Category Archives: Parenting

Saying thank you the write way

Posted on June 29, 2010 by

Dear Reader, Thank you very much for reading this missive. I appreciate that you are taking the time to visit my site. I wasn’t quite sure of the best method for expressing my thanks to you, considering the fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ms. Smith-Jones-Adams-Johnson, I presume?

Posted on June 18, 2010 by

A friend — let’s call her Allison Smith — just had a baby and she and her husband Bill Jones (another pseudonym) decided to name their tot Baby* Smith-Jones. Allison never changed her name to her husband’s when she got … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S., Women | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

In praise of less praise

Posted on June 8, 2010 by

Is graduating from 8th grade such an accomplishment that it calls for gifts, parties, dinners, caps and gowns and other accolades? I’ve always thought celebrations centered on such a common achievement were silly — same as I feel about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Worst toy of the year: you decide!

Posted on May 4, 2010 by

What’s the worst toy of the year? Is it the Baby’s First Guillotine? Perhaps you hate the Heidi Montag Squeeze My Boobs Doll. Or is your choice the DeathDestructionDebauchery for Teens Video Collection? Well it’s probably none of those, especially … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Family dinners: more than peas and Qs

Posted on May 3, 2010 by

Are my kids going to be alcoholic, chain-smoking, school-failing, binge-eating drug addicts? Apparently yes, and it’s all because we don’t eat dinner together regularly. This came to my attention after hearing about an initiative to promote more family togetherness at … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Food, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Talking dirty not all it's cracked up to be

Posted on April 3, 2010 by

Apropos of nothing, I bring you today’s installment of Life with Teenagers. It’s a harrowing, dirty tale, starring an innocent, law-abiding child trapped in a prison of curfews and not enough allowance, who must endure daily tormenting by the cruel, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

This messy room is really crazy

Posted on January 26, 2010 by

Unmade beds are one thing, but does a messy room equal a mental disorder? Fellow True/Slant colleague Marjie Killeen recently blogged about how she can’t get her kids to make their beds. I feel her pain, but on a much … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Feeling snubbed? Take two Tylenol and call me in the morning

Posted on January 8, 2010 by

Tylenol is not just for headaches anymore. A new study shows that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in the pain reliever, also can ease the very real hurt of being ostracized, or socially rejected. I’m going to stock up. I don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Should you spy on your kids?

Posted on December 18, 2009 by

At least one mother thinks so. Her 17-year-old daughter might be alive today, she believes, had she read the teen’s diary, rifled through her bedroom drawers, maybe even followed the high school senior to some of the parties she attended. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Why isn't my kid more like Shiloh Jolie-Pitt?

Posted on December 17, 2009 by

If you don’t read this post, I’ll kill myself. Well, not really. It’s just an outrageous expression meant to express how sad I am, not to glorify suicide. But hearing me saying it (jokingly!) one too many times when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Parenting, U.S. | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments