Protecting kids from themselves is a challenge

Is it possible to curb a child’s natural curiosity, especially when it’s combined with a terrifying lack of impulse control?
We have a seven-foot tall cabinet in our basement and have caught our two youngest, 4-year-old Keira and 6-year-old Ethan, trying to climb it to reach things on the higher shelves inside.
We’ve very clearly explained the danger of this.
My mother was babysitting recently and Ethan decided to climb the cabinet. Sure enough, it fell over on him despite furniture cups under the front corners to further stabilize it.
Thankfully, Ethan wasn’t hurt, but I’m sure he took several years off my mother’s life. He managed to wiggle out from underneath the cabinet before my mom even got to him.
Why must children learn so many lessons...

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Spring choir concert is less stressful

The spring choir concert for my son’s school was this week and I realized how much I preferred it to the Christmas concert season.
My son is as big a music lover as his parents and joined his school choir last year. (This year, the fourth-graders get to learn how to play the recorder but I think I’ll save the joy of that experience for another time…)
Christmas is an incredibly busy time with jobs, school, church and the requisite concerts. The school has a Christmas concert, the church has one and even my daughter’s daycare center hosted a Christmas concert this year.
I love everything about Christmas – particularly anything I know will create fond memories for my children. So we attended all the programs and were – guiltily – relieved when that round of...

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Food battles no fun for parents

All kids go through a phase where, for some reason, they seem to hate food. Being me, I hit the Internet looking for answers.
The most logical was the theory that very young children control very little about their environment, but around age three to four, they realize they can control what they eat. Let the battles begin!
Our oldest went through a phase where it seemed like all he would eat was macaroni and cheese, hotdogs and cold cereal for the better part of a year. He would turn up his nose at anything else and the loss of desert wasn’t enough of an incentive to get him to try anything.
Ryan has turned into a very good eater who will try just about anything and likes just about everything. He’s absolutely skin and bones, but so was I as a kid. The child...

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Valentine’s Day love – with stickers

Valentine’s Day was especially sweet for me this year since I had a fistful of handmade valentines from my kids, each one cuter than the last.
All three of my kids gave me valentines from the boxes they bought for their classmates so before the big day even arrived I was the proud owner of two G.I. Joe valentines and one Tinkerbell valentine.
My 10-year-old also made two valentines, one for me and my husband to share and another for our new kitten, Waffle. Ryan even took the time to punch holes around the edges and thread pipe cleaners through. I’m trying hard not to take it personally that Waffle got twice as many stickers as we did…
From 6-year-old Ethan I got a valentine booklet that had pictures and little Valentine’s Day poems inside. He also cut out and...

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Mom cashes in on birthday

Birthdays aren’t something I particularly care about these days since I’m fast approaching the point at which I don’t even want to admit my age.
I discovered, however, that my kids care quite a bit which was really touching. After a few seconds of a sappy, “awwww – they do care!” Mom moment, I started to plot how to use it to my advantage.
Mornings are hectic. I’m on my own in the morning with three sleepy, frequently cranky children who are in no way motivated to get to school or daycare quickly.
I usually dread mornings a little bit because I know at least one of them is going to give me trouble – whether with getting dressed or brushing teeth or getting buckled up in the van – one of them will give me trouble.
“Happy birthday, Mommy!”...

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Son helps Mom study for a change

Turnabout is fair play.
I have been quizzing my son, Ryan, for quizzes and spelling tests for several years.
This year, I get to quiz my son, Ethan, as well.
As a first-grader, Ryan really liked this time with me. He also felt very grown up having homework and tests to study for at school. The older he gets, however, the less he wants to be bothered with homework.
Ethan has pretty much felt that homework is a bother from the beginning.
While I really enjoy studying with the boys, they would much rather play video games.
In my house, however, homework and studying comes first. Period.
Ryan’s enthusiasm for being quizzed on his spelling words is particularly lacking. Especially if we’re going over words he initially struggled with for a second...

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What I do for love

I hate reality television. Deeply and passionately.
My own reality is something I prefer to escape from. I have no interest in watching other people try to deal with theirs.
I have found, however, that I will do pretty much anything for my kids.
Which is why, eight seasons in, I found myself watching “American Idol” last year with my son…and actually looking forward to it this year.
Ten-year-old Ryan is in his school choir and longs to take guitar lessons. He loves music.
His 6-year-old brother, Ethan, is constantly singing little made up songs despite his offended insistence that he DOES NOT SING. I don’t think Ethan’s even aware he sings ALL THE TIME.
Four-year-old Keira loves to sing and dance almost as much as she loves books and baby...

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Birthday party madness

I find myself in the midst of a conundrum lately. Birthday parties for kids.
When I was young, I got a birthday party with friends when I was 8 and again when I turned 16. They were at home with a limited number of friends and that was it.
Having a big to-do for a child’s first birthday seems to be par for the course and we did that with all three of our own children –complete with smash cake.
What I struggle with are the frequent invitations to very young children’s birthday parties.
The rule is everyone in the classroom gets an invitation or the invitations don’t get passed out at school. That way, no one’s feelings got hurt.
This wasn’t the case when I was young.
If my feelings were hurt because I didn’t get invited to someone’s...

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Reward system seems to work

I may have hit upon a successful way of keeping the kids in line that focuses on rewarding positive behavior rather than using discipline as a deterrent.
A friend recommended it as she’d had quite a bit of success with it herself with one of her four children.
Since I, too, have one child for whom no punishment eliminated undesirable behavior in the long-term, I decided to give the reward system a try across the board rather than try using it for just one of the kids.
Basically, if the kids earn five smiley faces on the calendar in any week, they earn a reward. The rewards are free and usually consist of time alone with either Mom or Dad.
Four weeks in and I’m still amazed at how well this is working for all three children despite the range of ages. My...

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New discount health card available in Lorain

LORAIN — Mayor Tony Krasienko announced Monday the city is endorsing a discount card that could save users an average of 38 percent on their prescriptions and higher percentages on lab tests and imaging services.

“This will mean significant savings for the uninsured and the underinsured,” Krasienko said at a press conference. …

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