“Care Package” Wars at Sleep Away Camp

Posted on July 24, 2013 by llpitlwp

It used to be just “color war” but now it is “care package war” at sleep away camp.

Color war was a rite of passage but care packages were a comfort from home.

I am guilty of sending care packages to my kids, many years ago.

I also used a service that put together camp friendly packages…I admit this decision was a complete and total waste of money. But, I felt that I needed to compete with the other campers “care packages”… in hindsight…utterly ridiculous!

What I did not do was concoct elaborate ways to stash forbidden candy in my care packages but I did not discourage my kids from taking their own private contraband with them.

It seems that over the years camps have tried to get the upper hand when it comes to controlling care packages…some camps have banned them altogether.

For me, the jury is out on how I would deal with this if I were a parent with a child at sleep away camp this summer.

I would like to think that I would try to adhere to the camp rules.

But when my kids were at camp, I remember hating the lack of contact with them and the “care package” was something I felt I had control over.

I would probably still send one package during the 4 weeks and call it a day…and it would include contraband candy for sure!

Disclosure:

This discussion brought back memories of the difficulty of sending my kids to sleep away…it was a very emotional “letting go”both for myself and for my kids…I never went to sleep away… I am sure if my husband had not encouraged me to send our girls I would not have done so.

For as long as American children have attended summer camp (around 150 years), parents have sent them stuff. The term “care package” originated after World War II when the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE) began sending food relief across the Atlantic. The group bought up surplus 10-in-1 food parcels from the American military, which had prepared them for an invasion of Japan.

Each package included a pound of steak and kidneys; 8 ounces of liver loaf; 12 ounces of luncheon loaf (Spam); 2 pounds of coffee; and a pound each of lard, honey, raisins and chocolate. In its first two decades, the organization delivered over 100 million packages.

via The Care-Package Wars – NYTimes.com.

Are Over-the-Top Parents Really the Rule at Summer Camp? – NYTimes.com.

Care-Package Wars – Parents Disregard Camp Bans.

Do You Wish Your Baby Had Hair?

Posted on July 23, 2013 by llpitlwp

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored.

Your little girl does not have to be “bald” any longer.

I don’t quite know why but I find this a very cute idea for parents to actually get a glimpse of what their little girl or even boy might look like with hair.

What do you think about this?

Am I being ridiculous here, isn’t it just a whimsical thing that should not be taken too seriously?

Our patent pending HAIR+band accessory combination allows baby girl’s (with little or no hair at all) the opportunity to have a beautifully realistic HAIR style in a SNAP!!

It’s quick, easy and baby barely knows it’s there.

Each Baby Bangs! HAIR+band has been made using only the finest ribbons and fabrics, PLUS our Baby Bangs! come to you pre-customized & size appropriate, cut, styled and ready for immediate wear.

The wispy hair strands have been arranged in the cutest most adorable elfish coiffure!

Silky strands of Monofiber Kanekalon are used to create our Baby Bangs! Hair Strands. Kanekalon is the most realistic man-made hair fiber available.

via Baby Bangs! | BabyBangHeadBand.com.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/bothered-by-your-bald-baby-girl-enter-baby-bangs/

What Do Your Kids Do During Summer Vacation?

Posted on July 22, 2013 by llpitlwp

Instead, I’m choosing to teach them that breaks are a good thing. That they don’t need to wring their brain cells dry to be good students. That their hard work during the academic year deserves the reward of relaxation.

I’m teaching them that right now, they should experience fun and freedom and mischief and food and yes, a goodly amount of TV and video games. I’m teaching them that they are good enough, and I don’t expect perfection.

I’m teaching them that they’re still kids. And that’s really all they need to learn right now.

via I’m Not Teaching My Kids Anything This Summer | Summer Learning.

Truly…I could not say this better myself…as I stare out the windows at the water which beckons me to just go with the flow on any given day!

Summer vacation has always been a time that I valued with my kids and now I continue to value it with my grandchild.

My own Nana, God bless her, taught me that summer was for…

Days full of unscheduled activities as much as possible…

Summer was for days…

Full of ice cream cones, sandcastles, swimming and beaches along with…

Rainy days full of painting, make-believe and cookie baking.

What better excuse to be a kid myself…

How Do You Know If You and Your Child Need a Play Date Consultant?

Posted on July 20, 2013 by llpitlwp

Have you ever heard the expression that “there is nothing new under the sun”…

I was a believer in that saying, until I read about this!

Experts said that kids may need the play-date tutoring because their young lives have become so regimented, with classes in subjects like Mandarin and violin, that they don’t know how to play with others.

via Rich parents hire play-date consultants to help kids play better for private-school admissions – NYPOST.com.

