, sleep and cry. This is simply not so.
Babies are developing emotionally and physically at a very fast rate during their first year of life…parents and caregivers have a major role in this development. “Fighting” with baby is something we should not ever consider during this time.
At the very least: This video should come with a disclaimer.