I just want to start by saying that breastfeeding is amazing. I never really knew how amazing it was until I did it myself. My oldest was only breastfed for six weeks and then formula fed the rest of his infancy. However, our most recent addition, who is now five months old on the 15th, is still breastfed. With my oldest I didn't wait long enough and I never realized how much I could enjoy it. With this baby, I absolutely love it more than anything in the world. Not only is it such a beautiful and bonding thing for us, but it's incredibly beneficial to his health in ways I never knew possible and it is a piece of cake to do.

I would happily like to announce that Parenting Forums now has its very own Facebook page and Twitter account! Both of them will be updated automatically with the front page posts, so it's just another way for everyone to keep up with the site. Please feel free to *like* and *follow* us, and invite your friends and family to do the same!

As parents, we all know that sleep became a thing of the past when our children were born. As soon as these beautiful, helpless creatures enter the world, our lives revolve around them, and that includes at night. Many parents are continuously concerned about the sleep patterns of their babies or children, wondering if what they are going through is normal, or if they are doing anything wrong. The truth is, little ones are constantly growing and changing, and so are their sleep habits. We should do our best to support the changes, and work with them to keep things flowing smoothly. Some parents wonder if some form of sleep training is necessary, or find themselves comparing their child to other children and they become impatient. The fact is that all children are different, and we should never try to push them into convenience.

I can't blame kids for being afraid of the dark. The dark is scary and full of unknowns, and all of this is magnified by the imagination of a child. If you can't see around you, then all you can do is imagine what is there, and children tend to go a little crazy with it because they can't really rationalize that there obviously is not a hairy monster under their bed, a bad guy hiding in the closet, or a ghost in that corner. When there's no light there to prove to them that they are wrong, why should they believe otherwise? They don’t have the ability to reason based off of knowledge and experience like adults do, and even as an adult I can say that I have a hard time reasoning in the dark!

I have known many people over the years that seem to have an extreme dislike for children becoming attached to comfort items. Countless times I have seen parents introduce a comfort item to their child, such as a pacifier or a stuffed animal, just to spend an enormous amount of effort directly afterwards on taking it away. A lot of parents set very specific time limits on when the blanket or the bottle should be taken away for good, often times much sooner than when the child is naturally old enough to comfort themselves without it. These parents cannot be blamed however, in this day and age all we hear about are what we should and should not do, and at what times, from doctors and in parenting books. What I think parents should try to remember is to always follow their instincts first, and to just go with the flow.

As the mother of a four-year-old and an infant, I am just now coming to understand the true relationship between an older sibling and a younger sibling. My boys are both very fascinated with each other, and I can tell that they are already developing a brotherly bond. I feel so lucky, as a parent, to be able to stand by and watch this relationship bloom! Of course, given their age differences, they are both on very different ends of the sibling spectrum.

My son is on Facebook, but not my daughter. I really don't like it. People are saying facebook is becoming like big brother. I personally don't use it and I don't know if I want my kids using it either. Anyone else read about this?

Ok, so at what age should a child be home alone before school and/or afterschool?


and I am talking for an extended period of time....not just 15 min. to hop on the bus, but a few hours???

Seriously...I'm sick and tired of these TV shows like Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant. They're (either directly or indirectly) celebrating teenage pregnancy, and (in my mind at least) encouraging it. I finally hit my anger wall the other day when I saw an ad for an upcoming ABC Family special where the girl gets knocked up, guy leaves her, then they get back together and are a big happy family at the end. REALLY??? ON ABC FAMILY!?!?!?!

These shows are portraying teenage family as "cool"....it's now hip to get yourself knocked up at 15, 16 years old.

What kind of society is my daughter walking into?




---END OF RANT. OFF MY SOAP BOX---

Below is an essay I had to write for school on failure and it's effects on our children. What are your thoughts? I am interested to hear both sides of the debate.

“And in first place on the beam, with a 9.25, is Kristi Clarke!” The sport of gymnastics completely shaped my identity and my life. All through my childhood, each weekday evening from five until nine I was in the gym practicing to become a better gymnast, to earn a spot on the National Team, to possibly earn a college scholarship. When I look back on my career as a gymnast, the lessons I learned are as clear as day – particularly the ones derived from failure.
In gymnastics, a slight bobble or a missed grip on the bar often means the difference between standing at the top of the podium and standing on the floor. I quickly learned the value of hard work, mental toughness, and a short memory. If I was to succeed, I couldn’t dwell on my past failures. At the close of my gymnastics career, I was pleased to discover that my sport had adequately prepared me for the real world.
I was very young when I learned the consequences of failure, but it seems today’s children are not given that luxury. Nowadays everyone gets the blue ribbon at Field Day. Everyone gets a trophy for participation. We are sending a mixed message that is bound to confuse and lead astray – after all, isn’t failure an essential part of learning what we are good at? Continual failure sends a clear message to “try something else!”
Thomas Watson, the founder IBM, said, “The formula for success is simple: double your rate of failure.” On the wall at Facebook’s corporate office the slogan “Fail Harder” is painted in huge letters on the wall. Successful people realize the value of learning from failure. Children who are insulated from failure will be paralyzed by the desire for perfection, never learning how to get up after they are knocked down.
I can’t tell you how many times I fell off the beam or crashed to the floor, and I never did get that spot on the National Team. But the lessons I learned from those failures are what make me a successful person today.