CurrentMom

Just Say No! to Volunteer Burnout

Family Friday

by Jenny Douglas Vidas

Who could forget Nancy Reagan's advice to us 1980s teenagers?  Of course I am referring to the ubiquitous but much-maligned "Just Say No!" anti-drug campaign. 

Although I have scoffed at this simplistic advice in the past, I increasingly find myself using this phrase with clients whose volunteer commitments are impinging on their ability to parent and to take care of themselves.  In short, maintaining a healthy work-life balance requires the ability to say no. 

Calendaring - High Tech or Low Tech?

Technology Thursday

Calendaring vexes me. I'm a big fan of information technology and digitization of information.  My husband is also.  And yet neither of us have really found a calendaring solution we're happy with, much less one that lets us easily share our calendars with each other and keep a joint family/household calendar. Awhile back I stopped looking, because I figure if such a wonderful thing were to be created, I'd hear about it through some channel or another.

I know there are a few things that come close.

Is Equal Parenting a Myth?

By Katherine Reynolds Lewis

I was raised by two feminists. My mother earned a CPA and MBA in her 30s and launched a hard-core career in university administration. My college professor dad had a more flexible schedule and did much of the hands-on child care during my grade-school years. He moved twice in order to support my mom's career advancement. Their marriage served as my model of gender equality.

When I got married, I assumed that my husband and I would be completely equal and take different household roles interchangeably. It hasn't worked out exactly that way. If anything, having children has convinced me that the equivalence of men and women is a myth.

Friendship

By Tanya Bunich

Recently I have been struggling on where to send my son, Sammy who is 10, for school next year. I have three kids and they are all in a small private school in Baltimore, Md. Last year, against his wishes, I moved Sammy, from an all boys private school he was in to join my girls in the co-ed private school they are all in today. I moved him because there were over 28 kids in his class and it made it hard for him to learn. It's easier for him and most kids to learn in a smaller class (it cost me $1400 for that confirmation). Reading comprehension and math are harder for him, he needs to be able to visualize in his mind what he is doing in order to understand and a large classroom makes it tougher. It happens to be that I am a big believer that most traits in our kids, positive and negative are genetic, as this one is no different. My brother and I also grew up with the same learning difference, the only difference is back then, we just got bad grades, were labeled as underachievers and it didn’t cost my parents $1400 to have us "officially" tested, we SURVIVED!!! and are far from underachievers today.
What does any of this have to do with relationships? 

One Box of Pasta, Two Cheap Retro Suppers

By Laura Holland

When it comes to putting supper on the table, there is no point in reinventing the wheel. These days, when we are all pressed for time and money, it really pays to pull out the classic meals from our own childhoods.

Here is a fail-safe blast from the past: fish cakes and spaghetti (see also here). My parents loved this as kids, my husband and I loved it, and now it is a hit in my home, too. It is cheap, delicious, and quickly made from stuff already in your pantry.