Earning points to get ungrounded

I came across this a couple of weeks ago:

The first thing that came to mind was the Monopoly card that reads: “Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200”. That’s how I feel this Mother is dealing with disciplining her children. If they don’t receive 500 points by doing the chores listed above, they won’t get “ungrounded”. (For the full story, click here).

How is this an effective form of discipline?

 Growing up, chores were something my siblings and I did on a daily basis. My chores included washing the dishes every other night, cleaning the washroom, vacuuming and dusting on Saturdays. As I got older, I did laundry and helped cook. These are things that every child should know how to do. Chores shouldn’t be used as a form of punishment.

You would have never caught my parents putting together something like this as a form of punishment. If you come from a West Indian home, there was only one form of discipline and I’ll leave it at that.

Living in a society where children are obsessed with technology, I now hear of parents taking away cell phones and tablets as a form of punishment. Then there’s the traditional time-out for toddlers or getting spanked with the wooden spoon.

At the end of the day, parents have to do what works for them and their children. If this method works for this family and the children learn their lesson, then kudos to their Mom.

What are your thoughts on this Mothers method of punishment?

What form of discipline did your parents use when you were growing up?

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Where are the neighbourhood kids?

Growing up, my parents had to constantly turn away young boys who came knocking on our door to shovel the snow or rake the leaves.

Every Summer, someone on our street was always selling lemonade.

When I was old enough, I used to babysit a couple of kids on my street.

Our neighbourhood was full of children competing against each other to make an extra buck. 

Today, that’s unheard of.

What happened?

 Is it that parents give their children too much of an allowance? Or maybe children don’t see the need to work because their parents hand them everything on a silver platter. Or it could be that parents hire others to do what they could have their children do for free.

In the nine and a half years that I’ve lived in Ajax, I’ve come across two children who were serious about making some extra money.

The first was a four or five year old girl on my street. As I was coming home one afternoon, I noticed that this little girl had a lemonade stand and a sweet table set up on her parents drive way. I went over and bought some lemonade. I don’t recall what she was saving for or if she was just doing this for fun.

This weekend, a young boy was passing my house with a weed remover looking for work. I hired him to pluck up those annoying dandelions on my front lawn. He worked for about half an hour and walked away with $15.

I am extremely proud of these two children for taking the initiative to earn some pocket money. They are definitely entrepreneurs in the making. Who knows, maybe their peers will soon follow in their footsteps.

Children need to be taught from an early age that they need to work for what they want. I’m so thankful that my parents never gave my siblings and I everything we asked for. They taught us to work for what we wanted and how to save for what we wanted.  

What did you do as a kid to earn some extra money?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)   

Gender Neutral Parenting

Boys play with trucks and girls play with dolls. Boys wear blue and girls wear pink. This is how it’s always been until Gender Neutral Parenting came into the picture.

Gender Neutral Parenting (GNP) is when parents raise their son or daughter in an environment that eliminates traditional gender roles. These children are usually given gender neutral names. Parents encourage their child to play with boys and girls toys. Their child’s room décor is gender neutral. The clothes they wear are gender neutral.

One Toronto couple went as far as not disclosing the sex of their child, Storm,  to family and friends (click here for the May 2011 article and here for the November 2013 article).

Today I read an article in the Toronto Star about how Sweden has come up with a gender netural pronoun for boys and girls - “hen”. This has replaced the male pronoun “han” and the female pronoun “hon”.  

Then there’s this video about a couple who raises their son neither as a boy or girl.

I fear for children that grow up in a gender neutral home and how confused they may become. It's almost as if these parents can't accept the sex of their child. 

When it comes to clothing, I believe that parents should dress their child according to their gender. No one should have to guess the sex of the child. 

Toys are a different story. I don't see anything wrong with boys playing with dolls or girls playing with action figures. 

Instead of parents raising gender neutral children, they should be teaching them about gender equality.

Girls should be raised to believe that even though there's more male Police Officers in society, it's okay for them to pursue that career path. If a boy wants to become a Nurse, parents should encourage him to follow his dreams. 

The last thing our society needs are more children who are confused about their identity. God didn't make a mistake when He created your son or daughter so please raise them accordingly.

What are your thoughts on Gender Neutral Parenting? Is this a parenting style you would consider?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)   

Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy aren't real?

Why do parents think it’s ok to lie to their children about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy? They teach them that lying is wrong but they do it themselves. That’s kind of hypocritical, don’t you think?

There’s nothing wrong with telling them about these fictional characters. There’s nothing wrong with taking them to the Santa Claus parade or the Easter parade. Just as long as they walk away knowing that the man in the red suit and the person wearing those big floppy ears aren’t real.

I was 10 when I found out that Santa Claus wasn’t real. One of my classmates and I argued back and forth until they started laughing at me. I went home that afternoon and confronted my Mom about it. That’s when she finally told me the truth. Santa Claus didn’t climb down the chimney on Christmas Eve to deliver presents to me or my siblings. All those presents that were marked “From Santa” were really from my Mom and Dad. I was crushed. For 10 years, my Mom thought it was ok to lie to me.

I never believed in the Easter Bunny. The thought of Easter bunnies laying chocolate eggs seemed ridiculous.

I don’t remember when I stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy. It was definitely before I was ten. Back in the 80’s, we only received 25 cents for losing a tooth. Today, some of my students tell me they receive $5, $10 or even $20!

After the Santa Claus incident, I vowed to never lie to my children about these fictional characters. So what if I’m taking the fun out of their childhood? The last thing I want is to see that look of disappointment on their faces when I tell them that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny aren’t real. I don’t want to see them cry and call me a liar.

If you teach your children not to lie, I suggest you start practicing what you preach. Telling them the truth about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy could save you a lot of heartache in the long run.

Did your parents lead you to believe that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were real?

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No more diapers

Wouldn’t it be nice if your baby was potty trained before their first birthday? Well, apparently that’s possible if you choose to Infant Potty Train your child (also known as Elimination Communication).  While this concept is mainly practiced in Asia and Africa, it is slowly becoming a trend in North America.

Infant Potty Training is when you introduce your baby to the toilet between birth and 3 months. Before doing so, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with your baby’s "elimination " schedule (i.e. how long after eating/drinking before he/she poops or pees). This is a great way to form a bond with your baby because you’re always watching for signals for when your baby needs to go.

This method is great for parents who want to avoid the costs of diapers. Babies tend to go through 10 to 14 diapers (or more) a day. 

Parents won’t be able to eliminate diapers completely. They will be needed when your little one heads to bed or when you’re going out.

It is also a great way to avoid diaper rashes. If trained to pee and poop in a toilet at an early age, parents won’t have to worry about their baby getting rashes from sitting in their mess for an extended period of time.

Just because parents potty train their baby at an early age, they still need to be prepared for plenty of accidents. With them being so young and unable to communicate verbally, they're not always going to make it to the toilet. 

The key to success is to be patient with your little one. Potty training at such an early age could become very frustrating. Take a break and try again. Your hard work and dedication will eventually pay off.

Would you try Infant Potty Training with your baby?

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