Keeping Mum

As a parent I am convinced that getting a pet for your children is more than an act of love. Who really wants to take care of another pooping thing, particularly one not the same species? When we are encouraged (pushed) by a child to get a pet, we hesitate because we know that the addition to the household will incrementally increase poop, throw up and pee. While darling animals charm us, we get that gut feeling that we soon will be making a wrong decision. What is practical about bringing a creature into our family that has even a more difficult time than our children to grasp the concept of “acceptable behavior”?

The British love their dogs and appear to have a respectful relationship with them. They seem to be able to love and care for their pets with grace. Pets of the royal family join in walks at home and sometimes hunt and travel with the family.

Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, gave his daughters a Corgi. "Dookie" was popular in their family and was described as “unquestionably the character of the Princesses’ delightful canine family” and a “born sentimentalist." Wow, I would like that to be said and felt about a human I know! Such a thought might be-“Uncle George is the character of the family. George is a born sentimentalist and provides, if you will, the positive emotional glue in our family."

Dogs are cherished by the Royal Family and have been given as valued presents to mark a rite of passage. The Queen received a Corgi named Susan for her 18th birthday. The tradition of keeping Corgis continues today. She now owns four; Holly, Linnet, Monty and Willow.

How can we hope to achieve such a graceful existence with our pets? Do the Brits think such things out more clearly before they commit to such a decision? Are plans put into place to accommodate the change? What happens when mom or dad, caught after nightly prayers with one of the kids is beseeched (yes I said it) with that look and request for an animal? I remember it took two months of nightly prayers to get my horse.

Well, I can tell you the tradition our family has enjoyed with our pets. Royal chaos!

Tags: Parenting Tips, Child Rearing Styles, Pets

Can you imagine a life where you felt that every action you did throughout the day was judged? Or that you were really supposed to act like a parent or know better (than others)? As a firstborn, you were always supposed to lead, even when you had no idea of what that job entailed? Welcome to the life of firstborns.

I’ll take a sloppy second, or even third place in the birth order. In fact, skip the second place, those poor second borns have to smile and always say the correct thing!

It is great being a third-born. Your parents have used up all their hope and dreams and you are left without any expectations except being cute. It is particularly wonderful if your parents are old and tired.

Caution, you may get stuck with hand-me-down clothes. I have a solution, though . . . just get fat! If you bug them for school clothes early in the season, you can drop the weight, return the clothes and have a new wardrobe!

If you are lucky, your parents don’t plan to remodel important rooms in the house until you get big enough to leave home. That means that you can take that family room, den or basement room and use it to house all your potential pets from outdoors. This also works for post-Easter chick rescues, lame dogs and even “pet” squirrels that you believe will behave indoors.

Something else that is great about being a third child is that if you have acute hearing, you can avoid the majority of dilemmas with your parents. Take note of every half-baked scheme of your older siblings. Avoid. Note the way they request night outs or use of the car. If it works, use it.

NOTE: Caution, older siblings may sometimes use the excuse of taking you to a class or a haircut to expand the trip to enhance their social connections. It is crucial that you are reimbursed for your discretion.

Tags: Parenting Tips, Articles on Parenting, Child Rearing Styles

No, we are not talking about a bunch of people eating something tasty. We are talking about a stage when Mom and Dad impact your life. The traditional meaning of sandwich generation means that you have aging parents who need your help while you are trying to finish off the job of raising your own kids. If you are really lucky, you can be part of the club sandwich generation which means that you are somewhere between 50 and 60 years of age, stuck between aging parents, adult children and grandchildren. Or if you are really precocious, you can be only 30 and 40’s with young children, aging parents and grandparents.

Lucky you! You can feel as sexy as a cow tongue sandwich! Remember, you are the meat that keeps the bread stuck together.

10 tips for Caretakers-

1. Note the fat toddlers in the neighborhood in case your parent’s supply of Depends runs out
2. Sippy cups can actually work well for cocktail parties.
3. Getting into a nursing home is way easier than a nursery or private school
4. Your 9 to 5 workday is actually your chance for breaks such as long lunches, gazing out the window or surfing websites for clothes.
5. Trips to the hospital can actually be a good place to people watch, i.e. cute doctors.
6. Take Note: When grocery shopping, always take a coat to throw over the bags of Depends. Compassionate caregiver is not the first description of you in the mind of a passerby.
7. You can buy a good-looking vehicle to chauffeur, it just must be low to the ground and have blackout windows
8. Furniture slipcovers were actually invented by someone in the sandwich generation.

Tags: Parenting Tips, Parenting Styles, Articles on Parenting