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Mama J on April 20th, 2009

A friend of mine brought up an interesting dilemma this weekend. Her daughter is finishing third grade but reads well beyond her grade level (eighth grade according to AR scores). How does she keep her daughter challenged as a reader without exposing her to material beyond her maturity level? This situation reminds me of any […]

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Mama J on April 8th, 2009

Last Wednesday I blogged about anger, and the very same day another of my stepparent colleagues also blogged about stepparent anger.  Are we affected by the upcoming full moon, or is this a recurring theme families need to pay attention to?  What do you think?  I’ve been focusing on ways I can “come down” from feeling […]

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Mama J on April 1st, 2009

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.   -Ambrose Bierce  There are three cardinal rules I have to follow when I feel angry at a member of my stepfamily.  I’m writing about this because I have blown it before.  No real good comes out of a screaming […]

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Mama J on February 20th, 2009

Today’s post is my quick reflection on the process we  parents have to go through when our kids are too sick to go to school (that is, if they are not homeschooled.) Households in which both parents report to a place of work have the biggest challenge: Who will take time off to stay home […]

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Mama J on February 17th, 2009

Since this is the time of year when winter gets really long in some places, I thought a post on how to have winter fun with our daughters makes sense.  Why nine ideas?  Because you get to fill out number 10!    Take turns reading a book out loud together.  One of the moms I […]

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Mama J on February 5th, 2009

I have this feature on the latest version of my blog software called QuickPress, and I feel compelled to try it out. You are the guinea pigs for this “Quick Blog” success story on addressing bullying. One crossroads I think parents face when they learn of bullying behavior against their child is whether or not […]

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Mama J on February 4th, 2009

We talk a lot about stepparenting on this blog.  However, successful stepparenting is integrally dependent upon the role the children’s parent (the partner you the stepparent live with) plays in the family.  As a family rebuilds itself and creates a new identity, the parent remains the key link between past, present, and future.  I’ve researched, […]

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Mama J on January 26th, 2009

One way to be involved with your kids is to become involved with an activity they are passionate about.  This doesn’t mean that you actually do the activity with them (although you could).  What I’m talking about in this post is volunteering with an organization your child is a part of.  This comment connects directly […]

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Mama J on January 22nd, 2009

One parent asked me to comment on how to help a teen fill the “what will I do for fun” void she perceives when trying to move away from drugs and alcohol as a means of escape.  This is a tough one, but you have a jump start if your daughter is showing some willingness […]

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Mama J on January 19th, 2009

Given that many of you will be drawn to the presidential inauguration on Tuesday, I’m posting today and I’ll leave it up until Wednesday’s post. You’ve all probably heard of tough love before, but what does it mean?  Does it mean yelling at our kids?  Does it mean pulling the no-flex authority trip, or copping […]

Continue reading about Tender Thoughts on Tough Love