The Parenting Shrug

The Parenting Shrug

I once wrote a post entitled “The Secret to Happy Parenting“, in which I suggested that you’ll be happier if you stopped caring what other people think of your parenting. (From that post: “I’m not suggesting you stop caring about your kid. I’m saying you need to stop caring about everyone else but your kid.”)

It sounds good. Being able to inoculate yourself against all the haters is definitely a great way to improve your peace of mind. The problem is your kids are still around! And as annoying and stressful as judgmental people can be, no one is as annoying and stressful as your kids themselves.

I was wrong. The secret to happy parenting isn’t to stop caring about everyone and everything else but your kids, the secret is to stop caring about your kids at all.

The secret to happy parenting is “The Parenting Shrug.”

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I Don’t Mind the Sibling Age Gap

I Don’t Mind the Sibling Age Gap

As of this morning, I’ve been a parent of two children for four months and one day. Thanks to the five-year separation in their ages, it doesn’t always feel like it.

When Mom and Buried and I decided to have another kid, we worried about the bigger-than-desired age gap, but so far, it’s making things easier for us. So much so that I sometimes forget I have two kids!

I don’t mind the sibling age gap.

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Rated Pee-wee

Rated Pee-wee

I’m not so sure Pee-wee Herman is a great role model for my kids. (Let’s not get into Paul Reubens.) He’s dresses like an idiot, he sounds like an idiot, and he acts like an idiot.

Wait. Now I understand why my five-year-old likes him so much. They’re both idiots!

The least I can do is have some fun with it. Thanks to Netflix, I did!

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The Five Stages of Throwing a Fit

The Five Stages of Throwing a Fit

Kids aren’t good at very many things, but they are good at going berserk on their parents for no reason.

After a while, you get used to their antics, and learn enough about their irrational ways that you can properly anticipate, and safely weather, one of their outbursts.

If you’re not yet schooled in the five stages of throwing a fit, don’t worry. I’m here to help.

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Common Parenting Mistakes

Common Parenting Mistakes

The other day, I ran across an article on Babble entitled, The 20 Most Common Parenting Mistakes, According to a Family Psychologist. I can’t afford a family psychologist, so I checked it out in the hopes of getting some free tips.

Then I read it. And, as I often do with these kinds of articles, I had some comments.

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