Since when do children need experts to tutor them in how to successfully negotiate a play date? Has childhood really become so regimented that kids don’t know how to be kids any longer?

Or is it that parents do not know how to let kids just be kids?

Play is childhood…it is how children learn about the world and how they develop skills that they will use in day to day life. It is how they first learn to problem solve.

Watching children play is absolutely fascinating…at least in my eyes.

As a grandmother of one…I am having the time of my life…I am getting to have another chance to interact on an almost daily basis with a child. I have learned from experience with my own children “not to sweat the small stuff” that children will figure it out if left to themselves to solve a problem.

Patience and time is what I have on my side. This was not always true and I realize that it is the same for this generation of parents. Like myself, they cannot wait for their children to grow…they want them to succeed…they want them not to have to deal with all the difficulties that they dealt with as children. They want “the best” for them.

In this quest for “the best”, today’s parents may just be denying their children what is best. That is just being a child and being allowed to grow and develop through play activities and imagination.

Can trust be said enough times? Trust should be our mantra. It is the secret to the most successful parenting and also the secret to enjoying it. Trust in our child, along with the magic word “wait”, help us to stay our course when friends, family, and unenlightened professionals imply that we’re not doing enough, and/or our child isn’t keeping up. Trust will remind us to let go of personal expectations for our child and to instead recognize and support the expectations she has for herself. Trust, trust, trust. It will never lead us astray. ~ Janet via Janet Lansbury/Elevating ChildCare

Parenting is definitely work and that has not changed.

In many ways, it is even more difficult in today’s world to unplug, wind down, and leave the calendar open to do whatever you fancy for a day now and then.

Just perhaps parents should schedule themselves to unschedule and let themselves and their children stop and learn to play.

Ways to Have Fun Reading with Kids

Posted on July 15, 2013 by llpitlwp

Children’s literature is one of my personal joys….

Thank you, dear granddaughter

for sharing this joy

Thank you, Toddler Approved for your “Virtual Book Club”

Our July Virtual Book Club for Kids author is Jez Alborough!

Each month for Virtual Book Club for Kids we feature a new author. You can find many of the posts we’ve shared over the past year on our VBC Pinterest Boards. Below are a few of the authors we’ve featured. We’ll be announcing our author line up for 2013-2014 in a few weeks!

Toddler Approved!: 6 Books & 6 Activities Inspired by Jez Alborough {Virtual Book Club for Kids Blog Hop}.

Table Manners, Tantrums, Strong Willed Kids – Summer Weekend Reads

Posted on July 12, 2013 by llpitlwp

A Day at the Beach…Martha’s Vineyard

Table manners are one of my pet peeves….but so hard to teach when life is so hectic and sit down family meals are not “regular” happenings each day as they were “back in the day”.

How do you teach table manners to your kids and grandkids?

Your kids may have learned table manners for restaurant eating, but if your kids are anything like mine, those table manners aren’t nearly as good at home. Circle of Moms member Rhionna H. points out two important things to remember about kids and table manners: they need to learn them while they’re young and they will learn by your example.

Table Manners For Kids.

Tantrums…there is so much written about them and so little parents and grandparents can do when it comes to the when and where of “melt downs”.

How do you handle tantrums?

Basic reasons for toddlers tantrums:

1. Can’t express what they want/need

2. Trying to assert their independence

3. Want to be in control

4. Too many limits

5. Basic needs not being met- tired, hungry, thirsty, etc.

6. Overstimulated

7. Bored

Toddler Approved!: Toddler Tantrums… Ways to Deal.

Strong will is in reality a good thing but a “strong willed” child certainly can pose a challenge to parents and grandparents as well as teachers.

Do you have a strong willed child or grandchild?

It is so frustrating when you have a strong-willed child who just will not cooperate. And it is even more upsetting when you read parenting books and the “experts” suggest contradictory strategies!

Getting Strong-Willed Kids To Cooperate without Punishment.

Summer Dilemmas-Would You Ban Music From Parked Ice Cream Trucks?

Posted on July 11, 2013 by llpitlwp

All I can say is what next?

Years ago, the Good Humor truck had bells,which the driver had to manually jingle when he was approaching his stops.

He also made regular neighborhood stops near my home in a very large New York suburb.

Truthfully, I am not so sure about ice cream trucks in general with all the “safety issues” and “food issues” that plague kids today…

It did make me think however, that I do avoid the ice cream truck on a regular basis and try to make healthier choices like frozen yogurt. I may be only fooling myself but it makes me feel better.

What about you?

