This hit my mailbox this morning and came at a good time! Enjoy!Â
THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
Detoxifying Parental Guilt
Are you plagued by guilt whenever you fall short of your parenting ideals? Such guilt may seem a natural response, but it’s not… It’s *cultural*.
Our culture conditions people to believe that their worth depends on their behavior, so that when your behavior is “wrong” you doubt your self-worth, i.e., you feel guilty. But if you knew absolutely that you *are* worthy of love and respect — *unconditionally* — you’d never feel guilty. You’d simply feel “off” whenever your behavior was out of alignment with your values.
That “off” feeling would be a welcome sign that you need to adjust your course. And with your self-worth beyond dispute, you’d be confident in your ability to get back on track.
So next time you feel parental guilt, say to yourself, “This has nothing to do with my inherent worth — that’s a given. I made a mistake, but I can learn from it. I got a little lost, but I’m finding my way.” http://dailygroove.net/parental-guilt Feel free to forward this message to your friends!
Copyright (c) 2007 by Scott Noelle — “Inspiration & Coaching for Progressive Parents”                     http://www.ScottNoelle.com                                                                                                                                          http://www.EnjoyParenting.com
A really cool site I stumbled upon the other day;
http://www.economads.com/libaware.phpÂ
After 3 deaths, CDC urges parents to consult doctor before giving drugs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16581772/
We’re in between on what sort of tree we want to decorate. This year we went ahead and got a local tree but I’ve since found out that a majority of the Christmas trees available throughout the states come from NC (where we live now). So next year I hope to find either a pesticide free tree or a live tree to replant on our property. Christmas trees have tons of pesticides on them. YUK…think about your kids touching them all the time and then putting their fingers in their mouths.
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/organic_christmas_trees.htm
Ooooh…just found this local to NC resource;
http://www.pested.org/involved/actionalerts/xmastrees.html
Jan on the HP list shared this, something that I think should concern most if not all parents. With an 8 year old in school, I’ve often complained of the lack of free play time I see. I happen to LOVE our school and the kids do have recess and rewards for running laps (1/4 mile per day for the younger kids) daily before playing. But how many schools don’t offer this? The kids also get free time on Fridays to play at whichever station they choose and do whatever they want.
Anyhow, if recess is in jeapardy in some places, it’s of great concern. Children NEED that free play time.
http://www.rescuingrecess.com/Â
This is a great brief summary of what to expect as far as basic development and play preferences for your baby, from birth to age 12. Print it out and keep it handy!
 http://www.naturalchild.org/research/ages_stages.html
So we’ve been dealing with alot of questions lately from our 4 1/2 year old. He’s been doing the “why this”, “why that” thing. Something I suppose that most children go through at some point from 2-5 depending upon their level of language comprehension. I jotted down some of the recent questions and answers as they cracked us up.
Owen: Why is that a computer?
Dad: Because its not a rock
Owen: Why is Buster a dog?
Me: Because he’s not a cat
Owen: Why is this ball blue and red?
Me: Because its not purple and green
And the best was last week, Owen came into our bonus room (where we all congregate as each family member wakes up) with absolutely NOTHING on except one sock, pointing his two pointer fingers on his nipples and shouting, “I’VE GOT THESE!” ROFL
Posted by a member of the HP list, this video clip is hysterical, to those who are anti-vaccine, that is;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWfCnjnShnM