DFW Mama

My kids returned last night after two weeks in Colorado with their Grandparents. They had a blast, they crammed more into a two week visit that I could have imagined: hiking, crafts, cooking, video games, miniature golf, campouts/campfires, go karts, horseback riding and more. I am sure my parents are feeling worn out from all the unusual activity. Both kids and grandparents had very mixed feelings about leaving. The kids were sad to leave but ready to come home (my daughter made up for two weeks with no mama hugs in about two hours last night). My parents were sad to see them go but ready for a break. I know how they felt. My feelings during the two weeks were very mixed.

I have had two interesting occurrences in the last week with the theme of children and play that have made me stop and think about what we are teaching our children and what values we are instilling in them about making room in their lives for play time.

With 2 fresh new readers and a needy 3 year old that loves a good story, we go through lots of books in our house and intend to ramp up the dedicated reading time now that school is out. If you’re looking for ways to keep the focus on reading in these hot dry months, there’s no better [...]

It’s sad but true, I was reading through the Parent Handbook for my daughter’s Girl Scout camp and I got all teary. She is my baby, my sweet little 8 year old girl who is so excited and so nervous about going away to camp. I could not believe how sad I got just reading the handbook, what silliness, I thought to myself. She had a rough time at her first Girl Scout camp out a month ago and is worried she will be embarrassed and picked on if other girls see she is sad. It is sad to say that this is a real concern. Girls can be so mean to each other, which horrifies me, but that is a post for another day.

Do your kids ever drive you so crazy that you want to act just like them, lay down on the floor kicking and screaming and flailing your arms to get all your excess energy out? Have you ever tried it? When was the last time you allowed yourself to express your own feelings with that level of intensity?

One of my favorite talks focuses on how to connect to our children by learning to listen to their feelings. I am passionate about sharing this information, so over the next couple of days I want to share some of the tips and ideas from this talk with you. Much of the information is based on the the book Connection Parenting by Pam Leo, which is available on Amazon.com.

The only thing I know for sure is that both of my kids are going to sleep away camps for the first time this summer. My son to Camp Langston in east Texas. He can’t wait to ride an ATV. My daughter is going to Girl Scout camp with several girls from her Brownie troop. Part of me is happy they want to go, looking forward to a week alone with my husband but a bigger part of me is panicking. What am I doing sending my babies off without me or at least a grandparent to watch over them?