More Screen Time?

More Screen Time?

This morning I listened to: Good Kids: How Not to Raise an Asshole, How To Balance Screen Time While Kids Are Stuck at Home and just thought many of you parents, quarantined with kids at home might enjoy this.

First of all, I don’t know how you with kids do it. . .ever,  Much less during this crazy time.  Hats off to you!  I really enjoyed a couple things in this podcast that might be helpful/relate to some of you.

First of all, parenting is hard.  Everyone is trying to do their best and that is all you can do.

Take care of yourself.  You might have to make changes to how you would normally handle something - well these aren’t normal times,so do what you need to do to handle things in a way that works best for your family.  (Yes, your kid may be an hour over the allowed screen time, but you have a big, important work call and you need to keep your job.  You’re not a bad parent for letting them get away with the extra screen time so that you can have your work call.)

It might be worth redefining how you think of/count screen time during this crazy quarantine.  Now a lot of time with friends/family is done virtually.  More and more school work is virtual.  And, this is just a tough time for everyone. ..everyone is just trying to get by as best as we all can.  Maybe, at least during this quarantine, it makes more sense to limit screen time that isn’t productive, enriching, enlightening, helpful. . .in some way.  Maybe screen time is extended for things that are though.

Once again, I know nothing about this, but I do know that all the parents in my life have even more on their plates during quarantine, which I didn’t think was even possible.  You are all doing great and it is okay to not make the “perfect parenting choices” all the time.  What is perfect, is doing what works best for you and your family right now.

Stay safe, stay healthy and keep on doing the amazing kick-ass job that you’re doing, raising amazing little people!

Kids & Corona

Kids & Corona

I know that dealing with this Coronavirus is frustrating for everyone.  I remind myself to be grateful for my health and (no offense to all you parents out there,) that I don’t have any kids.  I don’t know how all of you with young children do it when things are “normal,” so I really don’t know how you are handling things now with this Coronavirus craziness. . .hats off to you!

This morning I saw a YouTube video with Kristen Bell and she was discussing hosting Nickelodeon’s Town Hall on the Coronavirus.  I didn’t watch the town hall, but I just wanted to share it with the parents out there, along with a couple other resources.  Remember, you are all strong, amazing, loving, wonderful parents. I so admire all that you are doing to care for your family. . .and be sure to do what you can to care for yourself as well.

Stay healthy everyone!

• Nickelodeon’s Town Hall on the Coronavirus

• Amazon Just Made A Bunch Of Kids' Shows Available To Stream For Free

• The Daily Podcast A Kids’ Guide to Coronavirus 

Kids & Trauma

Kids & Trauma

Today I was listening to Good Kids: How Not to Raise an A**hole.  The episode:  How To Grow Up In Traumatic Times (with Dan Levin, discusses children and trauma and just thought it was interesting and worth sharing, especially with my many friends/family that are parents and the many that work in education/with kids.

I do want to mention that they touched on empathy in the podcast. What an amazing quality that is for children (adults as well,) to have. I have a niece who has been empathetic with me and my MS and it just touches my heart. . .it makes me so happy to see that she is so incredibly empathetic,even as a kid - it is an amazing quality to have.

Scotland is Awesome, PERIOD.

John and I visited Scotland a few years ago and both loved it.  Well, I just read an article yesterday that made me love Scotland even more - Scotland is the first country in the world to make sanitary products free for everyone.  Free?  What? It isn’t like they can cost women much money (I can hear a random man saying/thinking.)  Well I also recently read this Well + Good article, which cites that women spend on average $17,000 on  menstruation. (THE AVERAGE WOMAN SPENDS $17,000 ON MENSTRUATION—SO, AGAIN, WHY AREN’T TAMPONS AND PADS FREE?)

Having your period sucks - while I am ultimately the most grateful that my IUD has kept me from getting pregnant, a close second is that I no longer have my period!  Yes, I am one of those incredibly lucky women who stopped getting her period when starting the IUD. . .I haven’t had a period for a little over 7 years! And I hadn’t thought of it this way, but on top of just not having to deal with having my period, it has also saved me money!

Anyway, I don’t really know why I wanted to share this, other than I think that it is just awesome.  I wouldn’t ever expect this in the US, but maybe they could at least remove taxes on menstruation or make products free for students in public schools.  I don’t know. . .something to help the ladies out.

