You are here: Home / 2012 / Archives for July 2012

Bring on the Olympics: I am raising children!

July 31, 2012 By 19 Comments

So as I sit here at the end of just another day as a work at home mum watching all these super fit, buffed, fast and able bodied sportspeople thrash it out at the Olympics, I begin to daydream about what sports I would have had the greatest chance of competing in had I had my time again (yes I am probably conceding I missed that path). My friend used to joke that she would be in the archery team, her theory being that you didn’t need to be born with any unique talents, attributes or body type, you probably just had to practice really hard, thus making it more accessible to us mere mortals. (apologies to any Archerists, I am aware there is more to it than that!)

I then turned my attention to all the skills and attributes I am sporting myself,  and decided that I, like all other parents out there, have developed many skills and talents to bring all these children into the world and continue to parent them. It seems to me, all of us who enter into this event of extreme parenthood (all parenthood is obviously extreme) are most deserving of a medal of Olympic proportions.

After all, just recently I have had to have

  • the speed of  Usain Bolt to stop a crawling baby before he reached the top of the stairs
  • the flexibility of a Russian gymnast to continually change my plans on an almost hourly basis as I deal with sick kids
  • the buoyancy of the Aussie girls swim team to keep afloat when things start to overwhelm
  • the precision of a dressage rider as I organize daily routines, meetings, sports training, playgroups and parties
  • the partnership skills of the double sculls as my husband and I paddle through all this whilst trying to row at the same beat
  • the  tenacity of  the wrestling team as I struggle to change the nappy of the baby with the skills and movement of Houdini

……..and  whilst my 10 kg little man may not match the dumbbells snatched by the Bulgarian weightlifter,  hold him on your hip for any vast amount of time whilst cooking, cleaning or watching a football match and you have a clean and jerk to match it with the best.

And lets not forget having the diversity of skills of the decathlon participant, the endurance of a marathon runner and the ability to hold our breath as long as any synchronized swimmer (and keep our toes pointed) as we wait patiently for them to come off the wrestling ring trampoline unscathed, or make it down the big scooter ramp with all bones still in tact.

In all seriousness I have the greatest respect and admiration for all the competing athletes and for all the years of dedication and sacrifice they have endured. (not to mention their parents too!)

So as I continue to watch on, I will instead be rewarded with the greatest medal of all.  I will rejoice in all my children’s achievements, I will smile when I hear them laughing loudly and uncontrollably and I will  be thankful to watch them sleeping peacefully at night……happy and content. (Although I may or may not have just offered my 10 year old $5 if he could make the basketball ring from some distance away).

If you could compete at any Olympic event…what would it be and why?

 

 

 

Share
Filed Under: Modern Parenting Tagged With: ,

Presentation on Parenting with Technology and the online world

July 29, 2012 By 1 Comment

 

After some really enjoyable presentations at some schools recently, I have decided to put on a free presentation (gold coin donation) for any readers that are interested in finding out a little more about how the modern world of technology effects our kids, ourselves and subsequently the way we need to parent. You will gain an overall perspective of what kids are doing online, what that means for them and us, and how we can safely navigate them through this new world.

If you are interested in attending (its in Melbourne) please email me to reserve your seat. Please feel free to share with friends, family or other community groups who you feel may benefit. This is a talk aimed at parents with children of all ages from really little ones right through to teens.

Hope to see you there, and here is some recent feedback

 

“Thank-you Martine!

 We really appreciate you coming to our school to enlighten us with all your fabulous info!

I have received very positive feedback not just from parents, but our teachers too!

Everybody was highly impressed with your advice, professionalism and engagement

and we would love to see you again!!              Class Co-ordinator, Ringwood Heights Primary School

 

 

Share
Filed Under: Modern Parenting, Technology and Parenting Tagged With: , , ,

This weeks best parenting advice: breathe, flex and keep moving

July 24, 2012 By 24 Comments

Parenting advice is everywhere, some of it helpful and some of it not so much.
The best advice is often that which aims to improve the mental health of the parent, either in the short or long term! If this is somewhat well in tact then the functioning of a family is generally on a fairly even keel. (I say ‘somewhat’, ‘generally’, and ‘fairly’ with emphasis, so don’t hold me to this)

With that in mind, one of the greatest pieces of advice I think I will give to any new parent is to be flexible! There are so many skills, strategies and support systems that you need to effectively run a household and rear a family, but no amount of strategizing will help you cope with the flap and tizz that ensues from a down to the second plan gone astray. All the expert knowledge in the world will count for nothing if one doesn’t have an adaptability and agility to change direction at the last minute. A simple bowel movement, a fall in the mud or a bump on the head can ensure the most thought out plan goes belly up and threatens to derail the most organized of operators. [Read more...]

