It’s raining here. Again. And as Southern California Mamas, we are the first to admit that we are NOT used to it. Like, we barely own umbrellas kind of not used to it. So at the first sign of a sprinkle we’re making sure the kids actually have jackets and are scrambling to try to keep the family dry. As usual, we thought about ourselves last. We had no idea how to survive a rainy day inside with kids. So here are some thing that help us get through our day trapped inside!
Last weekend, we loaded up the kids and drove for a little over an hour to get together with my husband’s family. A five minute car ride can be rife with frustration, so an hour with three kids in the backseat can be an absolute disaster. When I got out of the car, I was asked by my sister in law how my drive was. Out of habit I responded in terms of the kids. “Izzie slept most of the way. Cole and Evie fought a bit, but then played nicely the second half of the trip.” She smiled politely before saying, “That’s nice, but I want to know how the trip was for you.”
I paused for a minute, unsure how to proceed. I’ve become so accustomed to my experience being dependent on everyone else that I didn’t even hear the question in terms of me. My kids day impacts how my day was. My husbands day at work can affect my night at home. But somewhere along the lines I have my own experiences and opinions and I need to remember to honor that.
After blinking in stunned silence for a minute, I responded to her actual question. “I had a nice drive. Chad and I talked about some things and I got to read a book for a while.” The exchange was unnatural for me. I realized that it shouldn’t be unnatural to tell someone about an experience I had. I spent the rest of the day very aware of the questions I was asked, and how I answered them.
We often complain that we lose ourselves and just take on the role of “Mom” – which is true. But I find myself accepting that role and not questioning it when I could be making sure people see me as more than that. This year, I want to talk to other women. I want to talk about them. Yes, I’ll talk about them as Moms, but I want to help them find value somewhere else as well.
Here’s my plan for 2019.
The best way to get through the holidays is to laugh at other parents’ misfortune. So we pulled together 25 hilarious holiday tweets to keep you going – and help you remember that we’re all just suffering through until December 26.
Unless your kids are getting toys that make lots and lots of noise. Then the suffering is never-ending my friend.
So happy holidays to all the Salty Mamas and Papas that do it anyway because we love these little stinkers.
Consent is a huge issue in today’s climate. As we’ve started to realize, kids are never to young to start learning about what consent is, and how to receive and give it. That means you should already be teaching toddlers about consent. As parents, we are the front line in facilitating these discussions and teaching consent to kids. Perhaps more importantly, it’s also our jobs to model this behavior in our own lives. Here are 5 ways to model consent in your everyday lives.
Look, if you’re a parent, odds are…your kids are crying. Maybe a lot. But you’re not alon! Laugh along with the parents of Twitter and they’re always-crying kids.
If you have kids, you are NO stranger to all the crazy reasons that they’ll throw a fit. And yet, no matter how many tantrums you’ve witnessed, you’ll never stop being amazed at the things kids can freak out over.
So we scoured Twitter for some of the funniest, craziest, most ludicrous reasons kids cry. Then, we asked our followers – Why did your kids cry?