Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy Free

FREE POLITICALLY INCORRECT PARENTING: BEFORE YOUR KIDS DRIVE YOU CRAZY PDF

Talking to our kids about politics has never felt as tricky as it has during the past couple of years. But before you go on a tirade or a victory lap, remember that our kids are absorbing our every word. Teach them grace in politics Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy same way we teach them Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy be gracious winners and losers when they play a board game or a team sport. Yes, the stakes feel really high right now in American politics. And yes, who we choose to lead our country is more important than a loss on the middle school soccer field. But how we model grace in things with big implications will have an impact on them and will trickle down to other areas. Emotions can be high where politics are involved, and our kids have a way of absorbing ours. When absolutisms—the always and the nevers— start creeping into our vocabulary, our kids take notice. Find the good. That can be how pleased you are that a certain candidate was elected or that a local issue that is important to you was passed—or even just that it made you happy to see so many people at the polling place. Kids need a bright side, and you can find one for them. But we can help them see the bigger picture: Even if our country is not being led by people of our choosing, there is still so much good we can do as individuals. We can advocate, we can vote and then we can channel our remaining political frustration into meeting the needs of our own community. One of the best ways to teach our kids that their opinion matters is by Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy their opinion. I also ask them how they would solve a certain problem. Meghan is Lifehacker's Parenting Editor. The A. Meghan Moravcik Walbert. Filed to: election. Meghan Moravcik Walbert Posts Twitter. Share This Story. Get our newsletter Subscribe. Sorry, Mouthwash Isn't a Coronavirus Cure. Wear a Mask at the Drive-Thru. How NOT to Talk to Kids About Politics

This guest post was written by Joe Paradisefather of two and a fourth-grade teacher who lives in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Does this sound familiar? There's a movie that you sit down to watch with a friend who's already seen it. But as the film gets to the good parts, she keeps leaning over and whispering, "Watch this. What are you supposed to be watching for? There's a real-life parental equivalent of such movie spoilers, and that's the phrase, "Just wait! As a father of two toddlers, ages 2 and 1, and a teacher in an elementary school, I'm in fertile territory for parenting advice. For example, I'll be in the faculty room unwrapping my turkey sandwich, yawning. A colleague comments that I look tired. I explain that I was up three times the night before with my little guy, Charlie, who's teething. Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy friend might have Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy me some of the joys that come with new teethlike making YouTube videos for Nanny, crunching goldfish crackers, and toothy grins in photos. Instead, I'm dreading the sleepless nights six months from now when his back teeth come in. In another such instance, my wife Jill and I are at a dinner party. In conversation, she confesses that now that both boys are mobile, it's hard to keep them out of everything. Instead, we drove home envisioning the dogged pursuit of two toddler Godzillas as they trash our house. But the worst happened recently when our friends, Scott and Nicole, invited my wife and I to their house to welcome their new baby girl. Nicole seemed happy, telling us everything about being a new mom. Then she said, "I guess the hardest part is the lack of sleep. I suddenly realized: We're all guilty of some version of "Just wait The diapers really get interesting. Just wait until college! It's not that our more seasoned parenting peers are trying to be snarky unless a sinister grin and gleeful tone gives them away. Maybe what parents need is a little more recognition, say a merit badge on our puke-stained T shirts for staying up all night with a sick child, or for committing an entire weekend to potty-training a toddler, or for forgoing a vacation to cover preschool tuition for twins. Imagine if parents could stand on the blocks and be awarded a gold medal for successfully hearing our 9-year-old tell us that we are actually kind of cool. Then maybe we wouldn't feel compelled to Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy newbie moms and dads with our own parenting war stories. So the next time you see a weary-eyed mom or an exhausted dad, hold your tongue for a moment. You might end up getting an invitation to the next new movie they see. Can't wait to find out what career your child will have when he gets older? Take our quiz to find out now! Image courtesy of Shutterstock. By The Parents Perspective May 20, Save Pin FB ellipsis More. Image zoom. Then the years roll by so fast. By The Parents Perspective. Comments Add Comment. Close Share options. Tell us what you think Thanks for adding your feedback. All rights reserved. Close View image. "Just Wait!" The Two Words That Drive New Parents Crazy | Parents

A new report looks at just how stressful it is for working parents to accommodate their kids' crazy transportation needs. As a working mom of three kids who go to three different schools and are all involved in different activities, I was not at all surprised by a new survey that found most working parents live in a constant state of stress over getting their kids where they need to go. In the State of Back Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy School Transportation report, commissioned by HopSkipDrivea California-based ride service that helps parents get Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy kids from point A to point B, it's clear I'm not the only parent who struggles to be in Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy or even more places at once. Using Google Consumer Surveys of more than 1, working parents with kids between the ages of 6 and 17, HopSkipDrive uncovered data that pretty much describes the daily reality of working parents like me:. This was about the same for men and women, interestingly. That number is even higher for some parents, who confess their jobs have been put at risk to meet their child's transportation needs. Joanna McFarland, co-founder and chief executive officer of HopSkipDrive, said in a press release about the findings, "This survey validates what we hear from our customers and experience ourselves as working parents—that families often need to be in multiple places at the same time which puts tremendous stress on the entire family and forces both parents and children to make sacrifices. And even with help from babysitters, buses, and other family members, things don't always go according to plan. The survey also found that for 7 percent of parents, their carpool arrangement falls through at least once per week. And just a third of parents would call their child's current transportation situation somewhat dependable or not dependable at all. Did I mention I'm pumped for my kids to go back to school in a few weeks? Look, it's definitely a grind. Each day I'm usually driving one of my girls to school late, or picking up someone early. Because each afternoon somebody has a play date, or a dentist's appointment, or swimming lessons, or ballet. My strategy: I try to manage our schedules one day at a time. If I wake up Monday morning and think about everywhere my kids need to be over the course of the upcoming week, I'll end up in a straight jacket. Another rule I live by is that it's okay to say "no" sometimes. I can't get my youngest to tumbling and also drop my oldest off at a friend's house. So the play date will have to happen another day. For the most part, my kids understand. We have a big family, and mommy's doing her best. Follow her on Twitter Spitupnsuburbs Politically Incorrect Parenting: Before Your Kids Drive You Crazy, where she chronicles her love of exercising and drinking coffee, but never simultaneously. By Melissa Willets August 17, Save Pin FB ellipsis More. Image zoom. Want the latest parenting news? Sign up for our Parents Daily newsletter. Ahema glass of wine at the end of the day also helps! By Melissa Willets. Comments Add Comment. Close Share options. Tell us what you think Thanks for adding your feedback. All rights reserved. Close View image.