Good to read for moms of boys

My husband sent me this nice article today about how to think about raising boys. Much of it was stuff I knew already from my nearly four years of experience of mothering a boy. Still, it was a nice reminder.

The perils of co-sleeping

No, this post is not a lecture about why you shouldn't co-sleep with your little bundle of joy. Instead, I'm offering a link to a hilarious article on Huffington Post about the 'perils' of co-sleeping. It made me laugh out loud--high praise, let me tell you. Parents of older babies and children will be peeing in their pants. Seriously, go to the loo before reading this.

Your Toddler's Brain

Have you ever wondered about the inner workings of your toddler's brain? Here is a clever answer!

The truth about parenthood

A fellow Mommy sent me this fantastic post from a Huffington Post blogger about motherhood. I think all of us have  been cautioned by older parents to 'savor every moment'. Here's a real-life take on what that means, and how to take the advice without losing your mind.

I recall one particularly thoughtful older woman telling me when our son was an infant, "the days are long but the years fly by." That was much more palatable than the 'enjoy every moment'-type remark.

Enjoy every word of this article!

New guidelines for safe infant sleep

Announced today:

HHS AGENCIES EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR INFANT SAFE SLEEP RECOMMENDATIONS New recommendations based on research identifying risks for all infants

The AAP's recommendations are available at <http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/10/12/peds.2011-2284>.

How to bully-proof your child: start early

My mom, a teacher of elementary and middle school children for 35 years, shared this article from CNN today on how to keep your kid safe from bullying. She thought the techniques suggested would be good for Michael. So, I'm passing them along to you guys as well.

What we say to our kids matters... and the science to prove it

I saw a link to this article on Design Mom (a blog I often read that is mostly about the American author's experience raising children in France, where they are living at the moment. She has 5 children. I think they are Mormon.)

The meat of the article is a few paragraphs in. Here's the highlight to pique your interest:

Her most famous study, conducted in twelve different New York City schools along with Claudia Mueller, involved giving more than 400 fifth graders a relatively easy test consisting of nonverbal puzzles. After the children finished the test, the researchers told the students their score, and provided them with a single line of praise. Half of the kids were praised for their intelligence. “You must be smart at this,” the researcher said. The other students were praised for their effort: “You must have worked really hard.”

The students were then allowed to choose between two different subsequent tests. The first choice was described as a more difficult set of puzzles, but the kids were told that they’d learn a lot from attempting it. The other option was an easy test, similar to the test they’d just taken.

When Dweck was designing the experiment, she expected the different forms of praise to have a rather modest effect. After all, it was just one sentence. But it soon became clear that the type of compliment given to the fifth graders dramatically affected their choice of tests. When kids were praised for their effort, nearly 90 percent chose the harder set of puzzles. However, when kids were praised for their intelligence, most of them went for the easier test. What explains this difference? According to Dweck, praising kids for intelligence encourages them to “look” smart, which means that they shouldn’t risk making a mistake.

Getting Ready for Fall (i.e. cold season)

The sniffles have begun in our house. The dreaded colds of fall. My husband and I have started taking zinc, since so far only our 3-year-old seems to be suffering. But we've also upped his allergy medicine, in case it's hay fever. And, we've started back in on the saline aerosol nose spray. He is remarkably good at suffering this particular trial of childhood. We let him make it 'rain' first, and then after some cajoling, and Mommy taking a turn at getting saline spray, he's game.

A little less coughing last night, so hopefully this renewed regimen will help.

What are you doing to help fend off colds now that the air has turned cooler?

Are you subscribed to the NIH Parenting Listserve? What about DCUM?

There's a parenting listserve at NIH with posts about everything from nanny shares to free baby gear. Click here to subscribe...

Also, the DC Urban Moms and Dads Listserve and Forum are fantastic sources of information, stuff for sale, etc.

I bought a lot of maternity clothes off this list...

Slacker Moms Rejoice

Thanks to Amy for this great article on the benefits of slacker parenting.

More Helpful Reading Material...(from NY Magazine)

Dear lord... this is me (more or less)... it's hard to be a parent!

PEP classes

I've been taking parenting classes through the Parent Encouragement Program.  I highly recommend these if anyone is interested!

http://www.parentencouragement.org/

Stephanie

Attachment to Day Care Workers

I realize that I am totally attached to the teachers in our son's room at day care. We have to move him (since my husband is changing jobs and the current center is affiliated with his old office in Fairfax). I am not coping well. Should I not get as attached this time with the new teachers? What have others done in this situation? Is it the case simply that every transition is hard for the mom? I admit, I'm bad with change. But I want Michael to do well in this transition.

What's the wisdom out there on how to manage changing day care centers?