I love my kids, I just hate parenting
Sometimes you just need a change of scenery.
After the year from hell, with everyone stuck at home 24/7/365, with limited entertainment options aside from the TV and our phones, escaping the four walls within which we’ve all been spending almost all of our time was more crucial than ever. Especially in the middle of winter when fresh air is less appealing than usual.
So last month, when my kids’ winter break hit, we got out of dodge. In a Chevy.
When I was growing up, all I did was ride my bike.
We had a little path behind my house that stretched through my neighborhood, connecting all of my friends houses via a carved out trail for bike-riding, and nearly every day would find me and my friends hanging out back there, on “The Path” (we weren’t very creative). When we weren’t doing that, we were riding across town to visit the mall, or hang out at the local Caldor, or to stock up on candy at Wanda’s Sugar Shack. No helmets, no adult supervision, no rules. We were 80s kids, and we loved it!
It’s been 30 years since I had a bike, and nowadays I live in the city (and The Path has long been demolished) but thanks to Zizzo, I’m back in the saddle again!
Entertaining your kids isn’t easy. Ask any parent getting barraged with “I’m bored!” two days after Christmas.
Even here in New York City, where there are a hundred activities, events, outings, and experiences at every turn, kids can be hard to please. My 9-year-old likes going to movies and the occasional play, but he doesn’t really like to participate or join things. My almost 4-year-old wants to interact and engage with everyone and anything, which makes movies and plays impossible. That gap – in age, interests, and attention spans – can be hard to navigate, and finding fun things to do that everyone can enjoy is a challenge.
That’s why I can’t recommend Pip’s Island enough.
Disclaimer: I partnered with Best Buy and Sony to promote their noise-canceling headphones, but all opinions and whining about my kids are my own.
I spend a lot of time wearing headphones.
On my commute to work, when I work at my desk, when I’m writing, when I’m mowing the lawn, when I’m emptying the dishwasher, I even used to go to sleep with my headphones in.Music is life. Podcasts are pretty good too. (Check out the latest episode of mine!)
Basically, I prefer to listen to things besides the noise of the street, or the strangers standing next to me on the subway, or the people in my home asking me for snacks and shows and toys.
That’s why I love my new noise-cancelling headphones.
This post was sponsored by Tobacco Free New York State as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
When I was a little kid, it was Joe Camel. And the Marlboro Man. And candy cigarettes, especially the ones that actually blew fake smoke. It was action heroes and TV stars and even some athletes, believe it or not.
Smoking was cool. At least, that’s what they wanted you to think. And it worked. It’s still working, especially with e-cigarettes. But enough is enough. It’s time to sign the “Seen Enough Tobacco” pledge.
And I’m not a joiner, so this is a big step for me.