Respect
RANT – The #1 Stupidest Parenting Fail… Are YOU Guilty of This?
Sometimes…I confess. MamaBear just utterly despises namby-pamby, wimpy pathetic parents who lack the brass-plated balls to inspire their kids….in the *right* way. Let me explain. I now decree the following. Children can scientifically be divided into 3 easy-to-generalize categories. Leaders, Followers and Independents. Leaders are those kids around whom their peers gather. They say "jump", […]
Steal This Trick – The #1 Secret Of Successful Parents Part 1, Attitude
>YAAAWWWNNNNN< >>>>STRETCH<<<<<<< Why good morning to you, gentle reader, and how was your weekend? Mine was an exhausting roller-coaster of goodness, tears, relaxation and more. The sad, teary part was attending the memorial service for our Sensei's son, Lincoln High, down in MD. I wrote about that over at In Memory of Lincoln High (8/24/93 […]
How To Proactively Fling Your Children OFF Of The Despair Tracks Before It’s Too Late
Parenting. It's more of a hero's journey at times than conquering new galaxies, y'know? And of course, it always happens when you yourself are dealing with adult issues and angst too. But hey, it's….character-building! Today's exciting episode deals with…giving your child the ability to *stop* the train wreck of despair that threatens to engulf them […]
How to give your children the gift of strength
Parenting….it's truly a hero's journey. Indeed. I was just reminded of this when HS2 attempted to tie on his hakama in preparation for Aikido class. Due to mistakes, he ended up with a garment that was tied rather bizarre…and attempted to fix it himself. Then he asked me, but as I don't hakamaize, I suggested […]
How To Make Your Children Truly Appreciate Each Other More Than Gourmet Coffee
Being utterly, mind-bogglingly brilliant. It does have its disadvantages!! As HS1 just found out. MamaBear was reminded of this when HS2 came bounding up to her, showed her a balloon that smelled rather nice and said, "Look Mom! I used air freshener to blow it up!" Talk about creativity! Bizarreness, too, mind you, but as […]
RANT – Disgustingly obese kids and their parents Part 1
Morning! Today's rant is a very personal one that's near and dear to MamaBear's heart. It focuses upon disgustingly obese kids and their hugely fat parents. Now, before you get all politically correct on me and trumpet, "…Yet another case of fat-bashing by a cardio beach bunny mother who flings herself into 37 hours of […]
How To STOP Brother and/or Sister Teasing From Destroying Your Family
MamaBear has some words of wisdom for you, she really does. And it's this. Never ever *ever* get between her and her 38th cup of coffee in the morning! Truly, attempting this foolhardy adventure is more dangerous than testing the tensile strength of a Mylar balloon via the edge of a brand new machete. But […]
Unexpected things like THIS make parenting glorious
I hope you're sitting down for this… MamaBear, for once in her venerable life…was knocked speechless. As in, MamaBear just sat and stared dumbly at the text that was beaming into her soul from her Verizon phone. It's all good mind you! Let me first give you some background… I'm part of a family with […]
“My kid is being bullied but I do NOT approve of her fighting.”
From the mailbag: "Dear Mama Bear, My 11 year old is continuously coming home crying because she's being teased and hit by other kids at her school. I really worry about her self-esteem! However, I do not think fighting solves any problems, so how can I help her stop the bullying? Sincerely, Baffled in Texas" […]
Biting Ballad of Both the Brilliant and Brainless Karate Parents
Yesterday, MamaBear had the spine-tingling excitement of attending the local Karate tournament and watching paint dry! Well, no, I really didn't, but what should have taken perhaps, oh, say, 3 hours, ended up lasting until 8:10pm. Given that I had gotten up at 2am yesterday morning, my oh my….that was *not* the epitomy of delightfulness […]