Not to tell on my husband, but I think his parenting skills leave something to be desired. Take for example his approach to making the kids breakfast. Hubby's parenting skills 'What do you want for breakfast? A peanut butter sandwich? No? Cereal? No? Bacon and eggs? No? Rice Krispies? No? You have to decide now!...
The kids' longing for a pet is like nits: the minute you start to relax they pop up again. Can I have a pet? So this morning I performed the classicical play: 'Kid wants a pet, but mom doesn't'. My co-star was my son Ot (10), who can be summed up by the slogan of...
I know it's cool to say: 'When I was a kid I used to play for hours with just a twig and some dirt!' But who are we kidding here: playing with twigs and dirt has gotten a lot more competition since then! Nowadays playing outside has to compete with playing on the Wii, Nintento,...
As a mom of five kids, who like to talk to me all at the same time, I'm very fond of Universal Answers. That way they all feel like I've given them the time of day, and no one feels neglected. Universal answers Take for example the universal: 'Uh-huh'. But 'Hmhm' also deserves a mention!...
'I remember a dream I had, way back in 1999,' my fourteen year old told me in the tone of voice of a man who has seen many things in his life, and is now considering getting some blinkers. I had a dream I love this kind of personal stuff, so I drooled: 'Please, tell...
I was taking a shower, enjoying some peace and quiet. Then my eldest son ran in, with barely concealed glee, brandishing a note. The note read: 'Fuk'. 'Mommy! That's the word daddy said! I wrote it down so I could show you, because we're not allowed to use thóse words!' Raising kids is hard I...
To my delight I discovered a judo class for kids, practically in our street! So I immediately enrolled my son, because I love the way judo teaches them manners. You never know: they might stick, and make my life easier! Because it was his very first lesson I helped him change into his judo suit...
Though my Godlike status of omniscience is flattering, I find it mostly tiring! Especially when the kids are home from school. Do I look like I'm omniscient? As soon as the kids get out of bed it starts with: 'What's for dinner today, mommy?' Followed closely by: Are we there yet? Mommy did you see...
There are some words I'm not fond off. Like 'No', 'Not now' and 'I'll do it later!' To avoid these words I've trained myself to ask the ríght questions, so I'll get the ríght answer. Yesterday I wanted my son to do his homework. But I didn't say: 'Go and do you homework!' Parenting 101...
Parenting is like bowling. You just gotta give it your best shot, and then hope for the best. There are no guarantees in parenting When I first became a parent, I thought that if I just gave them all my love, that would be enough. And I'm not saying love isn't important, but unfortunately it's...
