crazedparent

Another use for duct tape...

A school principal out of Dunlap, Indiana has come up with a new use for duct tape...can't wait to hear the rest of this story...

Check it out...

News and fear...

Just out from Detroit comes news that a man opened fire at a home day care (story here).

This strikes a very deep chord in me. Dropping my son off at daycare should only bring a tug at the heart because I can't be with him all day...and because I see him becoming an independent little boy.

Instead, it brings a heart tug and a fear as schools and daycare centers increasingly become targets of violent crimes and terrorism.

Sigh.

Feeling sappy...

What a long, tired weekend. I'm usually the one who tries to drag out Sundays with big family dinners, evening walks, late bedtimes.

Not this one. I couldn't wait for it to end.

Our son came down with a cold last week and it completely derailed his sleeping patterns over the weekend. Saturday morning....up at 2 am. Sunday morning...up at 1:30 and didn't fall back asleep until 4:30 am. And this morning? Up at 1:30 am AGAIN. Let's top it all of with the little booger-faced guy not napping all weekend. He normally sleeps 2-4 hours every afternoon. But not this weekend.

And so we remove the "crazed" and retitle it "cranky" parent. Two ass-dragging, bitter and CRANKY parents. And one wound-up, stuffy-nosed, whiny-voiced little boy.

You get my drift.

So I'm scanning my morning news and blogs (because now my son is asleep) and come across this column, "Parenting something to cherish," by Kathleen Duff, editor of the Coloradoan. It's one that reminds me that even as I wished away our weekend longing for a decent night of sleep and the return of craziness versus crankiness, I know in my heart I wouldn't trade the experience for a second.

Read it. You'll understand why the column left me feeling sappy.

The preschool quest...

This crazedparent is begining the daunting quest of finding a preschool for our son--and being inevitably waitlisted. How insane is that concept...being waitlisted for preschool. You'd think we're trying to get him into Harvard (well, we are but that's years away!).

And the decisions.

Academic preschool? Developmental preschool? Wait - there's such a thing as an academic preschool? And how does it differ from a developmental preschool? 2, 3, 5 days a week? Potty training required?

Calgon, take me away.

Another interesting option is the co-op preschool. I really like the idea of being actively involved from the very start of my son's formal education.

Here's a good read from the San Jose Mercury News (registration required) on co-op preschools.

Dwindling education...

"Dwindling Resources, Dwindling Expections." This is the title of a story out of the Twin Cities online weekly rag, Citypages.

Thirteen teachers voice their experiences in the classroom. The stories are not eye-opening...I'm sure you'd get very similar stories from teachers across the country. But the article is 100% worth a read because it serves as a sad reflection on our education system. And it makes me wonder what I can do to make it change.

We recently moved and one of our major decisions on location was the schools. The disconcerting part is that even though our school district is above average, we still need to look at the private schools in the area. We're lucky, we can afford a private school. What about everyone else who has to accept what they're given.

"Invest in the youth of America." It's the message we hear over and over from the bureaucrats who constantly cut funding to our public schools while placing oodles of cash into construction of new bridges or gold plating a city hall rotunda.

Put up or shut up.

The mommy track...

I remember a colleague being shut down by a client after a business meeting. After having her first baby and returning to work, the client felt she was no longer as committed to her job. She was on the "mommy track," he later told her male counterpart.

I was younger and childless. And it was that very moment that it truly hit me how difficult it is for a woman to be a mom and work outside the home. I'm not talking about the challenges of getting yourself out door on time without baby puke on your clothes. I'm talking about perception.

My colleague was a well-educated, very sharp 30-something woman. She could run circles around anyone in the company. The fact that she worked a four-day week, two of those days from home, had not diminished her committment and contributions to her company or clients.

Yet, because she was a mom, there was the perception that she was less than others. She was a mom, and therefore that meant she could not be counted on as a professional. Her true commitment lay elsewhere...to her daughter.

It seems you can't have it both ways in the workplace. If you're a work-a-holic mom who is willing to leave your children at daycare 5 days a week to climb the corporate ladder, then you are the official rock star in the office.

And you become the example that those of us--who don't want to follow in your footsteps--love to hate. You set a pace we don't want, or refuse, to keep. And because of that, we are of less value.

Here's an article from today's Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.) about some moms trying to redefine the mommy track...

@&#%! babypoof this...

Before entering Mom-Dom, I swore so much my husband had nicknamed me Barmaid. "Potty mouth" was putting it mildly. I could behave in the most conservative of situations, but I couldn't get through a sentence in most settings without a curse word...some alot more innocent than others. My favorite starts with "mother"...you can fill in the blank.

Then along came baby.

And I began the process of babyproofing my mouth.

I've become diva of facial expressions to mask a potential curse word. My husband and I have also developed this lingo to replace our favorites. "PP" for piss poor...as in he's got a PP attitude. "RB" for rat bastard. And "Mo-Fo" for my favorite phrase...but I use that one sparingly. Still wouldn't want lil' dumplin' saying that one.

My mom likes to tell the story about being on the bus with my two older brothers and sister...all under the age of 6...when the bus driver threatened to throw them all off because one brother was swearing like a belilgerent drunk.

Like locking up the cabinets and putting safety latches on doors, babyproofing your mouth is really to protect your kids. But it also serves another purpose...it saves mom and dad from embarrassing moments. You don't need darling Sally swearing like a sailor.

Here's a funny story from the Ocola Star Banner (Florida)...it's called "Kids Say the Darndest Things." Also has some tips on what to do if your young child does start swearing.

DotMoms...

The DotMoms are fabulous writers that can capture the essence of motherhood with brilliant stories from their lives. They tell tales of humor, inspiration, depair and just the cold, hard facts about being a mom.

crazedparent is really thrilled to be added to the DotMoms roster. Check out my first story, "Mommy Got Back."

And while your at it, be sure to check out the other great stories from the week.

Cheers to a crazed weekend.

Writing that warms the heart...

I love coming across an column or story that makes me smile. A story that I read over and over because it provides a sense of peace. And I especially dig it when that story relates to kids.

I picked up Orley Hood's column in today's Clarion-Ledger (Miss.). It's called "Teach them to listen when the band plays." Here are the two paragraphs that made me grin from ear to ear...

"There are few moments in this life more satisfying than knowing your children hold an appreciation for certain things that stirred you in your youth, that you've handed down more than a genetic disposition to gain weight in the midsection in middle age, that your child smiles when a Marvin Gaye tune is played on the oldies station, that your boy lags behind the family at the Guggenheim because he's mesmerized by Picasso's brush strokes.

The good parent not only teaches offspring moral values and certitudes, but infuses the younger generation with the idea that the perfectly scrambled egg is art, that the world is a better place because of Rachmaninoff, Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor, Pink Floyd and Elmore."

The column is simple and beautifully written. And I'm cranky I didn't pen it myself.

Snuggle gorillas...

Look at these cuties...