Weblog
Monday, 20 May 2013
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Everything I Thought About Raising a Girl/Boy Was Wrong.
Every child is an individual of course, born with their own personality waiting to blossom. How much do we shape them with the pre conceived stereotypes we inevitably have, is subjective. Was I rougher with my boy? Tossing him in the air, wrestling, role play? I don't think so. Was I more delicate with my girl, playing more softly with her? I really don't think so. Apart from the gender specific gifts they have received from before they were even born, I don't feel that I have made an obvious distinction in raising them or how I treated them. I mean, I'm not naive, I'm sure there were SOME things I did subconsciously, but nothing obvious.
The difference in my children is striking. And it goes way beyond the black and white differences of one being a boy and the other a girl. And the differences are a surprise to me. My early expectations of how they would be in their genders were way wrong.
For starters, my daughter who is 2 1/2 years younger than her brother is... well... tougher. Physically. It might be that he was my first and I was more worried for him than I was with her, but she is more coordinated than he is and was climbing things a lot earlier than he was. She can run faster and her form is athletic looking, where as my son, prefers not to run, but when he does, there's a scuffle thing he's got going on that makes him look... new.
Also, my daughter can take some cuts and bruises in stride, clean them off and off she goes with minimal nurturing needed. Where as my son, you would thing a limb was torn off over a cut that in all honesty I can rarely even SEE. Maybe she's just more naturally athletic than he is, I don't know. I've found, by talking to other moms with different gender siblings that this is the same for them. But then all the boys are the older sibling. More Here...
Sunday, 19 May 2013
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How Do You Criticize Your Kids?
My mum has always had a way with words. When she sees something she doesn't like she insults it and forces her opinion on you as well as unpicks any reason you have as to why you did it that way.Before her insults killed my self-esteem. I used to have bad acne on my forehead and she would mention it any time she was close enough to my face. "We need to try a different cream", "The skin on your forehead looks so...", "Maybe we should take you to the doctor." constant comments on something that I was already very hyper-aware of whenever I was in her presence.More Here...
Saturday, 18 May 2013
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*Hot Deal* Fisher-Price Little People Builders Classic Shapes Blocks Only $13.19
Head over to Amazon.com to save over 47% off on Fisher-Price Little People Builders Classic Shapes Blocks! The set is currently only $13.19 (regularly $24.99) with FREE Shipping on orders of $25 or more. If your little one loves blocks, this is a great price to pick these up at!
- Little People Classic Shape Blocks delivers a colorful new collection of blocks featuring unique classic shapes
- Set contains 15 new classic shapes, 15 single rounds, 15 single squares and 4 doubles
- Bright colors and interesting shapes intrigue baby
- Enhances fine motor skills as baby grasps and stacks blocks
- All 50 pieces fit in the durable take-along bag
Friday, 17 May 2013
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A Two Mommy Family - Grateful For Someone They Have Never Met
Many times I am so grateful to a person I have never, and will never meet. I am so grateful for a life I never really knew I had waiting for me. As much as my wife Alicia and I knew we were going to have a family and that we both wanted to be Moms, I had yet to really experience what was on the other side of those hopes and prayers. And one day, the anonymous donor we chose became so important to our life changing.
Being a two Mommy family, Alicia and I chose to use a sperm bank and select a donor in hopes of conceiving a child. We chose a fertility doctor and did tons of research. I met many amazing people along the way on our TTC (trying to conceive) path. Single moms by choice, husbands and wives facing the use of a donor, other two-mom families, all had something to share or advice to offer. One thing no one could assist us with was the very personal decision of choosing a donor.
Every facility offered something. If you went with this bank, all their donors have a doctorate level in education. Another bank prides themselves on their celebrity look-a-likes or upon paying for the service, their ability to closely match donors to the looks of submitted photos. Everything had a price, and regardless of the bank, someone could truly learn just about anything in the profiles of the donors. Personality testing, even their astrological sign. Alicia and I started our broad search after selecting the particular facility. We sifted through profile after profile; we knew we were looking for a donor who would remain anonymous, as that is what we wished for our family. Reading and searching, we looked at education, their career, allergies, and medical history. Some profiles stood out enough that we eagerly listened to the recorded interview with the donor. Surprisingly, just listening to some of the donors, we knew they were a “no” right away (as superficial as it may sound)!
We weren’t kidding ourselves that these were individuals who were compensated for their time and donation, but it was still important for us to find someone who seemed to have an open mind and came from a positive place or outlook on life. More Here... -
**IT Happens. Both Literally And Figuratively In This Case... And In A Starbucks No Less...
We've all been there. Found ourselves in a diaper predicament, no changing table in the restrooms, what to do?
Well, the cliff note version of this couple's choice, was to say screw it and changed their baby on the public couch seating area at the local Starbucks. For all to see and potential germs to spread. Neither the establishment OR the parents handled the situation with grace or respect so shocker, the cops were called.
I have deep empathy for the parents dealing with a loaded diaper and little options for changing it. Changing a diaper in the car, in the cold is never ideal and they DID probably think they could do it quickly and discreetly and DID plan to wipe up afterwards, but then a nasty barista allegedly tossed a towel in their direction and giggled amongst their barista friends. More Here...
