Posts Tagged ‘Teen Life’

20
Sep
2017

Do you hold regular family meetings?

categories: parenting

hold regular family meetingsDoes your family hold regular family meetings? You know, a gathering of sorts, where you are able to share your thoughts and feelings with each other? Yep, I get it, if you grew up in the *cough* 90’s like I did, a family meeting would be a foreign concept. In fact, it would be laughable! I mean, if we had family meetings back when I was a kid, my mum would respond to my “chores is child labor” claims with a shoe against my face. Well, that is a mild exaggeration, but you get the gist. Parents of the 90’s (and earlier) were not prone to needing the advice or opinion of their children. But things have changed, it seems. (more…)

22
Aug
2017

Are you an angry mom?

categories: parenting

angry momMy children make me angry. There, I said it. Oh, sorry, your kids are perfect little poppets and you walk around sniffing roses whole day? That’s great. My children are not angels and I am a human being too, so I can’t relate. Look, I’m not saying that I live my life in permanent “angry mom” mode. Our home is not a war zone and I smile a lot more than I frown, I promise. But sometimes you need to bust out your inner ‘angry mom’ to get the job done. (more…)

27
Jul
2017

Apparently teenagers turn into adults eventually

categories: parenting

KyleSo my baby boy has just returned from his bi-annual visit to his dad in Cape Town and suddenly the kid looks more ‘man’ than ‘kid’. Not impressed. Not impressed at all. I don’t know what sorcery you Capetonians practice, but if you could return my baby boy to me in baby form next time, that would be great. Oh wait… I forgot, teenagers turn into adults, apparently. I believe it’s a condition that is most likely not reversible (unless you’re Benjamin Button, that is). So I guess I’m stuck with an ‘almost adult’ child. (more…)

15
Jul
2017

Spending more time with my teenager

categories: tips and tricks

Spending more time with my teenagerIt’s no secret: I am ill-equipped when it comes to understanding “teenager”. My son and I seem to be on opposite sides of the mental highway lately and it kinda sucks sometimes. Well, okay, most times. He is spending the holiday with his dad in Cape Town and as much as it pains me to be away from any of my kids, I also welcome the much needed break from having to deal with having a growing adolescent at home. But, to be honest, the break has also made me realize that I need to be spending more time with my teenager. And I’m guessing that making him clean the kitchen with me does not qualify as “spending quality time together”. Bummer. Back to the drawing board. Here are a few things I came up with instead: (more…)

14
Jul
2017

Why I don’t pay pocket money for chores

categories: parenting

Why I don't pay pocket money for choresIt’s tempting to ‘motivate’ children to do their chores with a little financial incentive. I mean, who’s really winning when you get to pay them just R5 to pack and unpack the dishwasher? But, there is a danger in this and it didn’t take us long to decide, as a family, that chores get done for free. (more…)

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