Parenting Babies, Toddlers & Teens

What can a smelly old goose teach you about leadership?
by Michelle Shelton

In the 1990’s we lived on a farm in Iowa. Since I grew up in the country, I thought I knew everything there was to know about country living. Imagine my surprise at learning something life changing from a couple of old geese! When we obtained the farm I wanted to have the full experience so I began to collect animals. We acquired cats, dogs, chickens, an old horse, guineas and the pair of geese. I recall the wisdom that came from the animals. One such piece of wisdom was on leadership.

Leadership can be applied to our families, friends, business associates, co-workers and relatives. True leaders are not born, as we are often taught. True leaders are developed. True leaders find out what others want and then they weigh the best solution to create a win / win situation. Leaders face the challenges head-on and don’t whine, ‘It’s too hard.’ They take the time and energy required to develop their character, skills, philosophies, attitudes, and goals and then? Then they allow these things to be their guiding force. Fine leaders understand that others look up to them. They grasp the concept of this immense responsibility and joyfully take on the task. Good, bad or ugly.  Continue Reading... (965 words, 1 image, estimated 3:52 mins reading time)

Parenting Babies was Easy Work!
by Michelle Shelton

I remember when I had babies and I thought it was oh so much work! Diapers, laundry, meals, baths, dressing, feeding, eating….ahhhhhhhh.

Parenting babies is EASY!

Now, fast forward 14 years or so. My youngest is about to turn 14. The oldest just turned 24. That means for at least 10-12 years I was in this mode of cooking, cleaning, dressing, feeding, cleaning and well..you get the picture. At the time I remember feeling tired. I was tired all the time. I felt like a slave must feel.

Looking back, those were the best years of my life! As children get older they are much more difficult work. They create a need for mind work. Now my body is tired because my mind has to be on all the time and it that takes a lot more energy than mindless cleaning and cooking!

Would you think that parenting ends at say, 18? Or maybe when they get out of college? That would seem reasonable, right? Doesn’t seem to be so. My 24 year old is constantly calling and asking for things and she will tap into her winning formula of having a fit when she doesn’t get what she wants. Interesting. Of course I have some responsibility in this because if it didn’t work in some way, she wouldn’t use it. *sigh*  Continue Reading... (316 words, 1 image, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)

Learn to be a better parent from a dog?
by Michelle Shelton

I think as humans we have so much to learn from animals. My dog, Sophie, had five pups on December 18, 2009. They are cute of course. They are puppies after all.

If only I would trust myself that I have the answers like Sophie does. I was so concerned when she was about to deliver that she wouldn’t know what to do. From a human perspective, it seems disgusting…eating the placenta, chewing through the umbilical cord. I wanted to save her from having to do this stuff. She would have none of it! She knew exactly what to do and she did it with style. She kept her pups very, very clean. She cared for them and the first week, she didn’t leave their side.

Parenting from a dog

The second week she would feed them and then leave them for short periods. She still stayed close to them. If anyone went back to look at them she kept a watchful eye. After all their eyes weren’t even open yet!

The third week she fed them and then would stay away from them the majority of the time. The kids made comments about what a bad mother she was. Hmmm. I found this interesting. I reminded them that as a mother it is our job to allow you do learn to do things for yourselves. It often meant watching you make mistakes so that you can learn the ways of the world. Not bailing you out of situations that you can figure out yourself.  Continue Reading... (496 words, 1 image, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

With my first son, Phillip, we had a great Pediatrician from India. This man was very gentle with babies and you could tell when he held a baby that he loved children. When my son was a few days old, this doctor told me something that I had a difficult time grasping at first. He said, “Don’t wipe your baby’s bottom every time you change the diaper.”

This seemed foreign to me. I listened but I walked away thinking he didn’t know what he was talking about. I was under the impression that I was to clean that baby thoroughly every time I changed him.

Well, I set out to do just what the doctor told me; after all, he was the expert and I was a new mom! I realized somewhere along the line that the doctor was right. The only time I would wipe the baby’s bottom was when he had a bowel movement never when he was wet. Looking back I realized how wise that doctor really was. He understood that the PH of the baby’s skin was the same as the acid in the urine. Rubbing the baby’s sensitive skin 9 or 10 times a day, coupled with the constant PH change was a sure cause of a sore baby bottom. The urine didn’t cause a diaper rash, the wiping did! There was one other culprit that would cause a rash and that was a bowel movement.  Continue Reading... (694 words, 1 image, estimated 2:47 mins reading time)

Having the Sex Talk with your Pre-Teens? Yikes!
By Michelle Shelton

You want tips on talking to your preteens about sex? What if I told you don’t wait until they are preteens? There is a lot of risk in talking to them early as you will see in this article. However, this method has worked well. I have five children and it has worked with every last one of them! This is one of those true stories that you might question. I was there. Much to my mortified dismay, it did happened. So if you are willing to take a risk, these may be the best tips yet to talking to your preteen about sex.

So, my first question to you is this, do you know the difference between a peenie and a jina? I am not even sure how to spell it. Perhaps it would be Gyna? None the less, my two year old son knew how to say it and he did not mind sharing it with the world! I was one of those parents that insisted on honestly with the children all the way through their childhood, starting at birth.  Continue Reading... (1306 words, estimated 5:13 mins reading time)

Empathetic or Sympathetic? What kind of a parent are you?
by Michelle Shelton

You are responsible for your children’s health in many different forms, spiritual, physical, mental, emotional and behavioral. As parents, we have to cover a lot of ground and not get too caught up in the total protection of our children at all times. On the other hand you don’t want to neglect your children and expose them to unnecessary dangers either. You know, being a parent is hard work and it is a fine line that we must walk all the time.

Different people handle situations differently. When your child is facing a problem how do you handle the situation? Do you consider yourself sympathetic to their problems? If so, you may be a sympathetic parent or you may be an empathetic parent. Do you know the difference between empathetic and sympathetic? Most of us probably have not given it a lot of thought. Allow me to explain the difference and than decide if you are a sympathetic parent or an empathetic parent. One of these is very damaging to your children. Do you know which one?

Think about this, if your child fell into an old abandon well and you heard his cries, you would naturally run to the well and peer in. Your child would be very frightened in the dark and he may be injured, he could even die! As a good parent you of course want to help your child right away.  Continue Reading... (526 words, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)