“The music is very important to us,” Zea said. “Because when we’re on the street, the kids, they listen to the music and they get excited. So they tell their mothers, ‘hey mom, the ice cream truck is coming.’”

The issue is also raised about how the ordinance may effect the safety of children around the trucks.

“If they stop playing music, then the driver is driving by (and the kids) won’t notice there is an ice cream truck and they might hit the kids,” Ice cream supplier Bob Bakshi said.

via Long Beach Looks To Ban Music From Parked Ice Cream Trucks « CBS Los Angeles.

What Real Power Looks Like

Posted on July 8, 2013 by llpitlwp

A beautiful letter…written by a mom, who realizes what “real” power means. I could not say it better than she has.

Please use the link to read her entire post it is lovely.

Dear Daughter,

I hold you close. Lithe little toddler body squirming against me as you try and settle. Small human child. One day you will be big and tall and strong. A grown woman, not the little girl I hold now in my arms as you try to relax and sleep. Not the little kid whose body is frantic to move and bursting with energy that even a whole day of play can’t consume.

I see many things in you.

via Being a Powerful Parent and Raising You With Empathy | Nurshable.

Keeping the Choice-Formula vs. Breast

Posted on July 7, 2013 by llpitlwp

All I can say about Amy’s story, below, is THIS. THIS is why breastfeeding support must be secondary to supporting moms, full stop. THIS is why the medical community and the breastfeeding advocacy machine is failing us. THIS is why there are “defensive formula feeders” peppering message boards, attempting to share their truths, and being accused of making up stories and scaring other women out of nursing. THIS is why women are getting angry and fighting back. THIS is why people are starting to think the pendulum has swung so far and so hard that it’s bonked us all in the head and made us stupid. This. This. And THIS.

via FFF Friday: “I didn’t have the confidence or the mental clarity to stand up for myself.” – Fearless Formula Feeder.

With the present increased incidence of breast-feeding, clinicians need to be prepared to identify and manage problems in lactation. Most problems are related to insufficient knowledge, inappropriate routines, and lack of confidence and are easily managed or prevented by prenatal education, anticipatory guidance, and adequate support. Increasing evidence exists that primary causes of lactation failure also occur and can preclude successful lactation, even among highly motivated women.

via Lactation Failure Due to Insufficient Glandular Development of the Breast.

It seems that the pendulum has indeed swung too far in the direction of breastfeeding and made it very uncomfortable for moms to choose formula if they do not want to breastfeed their baby for whatever reason.

The Fearless Formula Feeder has posted Amy’s story which speaks to moms who have insufficient glandular tissue. This is a condition that poses problems for moms, who are trying to breast feed.

As a clinician, it is so important to listen to your client and really try to understand the whole picture…a non-judgmental attitude is the key to helping anyone. If you find yourself making judgements, then you should refer your client to someone else…you are not the right helper. This goes for lactation consultants as well as well meaning friends.

I know that there is much more knowledge available since I had my own children but in the 70’s and 80’s there really was more understanding and acceptance of mom’s feeding choices. We may not have been that accepting of breastfeeding in public but that was a minor problem compared to the “bullying” situation we are currently experiencing.

It is not abusive to formula feed your baby and although breastfeeding may be best it is not necessarily the right choice in all cases.

Let’s try to support moms…please!

What to Say to a Five Year-Old When a Grandparent Dies

Posted on June 24, 2013 by llpitlwp

I love Sleepy Planet and their work with parents regarding healthy sleep habits for children.

Jill and Jen offer advice about many other parenting issues as well.

I only wish I lived in Los Angeles so I could meet them in person.

Here is a post from their Facebook page which deals with the sensitive time when a young child loses a grandparent.

Please visit Sleepy Planet sometime soon.

via Sleepy Planet’s Facebook page:

Talked today with a dad whose mom just passed after a long illness, and he shared the conversation he had with his son, age 5, to tell him the news.

Dad: Hey Sam, I have something to tell you. Grandma went to heaven last night.

Sam: Oh! I wasn’t expecting you to say THAT.

Dad: Yeah. Remember we talked about how her body was slowing down, and that pretty soon it would stop working?

Sam: Yup.

Dad: And that even when her body stopped working, her body would die but her spirit would go to heaven?

Sam: Yeah, I can see her in heaven.

Dad: You can?

Sam: Yeah, cause whenever I want to talk to her, I can just think of her in my heart.

Dad: That’s so true. That’s really nice.

Sam doesn’t seem upset so far, though mom and dad know that his feelings may change, and they’ll offer whatever support he needs.

Parenting in the Loop

Category Archives: Parenting