Parenting is tough business. Nobody has it easy. But, we can certainly make things harder on ourselves — and our children — than they need to be. I recently came across an article from scarymommy.com titled, “Motherhood: The Big Fat Fuck You.” To be clear and fair, this article was written by a guest author, Lisa from […]
I’m writing this article because I’ve come across this question on numerous parenting forums. I empathize with it. You want your child to eat healthy. At the minimum, you just want them to eat what you cook so you don’t have to make separate meals. Before we launch into solutions, let’s get a couple important […]
The door bell rang five times in rapid succession. Emma. She’s one of four kids that just moved in down the street. They replaced a family of four who moved out a couple months ago. The previous family was an unmitigated disaster of humanity, so Emma and her family are a welcome replacement. Since her first visit, […]
When making the switch to authenticity, parents often have trouble navigating limit setting. “How do I set limits without morphing into the authority?” It’s a great question. First, understand that children are like computers in the sense that you get out what you put in. In computer programming, the phrase is, “garbage in, garbage out.” […]
There’s no such thing as a behavior problem. Well, not anymore than you or your husband has a behavior problem. Or your boss. Or your best friend. When we label children as having behavior problems, meeting their needs and overcoming the real, underlying challenge they’re facing becomes impossible. Throwing a tantrum, whining, yelling, lashing out, or […]
Let’s open this one with an awkward story. Our next door neighbors (who have since moved) once left their two kids playing out in the front yard with my wife and our daughter. My wife wasn’t asked to supervise, I guess it was just assumed she would. Anyway, their five year old daughter climbed onto […]
The “low fat” craze has been a disaster for human health. Worse, the experts told us, “If you do eat fat, each processed vegetable oils and margarine.” That’s a recipe for increased inflammation, poor gut health, decreased nutrient absorption, and obesity. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing across the board in health outcomes. Kids aren’t […]
Subjecting children to shame, fear, and guilt is a societal norm that I’m desperately trying to abolish. The negative outcomes are numerous. But when shame, fear, and guilt are tied to food, it creates a uniquely tragic situation. What we say and do to children around food causes mental, emotional, and physical ripples. Depending on the frequency […]
“Get that child some shoes!” A random grandmother shouted at me across the parking lot at the grocery store. She was concerned at the apparent neglect of my child — the fact that she wasn’t wearing shoes. That’s probably the thought of many of the people who pass us by, but only the old, withering […]
This article originally appeared at Reboot Your Kid’s sister site, Rebooted Body. There’s a disconnect in our society right now. The idea that pregnant women can eat whatever they want simply because they’re in a 9 month period where they can’t control their body composition is preposterous. Not only does this attitude not respect the […]