At what point does helping your kid with their homework become doing their homework for them? We had a recent post on the subject of dumb homework, and now one mom, who routinely finds herself crossing that line, fully owns her actions. Stating that her daughter's busy schedule leaves her too tired to do her own homework, the mom claims she has no problem doing it for her -- besides, those spelling assignments are so much fun. Believing that her daughter's after-school playdates and ballet lessons are more important than her homework, mommy has no trouble jumping in -- unless it's math homework. Mommy doesn't like to do math. The mother justifies her actions by saying it's a good bonding time for them and that she makes homework fun for her daughter. Others however, think this is doing nothing but setting a bad example for a young girl.
If your tween girl is one part fashionista and one part chemistry whiz, you'll want to have her read this story. An increasing number of tween and teen girls are turning their bathrooms into make-up labs, creating their own beauty products. Getting instruction and inspiration from YouTube videos, creative and cash-conscience girls are creating their own lip glosses, eye shadow primers and deep-cleansing pore strips. These future (and current) entrepreneurs are even creating sophisticated packaging for their concoctions.
Carpooling is a way of life for many parents. Between soccer practices, football games and after-school clubs, carpooling can be the only way to get everyone where they need to be, when they need to be there. Some say that ride-sharing with kids is more popular than ever, and that carpooling concerns are even influencing car purchasing decisions for parents of school-aged kids. In some communities, carpooling has even gotten competitive, with kids (and parents) vying to get into the "cool" carpools -- even if they're logistically inconvenient.
Is your teen so adept at texting that they could do it in their sleep? Turns out, they just might. Sleep-talking and walking are giving way to technology, and sleep-texting is the new nocturnal activity of some teens who fall asleep with their cell phone. Described as "drunk-texting’s more innocent little brother," sleep-texts are identifiable not only by their late time-stamp, but also the number of grammatical and spelling errors they contain.
For some, pregnancy is nine months of glowing bliss. For others, like France's First Lady, Carla Bruni, it is something which must be endured. Bruni has recently admitted to being "totally fed up" with pregnancy. "I can't drink or smoke any more. I'm in a hurry to get it over with," she said. As an over-40 mom, her doctors ordered lots of rest and clean-living for the expectant mom -- a lifestyle which is not agreeing with the former model turned first-lady. Here, in America, it's nearly-impossible to imagine our first lady expressing a desire to resume smoking and drinking post-delivery. Kind of makes you wonder what Carla and Michelle Obama would even talk about at a state dinner...
Nobody puts Baby in a corner! Except for school administrators in New Hampshire who recently canceled a school dancebecause they thought the students' dancing was too dirty. Ban on dancing? Adults scandalized by the way kids danced? It's 80's cinematic gold, come to real life, here in 2011. Now, where's Kevin Bacon when teens needs him?
Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. She is currently developing an alarm clock that will start an IV coffee drip 10 minutes prior to wake-up time. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.