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Talking sexting with your teen in light of a political scandal

Jen Klein — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:09:00 -0700

When you first learned about “sexting,” you had a talk with you tween and/or teen, right? RIGHT? You talked about good choices and appropriate behaviors, right? RIGHT? Even though you thought it was a “goes without saying topic,“ you had the conversation. And you thought you were done with that conversation. Check it off the list? Not so fast.

Monday Mom challenge: State the obvious

Jen Klein — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 06:04:00 -0700

We’ve all had moments of incredulity: something happens and the outcome is so obvious to us, but appears to be a surprise to others. Or we act in a way we think is obvious, or don’t say what we feel because we’re sure it’s obvious, and the outcome isn’t exactly how we expect it to go. Our logic centers are left slightly stunned or deeply shocked. An instance where we thought, “It goes without saying…” But maybe we should have.

Is your son at risk for an eating disorder?

Jen Klein — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:21:00 -0700

When you think of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, you likely have a visual image of a scary skinny body. A female scary skinny body. However, eating disorders are not just a girl issue -- and a person doesn‘t have to be skinny to have an eating disorder. Even if your child, male or female, looks healthy, it doesn’t mean you should dismiss eating issues. In all your efforts to promote and demonstrate healthy eating habits in your home, don’t leave your son out of the equation. Boys are as much at risk for developing eating disorders as girls!

What is disordered eating?

Jen Klein — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:15:00 -0700

You’ve heard about eating disorders, of course. Anorexia and bulimia are serious medical conditions that can endanger a person’s life. But eating disorders aren’t black and white. There’s a whole gray area of disordered eating that can affect a person’s health and well-being, even though it doesn’t fit into a neat, diagnosis check box. If your child has eating quirks, is it disordered eating? Or just a quirk of childhood he or she will outgrow?

Monday Mom challenge: Take a hard look at your eating habits

Jen Klein — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 04:11:00 -0700

Yes, we get it. Your relationship with food is complex. It’s more that eating and enjoying nutritious food that gives you the energy to live a healthy life -- it’s tied up in body image and self-esteem and societal expectations. It’s enjoyment, moderation, too much and too little, and everything in between. Take a hard look at those eating habits, both healthy and less than, and consider the messages you are sending to your kids. And you thought an apple was just an apple -- sliced very thinly and arranged just so with a measured teaspoon of sunflower butter? Nope.

How much independence should a teenager have?

Jen Klein — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 08:38:00 -0700

It’s a challenging time for everyone. As much as you know your job as a mom is teach your children to leave you, it feels too close, too soon. That time of leaving is approaching rapidly, and as much as your heart might want to pull back, you know you need to promote independence in your teen. You need to allow your teen more and more autonomy and responsibility -- with you as a safety net -- before it’s time to let go completely. It’s scary for both of you.

How much independence should a middle school child have?

Jen Klein — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:36:00 -0700

Your middle school daughter -- not a baby, but not a teen or adult -- wants to go to the movies with a friend, but without a parent. Is it okay? Your seventh grade son wants to spend the afternoon at the town beach with his buddies -- no moms in sight. Should you let him? The answer to these questions is a definitive…maybe. The transitional middle school years may scare you so much you want to lock your kid in a tower until he or she is 18, but the reality is that you need to -- and you have the opportunity to -- help your child develop an appropriate amount of independence. It may not always feel comfortable, but it is a necessary and rewarding part of growing up. For both of you.

How much independence should an elementary school child have?

Jen Klein — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:29:00 -0700

The path to adulthood and independence starts the moment your child is born. Yes, it does. While you wouldn’t dream of give “independence” to an infant, how you are going to raise and shape this child is something you do think about. And even while you are thinking about ways to care for and keep that child close in the early years, the ultimate goal of your parenting is to raise that child to be able to go out into the world independently and responsibly. It’s an awesome task.

Monday Mom challenge: Let go a little. Or a lot.

Jen Klein — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:24:00 -0700

Parenting is full of contradictions. You keep them safe and healthy and close -- so they can leave and live without you one day. You teach them about making good choices and responsibility -- but you need to let them fail and understand consequences. You support and guide and channel -- but at some point you need to be hands off. You supervise -- but sometimes you need to leave them alone. In short, you need to teach your child independence long before he or she is ready to be independent. But how?

Making fitness fun for the whole family

Jen Klein — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:28:00 -0700

It’s pretty much standard knowledge now that fitness is essential to a healthy life. As such, we encourage our kids to participate in sports and stay active -- and maintain exercise routines for overall fitness ourselves. Still, for some families, this fitness effort is piecemeal: Mom and dad do different things than the kids, and all of it needs to fit into the already crazy family schedule. But you can take family activity to a new level of fitness and fun by considering exercise a family activity that you do together.

