Once in a while new parents of kindergarten children choose to devote special time to either volunteering in the classrooms or volunteering to help with activities that their children get involved with during the school day. Although it is helpful to have an extra set of hands say, for instance, in the classroom, most teachers are well aware of the potential stress involved when a parent is involved in “helping too much." What is helping too much, you ask? Well, it is when you are in the classroom, or trying to be in the classroom constantly, and you may become too involved. This includes …

This Sept. 11 was a reflective day for me. As many other people did, I knew someone who passed away that day. He wouldn’t have normally even been at the World Trade Center. He was just there for a training event for work. Life can be so unexpected. I grew up working at a restaurant with him during several summers. He was my brother’s really good friend and was just such a nice guy. In addition to being a loss to the many people who love and miss him, his death (and many who died on Sept. 11) was such a waste of so much potential good in this world. Tears fell this Sept. 11 as I continued to …

Not too long ago, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks hit us and hit during a week day when our children were in school. As people got wind of the disaster through television and then cell phones of friends and family, the disaster news was spread like wildfire. Of course, the schools were no different. Teachers and faculty members heard of the situation and before parents had a chance to have a say in anything, the television carts from the school media centers were being wheeled into every classroom so students and teachers could watch the account firsthand. I am not sure whoever ordered the …

“Gramma said we can have cookies!” “Yeah, but Dad said we can’t have any 'til after supper!” And there you have it folks, the argument of who’s in charge: Grandma or adult parent? Who are the kids supposed to listen to? It never works to have two bosses giving two different rules. Someone has to be in charge and families all over the place are having this same dilemma. The chaos that happens within the household with parents saying one thing and grandparents saying another is almost unbearable. The kids end up getting away with murder because they know who to manipulate to get their way. The …

You casually mention to your child that school will be starting soon and suddenly they break out into a cold sweat. They might look at you like you just sentenced them to the worst thing they could possibly imagine. They might start protesting loudly and worse yet, they might hit you right on your little heartstrings with, yes, tears. Maybe not too long after the dreaded announcement, they might clench their fists and pull them right into their stomachs and announce they are now sick, they don’t feel well and they think they are going to throw up. Well there you have it, an instant anxiety …

For years this debate has been going on and it still continues today. However, it appears that just possibly there is some change in the spanking trend that is tipping the scale more toward one side. Years ago, spanking was certainly the choice of punishments when parents felt their children needed to be “taught a life lesson” after some type of misbehavior. A child got a “whoopin’” for a major offense. But, what did that really mean? Well, a whoopin’ basically was another word for a beating. Parents would literally beat their kids to some extent depending on how bad the parent thought the …

Remember singing "All my bags are packed I’m ready to go..." with John Denver? Like the John Denver song, most of us have experienced traveling, whether it was on a plane (as in the song "Leaving on a Jet Plane") or in a car. In this post, however, we are not talking about the heartache of leaving loved ones but rather the headache of traveling with them. Since both my husband and I are not orginally from Rhode Island, we take some long trips (6 hours to 12 hours) to visit our relatives. My kids at this point are used to it, but it took awhile to get a set plan of what to bring and how to …

“Just because you are 18 now, doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you please!” Sound familiar? Today’s economy has been forcing more and more young adults to live at home with their parents even longer than they used to. So, what happens now? Do you keep the same rules? Do you change the rules? Do you drop the rules completely? We know the young adults will vote for the latter but is that the best way to co-habitate in peace? By the time your child turns 16, they most likely have become well-versed in playing the rationalization game which involves trying to make the parent’s rules invalid …

My daughter and I were at a pool birthday party for one of her friends. I sat on the side of the pool in my swim suit with my eyes on my daughter. I was sure to put a bubble on her before she went in the water but knew that floation devices weren't a replacement for my eyes. A large pool with lots of little kids made me nervous. I looked around. There was one adult in the pool and several moms sitting and standing away from the pool talking. My eyes were now even more glued to the pool. I noticed a mom had just arrived with a little girl. She hadn’t put a bubble on her daughter before …

Teens. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t throw them out on the streets yet, so what’s a parent to do? Well if you are a parent concerned with building your teen’s character along with keeping them out of trouble since summer is here, and you have probably heard the age-old phrase “I’m bored,” I assume you have suggested that they "Get a job!” And I can assume they scrunched their faces as if the request was absolutely absurd. With the exception of a few well-balanced and responsible teens who already have jobs and are paying their own cell phone bills, gas and car insurance, I believe I can safely …

