Please, Don't Be Quick To Judge

I try and stay away from anything remotely political or religious on here, but I have to take a moment to speak up. My heart is breaking over the news of the death of Western Lowland Gorilla Harambe and the enormous loss of this critically endangered animal. I am a bleeding heart for animals and the proper treatment of them and was even a hard core vegetarian for almost 2 years. However, my heart is also breaking for the mother of the little boy who was in the enclosure with Harambe for almost 15 minutes. Let me share my own zoo experience with you and maybe your heart will soften just a little bit for her.

Parenting Sure Has Changed

There are always memes going around on the Internet about what life used to be like "when we were kids" and how coddled today's children are. I have to say that I agree with most of them. While I do believe that seat belts and bike helmets are a step in the right direction, there are a lot of other changes that I think are not only unnecessary but downright ridiculous.

Helping Your Daughter Into Puberty

 Guest Writer: Amy Hamblin

Amy Hamblin, one of our MIA guest writers is back! She is moving quickly into the next stage of parenting with her oldest - a teenage girl. Let us all have a moment of silence for Amy.......

In her first post back on Family Strong she is sharing a book that has helped her greatly in easing that bundle of hormones into puberty. If you have a daughter about to make the great journey, this just might be the ticket for you. 

5 Tips to Help Resolutions Stick

It's that time of year again - the first of the year when everyone is setting high expectations for themselves: get out of debt and save money, lose weight, stop smoking. These are all worth while goals, but many times we set unrealistic standards for ourselves that are too hard to reach so we give up in the end. Only a very small percentage of people actually set their goals and achieve them........ BUT, since I always stay on the positive side I don't want to talk about the large percentage of people who quit. I want to help you be in that small percentage who succeed. Here are the top 5 tips I have found that will help you on your way to successfully achieving those resolutions that you set for yourself.

I Was Spanked As A Child

I am here to admit that I was, in fact, spanked as a child. I am opening up to my parents abuse of me. What cruel, mean and amazing parents. I deserved every single spank I ever got. I grew up balanced, loving and caring for others. I am not a bully. I am not aggressive. I am not an abusive parent. I am just the way I should be. And, yes, I spanked my kids.

Teach Your Kids Responsibility For Themselves

I'm going to go on a little rant here, so just be fore warned. This topic is actually quite a sore spot with me, and since this is my blog I guess I can write about it. I get super tired of people blaming other people/companies for their dumb choices and I think it's really important to teach your kids to own up to the consequences of their actions.

Don't You Dare Do It! But, Let's Talk.

Don't stay out past midnight! Don't drink! Don't take drugs! Don't hang out with that crowd! Don't color your hair blue! Don't get a tattoo or body piercings! And, for God's sake, don't have sex!!!

This is what many teens face with their parents: I did. Not open for discussion. Period.

I raised my kids a little differently than this.

6 Safety Tips: Kids DO Die In Hot Cars

With us being in the full swing of August, and most of the country having record high temperatures this year, I have been slightly nagged to do a blog post on infant deaths in hot cars. The statistics are staggering, and they are not all cases of neglected kids left for hours in a car while mom is out having a good time. Most involve normal kids from normal families, and could have been prevented with just a few simple safety measures.

Don't Drink!..... But, If You Do

We have always raised our kids to not drink. We have discussed with them, ad nauseum, the dangers of too much alcohol. They have grown up with the phrases "You never want to turn your right to choose over to something else" and "It only takes one choice and one moment to change your life forever". We have also taught them this with the big but at the end of it, and I have learned recently how important that big but is.
 

Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning

Aaron sent me a link to a very well written post  by Mario Vittone, who is a seasoned US Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer: Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning. This post is A MUST read for all parents who will be spending time in the water with their children this summer. You will be shocked at how easy it is for someone to drown, right next to you.

Dealing With Bullies: Reader Response

Meet Corrine. Corrine is one of my best friends and the inspiration behind my post "Dealing With Bullies". No, not because Corrine is a bully, but because her son is having a hard time with bullies at school.

Josh is one of the most kindhearted kids you will ever meet, but he is different and the kids at school know that: Josh has autism. Here are Corrine's words on what it is like to be a parent of a bullied child.

Dealing With Bullies

I hate bullies! Always have... not that anyone loves a bully, but I have a zero tolerance for one person exerting their "power" over another. I can never sit idly by when I see a person being cowed by someone else: no matter what the situation is. 

It's important to teach our kids how to treat others around them, even if they are different: to be able to stick up for the kids being bullied, even if it's difficult: to be able to know what to do when being bullied, even if it's scary.