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Parenting on Track

My Little Praise Junkie

By KJ / Wednesday, June 8, 2011

“Was I so nice to get Wyatt his lunch box?” “Did I throw that ball just great?” “Is this paper airplane so awesome?” Rory wants approval. Specifically, she wants my approval, and I’m torn. On the one hand, I buy my Parenting on Track guru’s take on praise: kids should learn to value what they think of their accomplishments, not just what we think. She suggests we turn questions like that back on the asker: “Do you think you were […]

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Privileges and Responsibilities, Part 462 (or thereabouts)

By KJ / Monday, May 30, 2011

In theory, our kids have responsibilities. And they do—they pack and unpack their own lunches, they each have a weekly chore, they’re responsible for cleaning up their toys and getting their laundry in the bin. And, of course, they have privileges. We feed them, right? And take them places. And periodically buy them stuff. We’ve been having some trouble, Rob and I, figuring out how those things were supposed to be tied together. Surely if you didn’t do your responsibilities, […]

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Can I Give Today Back?

By KJ / Monday, May 9, 2011

What a day. Let’s just say that the amount of crying that went on this afternoon was stunning, and that was before I told the kids that the (old) dog had (easily, I hope painlessly) died this morning. I have had better days. So, I guess, had she… But (so I won’t start crying) back to the crying. I told the kids this am that I would bring them home for an hour before soccer. We take Lily’s friend B […]

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What Lily Does on a Rainy Day

By KJ / Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Crafty Lily Originally uploaded by kjda Lily has crafty instincts in more ways than one. By all rights, today should have been soccer. Normally, we play soccer in the rain around here. We do not let a little 50 degree weather or drizzle stop us! In fact, we have, and have had since Sam was this age and playing in this particular soccer (a spring fundraiser for the Dartmouth men’s and women’s soccer teams), special soccer gloves. Well, they’re not […]

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