Today is National Girl Scout Cookie Day

I saw on the morning news today that we are celebrating Girl Scout Cookie Day today. The CEO of Girl Scouts, Anna Maria Chávez, called it a "girl entrepreneurial" program. She also called it a "parent-supported" program which allowed girls to grow as individuals. Not sure what world Ms Chávez is living in today, but that is not my experience.

I Will Never Confess to Being Santa

Note: Originally posted at Crassparenting.com


At the bus stop last week after the kids were picked up by cheerful Mr. Ray, the driver of the bus, the moms discussed Santa Claus. My son Patch is the oldest on this stop at 10 years old. The moms asked me if I had told him that there was no Santa Claus. I looked at them as though they had three heads each. “Of course not,” was my reply.

The Spinal Tap Theory of Parenting

When Katie was a toddler, the usual time outs didn’t work. In fact, they often caused her to laugh right in my face. Nice. Measured, natural consequences rarely worked either. When she would hit her baby sister Megan with a toy, I would remove the toy for a short period of time and give it back later. This would not stop the behavior whatsoever. The only thing that worked to stop that hitting was to give the toy a time out for the entire day up on a shelf where she could not reach but still see it. What a stubborn 2 year old!