July 2014 - Motherlode - The Network of Care

The Biological Grandparent Trap

I'm thrilled that my parents are so excited about Tori and Kelly's baby, but I'm the sperm donor, and not the person raising this baby. I'm working to manage their expectations. Read More...

Published Tue, Jul 01 2014 5:40 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Grandparents, Artificial Insemination, Highlights, Sperm, Homosexuality and Bisexuality, Sperm Donor Diary

Teaching a Child to Wrangle, Not Reject, Rage

Children can’t understand how anger works, or manage it later in life, unless we encourage them to wrestle it with safe people. Read More...

Published Wed, Jul 30 2014 10:11 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, foster care, Children and Childhood, Anger (Emotion), Highlights

Watching the World Cup, and Watching Children See Dishonesty Pay Off

We sports fans often think that had it not been for the other team's misbehavior, our team would have won. In soccer, that's more likely to be true—which makes soccer more difficult to watch with kids. Read More...

Published Mon, Jul 07 2014 10:14 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Soccer, Highlights, World Cup 2014 (Soccer)

Stir-Fries, Mastered. Next Up, the Easy Vegetarian Gratin

Looking for an easy way to incorporate vegetables into a simple summer meal? This week, the meat-loving Ruder family tries a gratin. Read More...

Published Wed, Jul 09 2014 9:07 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, vegetarianism, Cooking and Cookbooks, Highlights, Vegetables, Martha's Greener Table

‘All My Friends Are White’

My son is black, but I’m not. Neither is his mother. We live in Singapore, where we don't have that many friends of any color. I wish I had friends to give my son, but I don't. Read More...

Published Fri, Jul 11 2014 7:23 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Race and Ethnicity, Adoptions, Highlights, Singapore

Weekly Quandary: The Kids Are Ungrateful

When kids who complain about the things a parent thought they would appreciate, like vacations and even chocolate, how can a parent help them change both tone and attitude? Read More...

Published Mon, Jul 14 2014 4:17 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Customs, Etiquette and Manners, Highlights

Goodbye to Cloth Diapers, and Ideal Motherhood

Those washable diapers were part and parcel of the vision I had of myself as a woman and a mother. And when I gave them up, I didn’t know who I was any more. Read More...

Published Thu, Jul 17 2014 9:40 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, social media, diapers, Babies and Infants, Highlights

Weekly Quandary: Having a Baby, and Getting a Dog

Should a couple planning on soon having a baby get a dog? Read More...

Published Mon, Jul 21 2014 11:09 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Dogs, Highlights

5 Ways To Help Your Kid Not Stink At Math

The "new math" curriculum is great — and nearly guaranteed to drive children and their parents understandably insane, because teachers don't know how to teach it yet. Here's what to do to help your child while they learn. Read More....

Published Wed, Jul 23 2014 11:51 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Homework, parenting, Children and Childhood, Education (K-12), Teachers and School Employees, Highlights, Mathematics

Appreciating the Worms in the Vomit

If you have to take two cats and a bag full of wormy pet vomit to the veterinarian, you couldn't find anyone who would enjoy it more than my young companions. Read More...

Published Wed, Jul 30 2014 8:50 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Pets, Highlights

Sticks and Stones, and a Diagnosis in Words That Can’t Hurt Us

A diagnosis, of autism or anything else, won't make me mourn my daughter, who is different, not dying. Read More...

Published Sun, Jul 27 2014 5:51 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Autism, parenting, Children and Childhood, Highlights

Three Generations, One Home, One Unavoidable Future

Does sharing a home with your parents or in-laws also mean spending more time thinking about death? Read More...

Published Thu, Jul 03 2014 1:18 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Highlights

The No Longer Reluctant Sperm Donor

When my friends Tori and Kelly first asked me to be their sperm donor, I was reluctant. But I quickly became fully invested in their process, and far more aware of how widespread infertility is. Read More...

Published Tue, Jul 08 2014 11:51 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, infertility, Artificial Insemination, Highlights, Sperm, Homosexuality and Bisexuality, Sperm Donor Diary

We Tell Kids to ‘Go to Sleep!’ We Need to Teach Them Why.

Sleep does so much more for our bodies than preventing us from being tired tomorrow, but most parents don't tell our children that. Educating kids about the importance of sleep leads them to sleep more. Read More...

Published Thu, Jul 10 2014 9:14 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Research, Sleep, Brilliant

The Emotional Whiplash of Parenting a Teenager

One minute, your teen needs you. The next, she pushes you away—hard. That's normal for her, but tough on the parent enduring the push and pull. Read More...

Published Sun, Jul 13 2014 5:30 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Teenagers and Adolescence, Highlights

July 2014 - Motherlode

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