Cross-posted at MotherTalkers.
Good morning fellow moms, dads and caregivers!
I am back after a week sans kids with your weekly parenting news update. Here are some topics we recently discussed at MotherTalkers:
In case you missed it, Pastor Dan and his wife Jen officially became parents! Check out their adorable family photo.
Have you or your partner taken parenting classes? According to a recent study by the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, classes that teach "positive parenting" techniques as seen from the Supernanny don’t decrease parental stress levels, but can result in a decrease in "harsh" or "abusive" parenting. Our Rachel, who is based in Australia, had the scoop. In somewhat related news, I asked for advice on how to apply timeouts. When my two-year-old hits or is especially defiant, we give her timeouts in this well-lit half bathroom. According to the experts, this is a bad place because she will have a bad association with the bathroom. But I am unsure of where to put her where she won't escape. Any ideas?
As for the teenage discipline corner, what would you do if your teen racked up a $4,756 cell phone bill? This happened to a father in Maryland and he ended up destroying the phone with a hammer. While I don't blame him, surely this could have been avoided with some ground rules. What are your rules regarding teenagers and cell phone use? How do you punish your teen in general?
In celebrity gossip break -- I am sorry, but this is what this has become -- we had a long discussion about Bristol Palin's new role as national spokeswoman against teen pregnancy. It seems like this girl has a tightrope to walk in that it would be crass for her to call her son a "mistake," but also maintain her family's good name. That is a lot of pressure. Why do you think she is doing it?
In much lighter news, we discussed the alleged affair of reality TV star and father of eight Jon Gosselin, which was splashed on the cover of US Magazine. Wait a minute. How did that thing make it into my hands? Help! :)
Happy Mother's Day all! In case you missed it, the non-profit organization MomsRising had this awesome video that could be customized for your favorite moms. Definitely check it out!
How are you? What is on your mind?