Oh no! Summer has almost arrived and you have been so busy at work, you haven’t even had time to think about babysitters. When will you have time to put the word out or interview those sitters that do call with interest? But then again, your child is getting older. Maybe you can leave them...HOME ALONE. Unlike the movie, you probably won’t accidentally leave your child home as you and the rest of your family go on a vacation. But you could be pondering the idea of letting them stay on their own while you work during the day this summer. So, how do you know when your child is ready to be left …

Father’s Day is approaching this weekend. What comes to your mind when you think of Father’s Day? Often it makes us think about what our dad means to us and what he did for us. Have you ever told him what you appreciate about him? Read what others appreciate about their dads, then share your appreciation of your dad in the comments.  The two questions for this weeks Mom Talk are: "What do you appreciate about your dad (or any father figure) or what have you learned from him? And, what is something special you have done for him for Father's Day? " A few years ago I became particularly aware of…

Well another school year has ended and the summer is swiftly approaching. I am sure the kids are already chomping at the bit to be done with school and begin the lazy, crazy and hazy days of summer, but... Should they really put away those pencils and books? According to experts, children in our country experience what is called “Summer Learning Loss” and have been experiencing this for ages and, according to The National Center on Time & Learning, there were studies done on this subject way back in 1906, where second graders were tested for this learning loss (White, 1906). More recently, …

I don’t know about you, but I am always ready for the summer and the end of school. I really look forward to the lack of structure and not having to pack lunches! Fellow Mom’s Council member Kristen Humphrey agrees. She said it’s very important for the kids (and the parents too!) to have some down time in between school years. As much as we tease the kids they have the good life, they really do need a break. Another thing I look forward to is not harassing the kids about bedtime. As my kids are getting older, often they want to stay up later than I do- which I guess could be a whole other Mom…

Have you heard about Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver? How about the antics of Charlie Sheen? Do you like to share and hear stories about the stars (television or movies), politicians or anyone in the limelight? Do you like to read those gossip magazines, or maybe on a more personal level, do you like to get the dirt on friends or "friends of friends"? Then, it’s suffice to say you (and probably a large percent of the population) like gossip. But I’m wondering, do you think gossip is pure entertainment or do you think it can be hurtful? This leads us to the Moms Talk question this week…

Last week’s Mom’s Talk discussed how to help your child deal with grief. This weekend at the Aquidneck Island Relay for Life, there is a wonderful way for children and adults alike to celebrate the life of someone who has passed or support someone who is battling cancer. My family and I have participated in this event for many years, and we look forward to it every spring. For those of you who don’t know much about it, it’s a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. You can look at the website here. Groups of people form teams and compete as to which teams can raise the most money. The …

I’m sure you’ve seen the recent news stories about Osama Bin Laden being captured and killed. While it has given some people relief and some a call to celebrate, it can also make more tender the emotional wounds that were caused on 9/11. Additionally, as indicated in a recent post, there was an unexpected death of a family member of a child in a Tiverton school. If your child was directly or indirectly affected by either of these events, how do you help them deal with this? What if a friend or classmate was affected and is sad? How do you teach your child to respond to him or her? Kristen …

We have had some really nice days here in Tiverton and Little Compton. I’m hoping that most of you have put in some good hours outside sprucing up the yard from the winter. I bet that for some of you this is an awful chore, but I love it. I love to rake up those heavy wet leaves and find a new plant coming up through the ground with its pretty green shoots. The glorious daffodils and tulips in full bloom now, along with the fragrant hyacinths to peak all our senses. My ornamental cherry and peach trees have dazzling pink flowers just beginning to bloom. I also love that it’s no longer …

In a previous Mom Talk post we asked how we can teach our kids to respect others. This week the Tiverton/Little Compton Moms Council members discuss how we can teach our kids to not only respect others, but also our environment. Earth day was on Friday 4/22. Both Tiverton and Little Compton had Earth Day related activities this month. Patch did a post on the Tiverton’s Clean Up Week. Moms Council member, Kristin Silveira, is from Little Compton and indicated, “Our school has a huge earth day celebration this Thursday- planting, cleaning, recycling, composting, etc. It's really great.” With …

So you are standing in line at the grocery store and in front of you there is a young couple, approximately 16 or 17 years old. They are not only holding hands but also kissing, and believe it or not fondling each other right in front of everyone. Are you uncomfortable? Most likely if you are from the Baby Boomer generation or older, you are quite uncomfortable and are debating tapping them on the shoulder and asking them to please save it for another place, or you just stay quiet to avoid confrontation. As you are seemingly becoming more uncomfortable as the display becomes more and more …