While kids eagerly await Christmas and the arrival of Santa, as moms, we eagerly await the arrival of Mother's Day. The day where we don't have to wake up early and make everyone breakfast, because they wake up and make us breakfast (in bed, if they know what's good for them). Generally, we expect breakfast, a card and maybe some flowers. Then, it's often back to business as usual and mommying like normal. Even though they're celebrating us this day, they still want us to continue with our normal duties. But, for one mom, her greatest Mother's Day wish is to take a break from mothering for the day. Writing over at Mommyish, she talks about her desire to have a day free to do what she wants, when she wants. Although she loves being a mom, the thought of just one day, all to herself, is the stuff that dreams are made of. If that involves sleeping in, lounging about reading books and watching TV, without guilt or interruption, all the better. What would your ideal Mother's Day be like?
C'mon get happy! (Kids will help with that)
Hey mom, turn that frown upside down. Turns out, parenting really does make us happier. Let's admit it, most days, we already knew this was true. But, on those rough parenting days, we began to wonder if those studies, the ones saying that being a parent makes us less happy, might actually be true. As USA Today reports, there are two new studies out, which contradict some of the older, gloomier parenting reports. The researchers behind these new studies say that the old research may be flawed. The first study followed a group of people both before and after they had kids. Although they didn't find kids to be a miracle antidepressant, they did find that people were, generally, happier once they became parents. The second study compared parents to childless people. This study spans a long period of time. It found that from 1985-95, non-parents were, indeed, happier. But, between 1995 and 2008, the tables turned. These days, it's parents who are the happier ones. Kids, they really are a bundle of joy.
One time parents aren't happy -- when they have to fly...
There have been a series of skirmishes leading up to this point, but now, it appears that war has officially been declared between air travel and parents. We've heard countless stories of pat-downs on kids from TSA officials, tales of parents being kicked off planes because their kids were throwing temper tantrums and even airlines literally declaring babies to be second-class citizens (or at least coach class, by banning them from first class). Now, an airline targeted a couple of moms and their carry-ons. Trying to board a flight, two moms and a toddler carried between them: two purses, a tote bag, juice cooler, child-size backpack, rolling carry-on and a muffin in a Starbucks bag. The gate agent, eyeing the bedraggled threesome, declared them to be over their carry-on limit -- because she was counting the muffin bag as a carry-on. Even after the muffin and juice cooler were tucked inside other bags, the agent still insisted the rolling luggage be gate-checked. If the old adage, "the pen is mightier than the sword" holds true, this battle will be a victory for parents. The two moms in question, weren't just any moms, but Lisa Belkin, the senior columnist at the Huffington Post and her editor, Farah Miller. As Lisa points out in her column, the issue was never about the number of carry-ons she had, it was about the child she was traveling with. A person without kids never would have been hassled for a muffin bag. A person with a kid? That person was threatened that the cops would be called on her. While Lisa got an apologetic call from the American Airlines after her column ran, many wonder about the rest of us parents. Will other parents start getting treated like the paying customers that they are, or will they continue to be viewed as annoying burdens?
It's the most wonderful time of the year
While kids eagerly await Christmas and the arrival of Santa, as moms, we eagerly await the arrival of Mother's Day. The day where we don't have to wake up early and make everyone breakfast, because they wake up and make us breakfast (in bed, if they know what's good for them). Generally, we expect breakfast, a card and maybe some flowers. Then, it's often back to business as usual and mommying like normal. Even though they're celebrating us this day, they still want us to continue with our normal duties. But, for one mom, her greatest Mother's Day wish is to take a break from mothering for the day. Writing over at Mommyish, she talks about her desire to have a day free to do what she wants, when she wants. Although she loves being a mom, the thought of just one day, all to herself, is the stuff that dreams are made of. If that involves sleeping in, lounging about reading books and watching TV, without guilt or interruption, all the better. What would your ideal Mother's Day be like?
There's a 50-50 chance you don't have a will
The dreaded thought of what happens to your kids and your assets should something happen to you is horrible to contemplate. For many of us, it's so horrible, we push it out of our minds and pull an ostrich, burying our heads in the sand, rather than making out a will. As Yahoo! Finance reports, a new survey shows that 50 percent of Americans with kids don't have a will. In addition to picking a guardian for your kids, parents also need to decide how they want everything from their finances to their online presence handled should they pass away. When people die without a will, the state gets to make all of these decisions. Sometimes, that works out okay. Sometimes, it doesn't. Unmarried couples especially, need to think about a will as they don't have the same automatic rights as married couples. Okay gals, let's stop procrastinating and get these wills taken care of. Surely we'll feel better knowing it's all taken care of.
It's not just a popularity contest, it's a fitness contest
Chances are, the more friends your daughter has, the more she exercises. As the Daily Mail reports, each friend a girl has, equals an extra 10 minutes of activity on the weekends and an extra four minutes of after-school exercise. New research done in England has shown that, for girls, when it comes to exercise, friends are a good influence. For boys, friendship didn't have the same impact on exercise levels. The study also showed that kids started exercising less after school as they got older. The researchers hope that the information can be used to help design fitness programs for kids as they transition from childhood to their tween and teen years.
Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.