Fighting & Aging

Fighting & Aging

Today I listened to Justin Long’s podcast, with Kristen Bell as his guest.

Kristen spoke about a few things that I really liked - relationships/fighting and “knowing your lane”/aging.

Kristin and Dax both seem to be pretty open about their relationship and I’ve really admired some things I’ve they’ve shared.  I know that Dax had mentioned that they went (maybe still go?) to couples counseling. They had started going pretty early in their relationship - they weren’t having problems, but proactively started couples counseling in order to keep them from having major problems (or at least enabling them to better handle problems in their relationship.)

Dax and Kristen fight and are open about it, which I find admirable.  I’m not a fighter, maybe it just isn’t my thing, maybe because my parents didn’t fight in front of me, who knows.  While fighting gets a bad connotation, it can be healthy and Dax and Kristen seem to be able to fight well. Kristin mentioned that when they were first together they kind of made a pact - “we’re on the same team,” and she said that even if they disagree, are mad, frustrated, etc. they remember that they are ultimately on the same team and that enables them to not get as hurt/angry.  They also fight fair - no deep, mean things said, etc.

Kristen also talked about how she “knows her lane,” which I loved.  Essentially she talked about how she is good at knowing what suits her, what she is good at etc.  She knows she isn’t good at everything and that is okay. . she knows what kind of acting roles she is good in and focuses more on roles that suit her.  I really loved though her talking about this in terms of aging. She said she had her years of looking good in a bikini, now she is older, a mother of two, she doesn’t have to be in a bikini.  As we get older it makes sense for us to be able to look at things we used to do and appreciate those things, but also recognize and accept if/when we are no longer able to do so.

Mistakes are Proof You Tried

Mistakes are Proof You Tried

Today I was listening to a podcast (of course) - “Good Kids: How Not to Raise an A**hole.”  I wanted to share this podcast with my friends/family that are parents, as well as anyone else, such as myself, who is around kids (my nieces,nephews and friends’ kids) and wants to better interact with, handle kids, etc.  I think there are interesting/good topics and for me anyway, little things that I learn/can do. For example, inone episode a mother was saying how she always makes a point to acknowledge her kids when they are in the room, it was something her mother did that made her feel very seen.  I’m going to now try to do this too. A small, but simple thing I learned I can do.

In the episode I listened to today “How to Raise An Emotionally Intelligent Child,” the host said that her young daughter had said to her “Mistakes are proof you tried,” (which she guessed she must have heard on a show,) and I loved his.  I had never heard this or thought of that before. Thinking about it even more I was also thinking hat “Failure is proof you tried,” is also a good way to look at it/think of it. I will be remembering and telling myself this when I make a mistake or fail, but I think that is great to share with/teach the kids in our life.

For those interested, please check out the podcast and hey, lets teach the kids in our life that it is okay to make mistakes/fail.  Yes, mistakes/failures show we tried, but also mistakes/failures are some of the best ways that we can learn things (unfortunately.)

Can’t We Just All Be Friends?

Can’t We Just All Be Friends?

I’ve been hearing more and more about Ellen DeGeneres and George W. Bush at the Cowboys game together.  When I first heard/saw that Ellen and Bush watched a Cowboys game together and seemed to not just be getting along, but seemed to (gasp!) be enjoying one another my first thought was “it is sad that this is news” and then “good for them.”

I understand that people seem more and more divided these days and people seem to be less tolerant of one another, but really, this shouldn’t be such big news.  It is sad that this happens so rarely that it is news.

Ellen defended their friendship - “We’re all different. . .that’s ok.”  I wish more people handled themselves like Ellen and George W.  My mom and I agree on a lot of things, but also disagree on a lot.  I love, respect and appreciate my mom so much for allowing me to have my own views, thoughts, opinions and being open/understanding enough for me to talk to her openly and honestly with no judgement from her.

I have heard people making the case, essentially stressing the importance of standing by what you believe, not just changing/or “hiding” your views for someone else.  I understand that, but I think that it is okay to sometimes focus on what brings us together rather than what divides us and that doesn’t mean that you aren’t true to your views/beliefs.