Jun
24
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
A life-size picture of Danielle Smith’s family is displayed in a Czech Republic grocery store, advertising its quick home delivery service.
Smith, a mommy blogger who lives in O’Fallon, Mo., had never heard of the store and had no clue her family had become their unwitting endorsers. She was alerted by an old college friend she had recently found on Facebook, who had since moved to Prague. He happened to walk by the store and recognized the photo from her profile page.
A week and a half ago, he took a picture and sent a snapshot.
Smith was stunned. She had posted the family picture on her site, ExtraordinaryMommy.com, Facebook and a few other social networking sites. She never imagined it would...
Read more
Jun
18
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
My daughter broke up with her best friend and I am in pain.
They were inseparable for years, but now, in middle school, they are in different homerooms, different class ‘streams’ and different talents, so they don’t see each other in class. The friend, B, was jealous when my daughter made new friends, but rather than try to keep her old, best friend, and make new friends, my daughter completely dumped B.
Maybe it speaks to the helicopter parent in me, but I take it personally when my children behave badly, and B is the aggrieved party.
The crazy thing is that my daughter is far from a Queen Bee; she is more like a bird testing her wings. She was not popular in elementary school, but she had...
Read more
May
15
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
Once he became mobile, it didn’t take long for my 10-month-old son to get into a few messy situations.
Most recently, he darted into the pantry where we keep the trash can. Before I could shout “Bye!” to the person on the phone, his little hands were searching like an elephant trunk for garbage goodies, some of it sticking to the corners of his mouth as I snatched him from the dirty corner.
There’s also the shoe-licking incident — I can just see my mom cringe as she reads this — and the times he’s collected a mouthful of fur after tasting the dog’s short-haired coat.
So far, I’ve forced myself to handle these situations with a calm “oh well” and, usually, a bath. Life is just...
Read more
Apr
23
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
Parents who think putting the computer in the family room will keep their child safe online are in for a rude awakening, said Jaemi Levine of Coral Springs, Fla.
It’s a lesson she learned the hard way.
In 2004, Levine’s then 12-year-old daughter was lured to a face-to-face meeting with an Internet predator and sexually assaulted. Since then, Levine has created Mothers Against Predators to educate parents about keeping their kids safe online.
“Back then, we didn’t know anything about computers or about monitoring,” Levine said.
Experts say parents need to be diligent about monitoring children’s online activities, but they also need to make kids understand the...
Read more
Feb
28
Posted by
besttech
A dear friend ran into big trouble at her 20-year high school reunion. She ran into an old flame, and the chance encounter reignited old sparks.
The problem? They were both married. There was no happily ever after — just lots of gut-wrenching drama and one painful divorce.
Nowadays, no one has to buy a flattering dress and travel to a forgotten hometown to reconnect with a former love. Virtual reunions take place daily all over the Internet. With a few clicks on Classmates.com or with a bit of searching on Facebook, you’ll stumble across the one who broke your heart or vice versa.
But think long and hard before sending that message or friend request. Nancy Kalish, a developmental psychology...
Read more
Feb
24
Posted by
besttech
A recent Facebook controversy, in which some photos of nursing mothers were yanked from the social-networking site because of their potentially “pornographic” nature, is the latest reminder that our country’s sexualized notion of breasts remains, shall we say, front and center. But the continuing debate uncovered another stubborn truth: Mothers still can be tough on other mothers.
“Breast-feeding may be a natural thing,” one mom wrote in the often-heated Facebook exchange. “However … why would I want to flop out a milk jug and show the world? ‘Hey, look at me. I got a jug, and I’m feeding my kid. I dare ya to say something.”‘
“It is a sad, sad country we live in that breast-feeding should feel...
Read more
Feb
19
Posted by
besttech
1. I’m being strong-armed into writing this list. A few friends tagged me on Facebook to do so — but it took my husband to sign up for Facebook, write up his own list and then tag me before I gave it any reasonable thought. He holds my Valentine’s Day surprise present hostage. What can I say, it’s a motivator.
2. I’m clumsy. This is probably something you already know. What you don’t know is my mom put me in ballet as a child, not because I wanted to go (and I did), but with the hopes it would help instill some grace. It didn’t. I was quickly dis-enrolled once the tap dance sessions began.
3. I kissed my first boy in kindergarten on the first day of school. My second and third were on the next day of school....
Read more
Feb
18
Posted by
besttech
Lots of lists are being traded around these days in e-mails and on Facebook. I’ve been intrigued reading other people’s lists of “My 25 Things About Me” and “99 Things I’ve Done,” but I’ve not yet tackled any of these “list projects.”
What I have done is devise my own “momhood” list called “What I Know About Being a Mom.” I stopped my list at an even dozen and just so you know, I hardly made a dent in describing my experience of “momhood.” The list could easily be titled “101 Things I Know About Being A Mom.” That being said, here are 12 things I know to be true about being the mom of daughters, one, two and then three:
1. Unconditional love is both a miracle and a mystery. I fell...
Read more
Dec
22
Posted by
besttech
By Mallary Jean Tenore The Dallas Morning News
By the time Abagail Kanter was 2 ½ months old, she had friends her age from around the country.
She has never met these infants, but she has received messages from them on TotSpot, a social networking site for babies.
“Hi, Abbie!” reads one message from Abagail’s friend Olivia. “Any good burps or (gas) lately? I’ve had a bunch today.” “When I stretch,” Abagail responded, “I leave some good burps and (gas).”
The messages, of course, are from parents, usually moms, who say sites such as TotSpot provide them with time-saving alternatives to play dates and face-to-face relationships, while...
Read more
Nov
13
Posted by
Shaun Bennett
By Jackie Burrell Contra Costa Times
The angst was palpable on Facebook.
“My mom tried to add me on Facebook today,” read one online posting, “and I had to deny my own flesh and blood. You’d have done the same.”
Once upon a time, Facebook was a gathering place for college kids. No one had access to the social networking site started by Harvard students in 2004 without a university e-mail address.
But two years ago, Facebook opened its virtual doors to everyone and now, OMG. Parents are everywhere. Adults older than 35 accounted for 3.6 million — 9 percent — of the Facebook demographic last year and the numbers just keep growing.
Read more
