20 Dec

Dad and Buried Posted in Money No comments

The Disease of More

He wants more toys, even though he doesn’t play with half the ones he has. He wants more dessert, even when he can barely ask for it because his mouth is already full of dessert. He wants more time before bed, which he usually gets by tortuously extending the bedtime routine. All this demand for more makes me want less — less whining, less stress, less kids!

Of course, children aren’t the only ones who want more. Adults have the same obsession, especially parents.

Whatever Works

Yes, that’s me, sitting on the toilet with my toddler on my lap.

Allow me to explain: it’s a little parenting technique I like to call “whatever works!”

Say Uncle!

Saying “I told you so!” is not nice.

It’s not gracious, it’s not kind, and it’s certainly not something people like to hear. But that doesn’t mean it’s not satisfying!

In related news: my brother is having a baby.

Glass Half-Full Parenting

One of the great lies that many parents tell themselves is that their kid is perfect.

You know how it is — they’re your little angel and can do no wrong! They’re the cutest baby in the world, and you’re pretty certain they started walking and talking before everyone else’s baby because they’re so smart! Bow down before the greatest child who has ever lived!

This delusion gets harder to maintain as your child gets older and the things they can — and do — do wrong start piling up. But there is a way to keep it alive…

22 Nov

Dad and Buried Posted in holidays 4 comments

How Do You Teach Gratitude?

Like many parents, I always kind of hoped that my kids would absorb decent human values through osmosis.

That just by being around average, decent people who enact and embody basic human decency on a daily basis – like me and Mom and Buried! – they’d eventually become imbued with those intangible qualities we expect good people t have.

But if my 7-year-old’s lack of gratitude is any indication, it hasn’t been working.

Dad and Buried

The Disease of More

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Whatever Works

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Say Uncle!

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Glass Half-Full Parenting

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How Do You Teach Gratitude?

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