No one likes to wait in line. It is right up there with getting a root canal or having blood drawn. Long lines and international flights have got to be the two most irritating places to find yourself trapped when you are in the company of bored and irritable children 5 and under. Nothing causes a parent sweaty palms more than idol minds, fidgety fingers, and restless legs forced to stay put and keep quiet for a half-hour or more.

Here is a quick and simple list of things you can do to keep the whining at a minimum while you’re waiting: (more…)

As a mother of three very young and inquisitive little boys I am guilty of hiring the electronic babysitter while doing laundry, making dinner, and talking on the phone. And I am sure if I did an informal telephone interview with other mothers I would find this to be true for most everyone. I know that excessive T.V. watching without adequate interaction will cause verbal delays. That’s just common sense. We don’t just plop our kids down in front of the television for hours on end and then just walk away. So in lieu of the recent Baby Einstein shake up I thought I would take a moment to jot down a few very successful non-television activities that my boys and I have done together this summer. They both have busy little minds and are often easily bored so I have to get creative quite often to keep them occupied.

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I recently took my 4 year-old son on a play date with a boy he has known at least two years. When we arrived, however, we were surprised to find an older neighbor boy there too. Something in my gut made me uneasy, but I didn’t mention it to my friend. Just after we were in the door I caught the other two boys playing “gang-up” style shoot-em-up with squirt guns. My son had none. I had to stop them and talk with them about playing nice.

We stayed a couple hours, ate lunch together, and I watched the boys as they moved freely in and out of the house. At the close of our visit I reminded my son to thank our hosts and tell them he had a good time. He said no, very candidly, and I was admittedly embarrassed in front of our company.

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