By COLLEEN ALMEIDA SMITH Staff Writer on Sep 4, 2012, at 7:00 AM Updated on 9/03 at 9:58 PM
This wouldn't happen if you listened to your mother and went to bed on time. From the Better Sleep Council
BECAUSE I SAID SO
I was taken aback last week when A Mighty Girl posted the new image of the 'Brave' princess on Facebook.
Merida, ...
You know what your mom wants for Mother's Day? Baked goods. Or is that just me?
I can't be the only one who thinks ...
I've expressed my love of author Judy Blume on this blog before , so you know I was excited when I saw the movie trailer ...
The enforcer. That's how I feel about my job as a parent once school starts.
Summer is a fun, relaxed time. The family can hang out at the pool, stay up late watching a TV show or movie marathon and eat dinner at 9 p.m.
But once school starts, everything has a deadline. Don't get me wrong -- I'm a journalist. I love deadlines. It's my kids' lack of respect for deadlines that drives me nuts.
Getting to bed on time becomes important because it also affects whether they get up on time. But every night they have to be told that 9 p.m. is their bedtime, not the time they should be scrambling around trying to get organized for school the next day. ("Mom, have you seen my backpack ... lunch bag ... homework? I left it on the kitchen table ... stairs ... recliner after school.")
Then there is making sure basic grooming takes place -- teeth are brushed, hair is brushed, showers are taken. I'm sorry, but these tasks are never going away unless something goes very, very wrong.
Homework is a category by itself for my middle-schooler. She has an agenda to help her keep track of assignments and their due dates. But for some reason, if her father or I don't ask to see her homework, she may not remember to do it.
And housework. The girls have been assigned chores since they were old enough to help around the house: taking care of the cats; putting away dishes; and sweeping or vacuuming the floors. Even when reminded -- multiple times -- they still "forget" until we start threatening to ground them. ("Do I have to feed the cats again? I just did that yesterday!")
I know that keeping kids on track and instilling good habits is an important part of being a parent. I realize that it's especially hard to get into a routine at the beginning of the school year. For them and me.
But playing the heavy can suck a lot of the fun out of being a mom.
It makes me miss summer almost as much as they do.
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