mummiez & daddiez magazine

they aren’t quiet about it. It's just not
normal for Americans to have
conversations with no interruptions. I
don't think it is normal for Italians or
Greeks either and I think that's okay.
Can you imagine if it was unacceptable
to interrupt people who cannot finish a
thought?
3. Living rooms as forts. Kids should
engage in free play. They do not
understand that such activity is
confined to their bedrooms. Really, do
I care that they're building a play
restaurant in the dining room? Or that
every blanket in the house is on the
couch, wrapped around various stuffed
animals for the "animal hospital"? I love
the creativity and it's worth the mess.
My couch pillows aren't too nice to be
used for "hot lava” obstacle courses on
the kitchen floor. It is tiresome that
the house is a disaster more than 50
percent of the time, but at least the
kids are using their brain in a healthy
fashion which is more than I can say
about playing video games all
afternoon.
4. Independent play. I'm a staunch
believer that kids need to learn how to
play independently. In the evenings,
however, when my girls have been at
school and in afterschool activities all
day and I've been working, I'm ready to
hang with them! If my six-year old asks
me to play "Trouble" for the fifth night
in a row, I'll do it. The older they get,
the less time they're going to want to
spend with me, so I’m taking it now. I'll
get a lot more "adult time" when the
girls are in high school.
Parenting is all about setting the right
balance for you and your family. I
disagree with the Tiger mum philosophy
of relentlessly pushing your kids to
excel and not allowing them to engage
in trivial activities such as play dates,
nor the French mother philosophy of
pretending that children are miniadults.
We all have different cultures,
economic backgrounds and societal
challenges which mean that there's no
right way to parent. Most of us do the
best we can. There are days when I
know I've been an unpleasant, easy-toanger
mother. I try to move on and do
better the next day.
Can Americans do better? Well, yes.
Americans are often helicopter parents,
for one. I'm not sure why, perhaps
from our in-bred colonial ambition but
also because our public schools suck. If
we don't stand up for our kids, who
will? We Americans can be a loud,
outspoken bunch, so naturally our kids
may seem like out-of-control, spoiled
brats to parents in other countries.
Maybe some of our kids are just, loud?
Could we push our kids harder and
make them more accountable? Well,
yes.
A little of the French way and a bit of
the Chinese way is fine, here and
there. But I'm an American, and I'll be
damned if I won't parent the American
way whatever that is.
Courtesy of......
Frazzled: Tips and Stories from
Working Moms@Home