Newsworthy Family and Parenting Digest – September 2016
September has just flown by, hasn’t it?! Many of us now have a little bit more “me time” since we have kids back in school and day care.
In case you missed the buzz of some of the most popular family news stories this month, I have compiled the top eleven articles that my fans and community members have enjoyed the most from around the web.
11 popular family and parenting stories in September 2016
Sometimes a post is simply great because it made us laugh, other times it was thought provoking. Either way it’s absolutely newsworthy!
Each post is embedded from our Facebook page. Feel free to click the image or link to read the article and like, comment, or even share directly from the embedded posts below.
7 Signs You Grew Up with a Toxic Parent and Didn’t Know It
While a bit on the controversial side, this one was still a popular read. And the reality is though that we ourselves don’t want to be toxic for our children, right? So it might be worth checking out to see if we can honestly identify anything in ourselves and our parenting styles that could be negatively impacting our kids.
Punishing Children for Being Human
One of my favorite quotes from this article is “Hold them to a high standard, but please, hold yourself to one too.” It’s so easy to give our kids the worst of our day when they push a certain button. Later on there is a list that’s absolutely worth skimming over. The author, Rebecca Eanes, asks what you did today that a child would be punished for and to note those moments.
The Misguided Desire of Wanting Our Kids to Be Happy
This is so hard, isn’t it? The author even asks where the “Kumon of emotions” is because “Well-meaning parents devote eons of time to helping their children master new skills, ignoring the truth that, just like soccer and piano, teaching kids to manage their feelings is a skill that must be taught and practiced.”
Just a really powerful read on helping your kids understand and grow in their own big emotions.
The Fourth Trimester – Why Newborns Hate Being Put Down
With a few short months before my own baby is here, this is something I remember all too well with my kids. It’s such an acclimation period for baby to be on the outside and for mom to have another little human to care for while trying to juggle everything else in life.
13 kids books to spark conversations about empathy
As noted in the article, “empathy is not something that is taught through lecturing. Instead, it’s something that must be woven in all aspects of life on a regular basis,” which is why I am so excited to see this list get circulated.
We live in such a me-centric culture that our kids have to be urged and prompted to look outward in order to help others. Nurturing empathy can be a difficult task in young kids, but that’s why I think starting with a stack of books like the post suggests is a good introduction.
“Tricky People” not “Stranger Danger”
This is such a scary account of why it’s so important the remind our kids that tricky people can be anywhere. It also reminded be a great post from my friend Paula about the problem with teaching kids stranger danger. Both are worth the read!
35 Real Photos That Highlight The ‘Sham’ Of Perfect Parenting
This series of photos sparked the thought in me “Isn’t it a shame that what makes a childhood seem so whimsical is what makes parenting seem so overwhelming?”
The Silent Killer of Relationships
This is a really powerful read. Unfortunately I think the site is down, but I found where the author republished the piece on Medium and you can find the silent killer of relationships syndicated here.
The author talks about expectations and I think that’s such a big deal that it extends into every relationship including marriage, friendships, and of course parenthood.
To The Thirtysomething Moms
A refreshingly honest post about letting ourselves go as moms and how there is this frantic and mundane place in parenting our children where we’re caught in between two different groups of women that both have their lives together.
And it’s such a great reminder if you’re living in that place right now (whether you’re 30-something or not), it doesn’t last forever.
The 9 Most Overlooked Threats to a Marriage
It’s true, everyone seems to point the finger at communication (or lack of) to being the biggest problem in marriages. However, this list of nine things really sheds light on marriage problems in our culture as a whole.
The Day My Son Gave Up On Me
This article is one that seems to resonate with my fans over and over again. And it’s a good reminder that sometimes we assume our words and actions are inconsequential, but over time they send a message to our kids.
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Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 6 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