Should you encourage a fitness conditioning program for your teen?

Jen Klein — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:21:00 -0700

You have an athletic teen -- but she seems to be prone to injury. You have a son who is on the edge of coordination and klutz. Which way will he trend? You understand how important fitness and exercise is to a healthy lifestyle and you want to promote regular physical activity in your child, but you seem to have some special circumstances. You might want to consider getting your child into a formal conditioning routine to strengthen his or her core and increase overall athleticism.

When should you introduce kids to formal exercise?

Jen Klein — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:59:00 -0700

You work hard to keep healthy balance in your life, and that includes exercise. Not only is it a good example for your kids about healthy living, it also keeps your mood even and helps you be a better mom. So it’s natural to think about introducing your child to formal exercise. Whether it’s yoga, Zumba or some other formal exercise program, it would be a great way to share an experience with your child -- but when does exercise transition from fun to formal for your child?

Monday Mom challenge: Shake up your exercise routine

Jen Klein — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 06:48:00 -0700

The idea of getting on the elliptical fills you with, "Ugh." You need a break from warrior three, no matter how pretty and easy you make it look. Your overall fitness has stagnated. When your time to exercise is limited to begin with you’ve got to like, if not love, what you do. It’s time to shake up your exercise routine.

How to tell if your child is under-scheduled this summer

Jen Klein — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 05:55:00 -0700

While many moms worry about over-scheduling their kids, both during the school year and during the summer months, is there such a thing as under-scheduling? Yup, there is. The freedom and relaxation of summer is a good thing, but too much can end up triggering as much stress as not enough!

How to tell if your child is over-scheduled this summer

Jen Klein — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:11:00 -0700

Popular culture tells us that summer is all about freedom: No schedules, lazy days and endless sun. It’s a lovely dream! Reality tells us that life goes on in the summer. There are still schedules to keep and jobs to do -- even if the kids‘ school is out of session. As such, some families, whether by necessity or choice, have just as tight a schedule in the summer as they do in fall, winter and spring. That can be a fine thing or a not-so-fine thing. Everyone needs some down time from busyness, and over-scheduling is a risk any time of the year.

Tips and tricks for keeping the summer schedule reasonable

Jen Klein — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 06:40:00 -0700

It’s not just surfers who long for an endless summer. After a long and productive school year and the consistency of daily routines, families want to make the most of the break and cram in as much “freedom” and warm weather enjoyment as possible. But the truth is, summer is way too short. There’s a lot to plan into these 12 short weeks -- and if you’re not careful, you can get over-scheduled and over-managed to the point of exhaustion. Sure you will have done a lot... but will you have enjoyed it?

Monday Mom challenge: Take back the summer schedule!

Jen Klein — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:31:00 -0700

How much do you look forward to summer? The slower pace, the free time to just enjoy -- all those things summer is supposed to be about. But how many summers have you had a mid-July realization that you are just as busy --- and sometimes busier! -- in the summer months than you are the rest of the year? With all that trying to cram “summer” into such a short window, suddenly that intended slow pace has sped up and you find yourself over-scheduled. Don’t let that happen this year.

Teaching your kids different types of deal making

Jen Klein — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:16:00 -0700

If you’re like a lot of moms, you use deal-making terms pretty much interchangeably. Negotiation, bargaining, compromise…they’re all the same, right? Well, no, they’re not. And when you’re teaching your children about deal-making and negotiating the ins and outs of life, it’s helpful to understand the difference between types of deal-making. Deal-making is not just for entrepreneurs.

Negotiating with teenagers: Crazy or critical?

Jen Klein — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:21:00 -0700

You may put the notion of “negotiating” with teenagers on the same level as negotiating with toddlers: Crazy. After all, both teenagers and toddlers are notoriously illogical and poor decision makers. But does that mean you should never try to engage in negotiation with your teen? Nope. Deal-making, whether negotiation, compromise, bargaining or some other variation, is a critical life skill and your teen needs to learn it from you.

Negotiate with toddlers? Are you crazy?

Jen Klein — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:02:00 -0700

Toddlers are not known for being rational creatures. With their bodies and minds developing rapidly on so many fronts, logic as we think about it is just not there. Angry that the color orange exists could be reason enough for an all-out tantrum! As such, you may have heard the admonition, “Don’t negotiate with a toddler!” Compromise is non-existent and understanding “Sweetie, I’ll make you a deal…,” won’t come for several more years.