Share
Filed Under: Modern Parenting, More Joy Less Stress Tagged With: , , , ,

Nude food containers, odd socks and a giveaway

July 20, 2012 By 21 Comments

Please tell me I am not the only one who has got to the halfway mark of the year with substantially fewer lunchboxes, drinkbottles, plastic containers and the like? (and I wont even start with the hoodies and jumpers ) Each week my kids remind me of the need for nude food containers to do our part for mother earth.  That would be great if I managed to fill the lunchboxes with home baked goods every week rather than tip the biscuits out of the paper bags and empty them into a plastic container. But I digress. The point is I need lots of containers, they go missing all the time, possibly running away and taking with it a sock from each child’s drawer of nicely bundled together pairs. So as the year goes on the plastic container drawer dwindles in size whilst the odd socks in the washing basket grow at a frenetic pace.

 

So if you are like us and I am presuming hoping that you are, then it could be time to restock. You can check out the website Bonzoo.com.au for all your nude food containers, backpacks, drink bottles etc and they have kindly offered to all readers of The Modern Parent a 50% discount on the Nude Food Movers Rubbish Free Lunch Box. Just enter this code at the checkout: MID128306F

And if you want to win a rubbish free lunch box and cool skin pictures below (valued at $26.95) , then please leave a comment below telling me the items that seem to go missing in your household. Sorry only for Australian readers. Oh and don’t forget to go over and like The Modern Parent Facebook Page

 

 

Aussie Giveaway Linky
Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

Share
Filed Under: Product Review Tagged With:

To friend or not to friend: should parents and their kids be Facebook friends?

July 16, 2012 By 32 Comments

To friend or not to friend….is this a facebook dilemma for parents…or is it a no brainer?

Many people ask me whether they should insist on being their child’s facebook friend in order to allow them to set up an account.

The answer I believe should be based on a few different factors, such as the child’s age, their past record of online use and responsibility, their friendship ‘group’ and  your family circumstances, values and beliefs.

If you are deciding whether your child must also be your facebook friend, then here are some points you may like to consider:

The main reasons parents give for wanting to ‘friend’ their kids online:

  • Safety concerns- bullying, being bullied, strangers, exposure to inappropriate material
  • Curiosity- who they are ‘hanging out’ with, where they are going and what they are talking about
  • Time online- concerns about too much time on Facebook, leaving less time for homework, other activities and real life  relationships

A large majority of parents have their child’s password and sight this as a prerequisite for allowing them an account. Afterall just ‘friending’ your child does not stop them from excluding you from their posts or lists or seeing their online instant messages and conversations. But neither does seeing what they are doing on any one site ensure that their safety and digital reputation will remain in tact.

There is an argument that as social media and the likes of Facebook are the new social ‘hangouts’ for our kids then we should respect their need for privacy. I have heard that we shouldn’t interfere with their socializing online, just as we wouldn’t hangout with them at the park or shops or walk home from school with them listening to their every conversation.

But I will argue again that these online hangouts are in no way private…in fact they couldn’t be any more public. And my number one rule….

”if there is anyone on the world you don’t want to read something, then don’t press send”  If they don’t want mum or dad to read it, maybe they should be thinking twice about posting it.

I do agree however that it is an important aspect of their social life, so if you are their ‘friend’ then there are a few guidelines that may help you both find a better balance:

  • Don’t bombard their every update with comments and likes, but rather keep a watchful eye from afar
  • Don’t always tell them things online that you are perfectly able to in real life
  • Don’t get too personal or say things that will cause them unnesasary embarrassment
  • Remember you are their parent before you are their friend.

And don’t forget they are also keeping an eye on what you are doing on Facebook so be sure to model the same restraint you want them to have!

My kids are not yet on Facebook, so I am not speaking from personal experience here.  I do know however, that should they want something to be kept from me, there is every chance they will find a new social medium, a new website, a new app or a new chat room to have their private conversations. Rather than worry myself about whether or not my kids are being my ‘friend’ on Facebook therefore, I am far better off building up their own set of skills and understanding to safely and responsibly engage in the online world.

And this needs to start well before they are of an age to set up an account on Facebook.

Have you had any issues with your kids about being their Facebook friend? What do you think your rules will be if your kids are not at that age yet?

Share
Filed Under: Communicating and Connecting, Modern Parenting, Technology and Parenting, Teenagers Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Older Posts