Whether it’s on the days leading up to Christmas or on Christmas day itself, after the presents have been open and everyone is stuffed full, happy and needing a good laze on the sofa, one tradition my family loves to do is to watch a Christmas film.
Here are our favourites:
1. It’s a Wonderful Life – No need for introductions here, who doesn’t know the Jimmy Stewart classic that makes me and my husband cry, no fail, every Christmas. Our kids have so far been a little young for this, but this year we’ll be trying it out on Nat (who’s 7 in February).
2. Miracle on 34th Street – This was one of my favourites growing up, and while I think the new version (with the fellow from the Practice) isn’t bad at all, the classic film with Natalie Wood is still the best.
3. The Grinch – My kids like the Jim Carey film and actually watch it all year round, but I prefer the old cartoon – obviously because it’s what I grew up with, and also because the cartoon Grinch is much more charmingly evil than Jim Carey with all that weird makeup.
4. Scrooge – We love musicals, and so this rendition of “A Christmas Carol” is something the kids enjoy too. Lovely old-fashioned songs, the classic Dickens tale, a film we can’t miss watching every year.
5. The Santa Clause (1, 2,3) – Tim Allen makes us all laugh in this household, and the festive effects in all 3 films are pretty wonderful. The modern twist is also fun to watch – and makes my kids wish it would happen to their Dad!
6. A Christmas Story – I love coming-of-age films, and this one is a firm favorite – just the thought of the “leg” lamp in the “fragile” package makes me laugh out loud! Letting the kids see the “olden”, simpler days of the 50′s is also good.
7. A Charlie Brown Christmas – Ok, so my husband who’s not so big on cartoons won’t join us for this one (also because he’s English, so Charlie Brown isn’t really something he grew up with), but I love watching this with the kids for its quiet, jazzy music, old-style humour (you blockhead!) and nostalgic feel. Perfect!
From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!!
I don’t know if it’s because of the Christmas excitement – with all the shopping, wrapping, baking and school activities, but my children have become increasingly naughty, and that even includes little Wills, who has been waking up every 1 a.m and refusing to sleep for a full hour.
So in my battle weary Christmas frustration, I was thrilled when my best friend cleverly sent me an email about Krampus, Saint Nick’s devilish companion in Europe, who gets very very naughty children by beating them with sticks, filling their stockings with coal and throwing them in his sack (to be brought where, heavens knows). That night the screaming, wrestling, whining and fighting stopped, so you can guess who was introduced to the family Christmas tradition….
A bit severe? Well, the tradition of Krampus hails from Bavaria, where my Father-in-Law was born and raised, so I can argue that it is part in my children’s family heritage. Now, with the mention of one simple “K” word, my home is no longer a screaming pit of holiday nerves, but a harmonious Chipmunk-Christmas-playing-in-the background abode, that would make Martha Stewart proud. If only Krampus was around all year round…..
The word Krampus originates from the Old High German word for claw (Krampen). In the Alpine regions the Krampus is represented by an incubus in company of Saint Nicholas. Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus in the first two weeks of December, particularly in the evening of December 5, and roam the streets frightening children (and adults) with rusty chains and bells. In some rural areas the tradition also includes slight birching by the Krampus, especially of young females.
The present day Krampus costume consists of wooden masks or Larve, sheep’s skin and horns. Considerable effort goes into the manufacture of the hand-crafted masks, as many younger adults in rural communities engage competitively in the Krampus events.
In Oberstdorf, in the southwestern alpine part of Bavaria, the tradition of the “Wilde Mann” (wild man) is kept alive. He is described exactly like Krampus (except the horns), dressed in fur and frightening children (and adults) with rusty chains and bells.
Photo via xmaswithkrampus
Teething
Even though Wills’ nasty virus is on its way out (since my last post he went through 5 days of fever, wheezing and even diarrhea), his constant drooling and swollen gums show that my little guy is still teething badly. He’s smiling more now, and is back to his active self, but he still still has his moments (of sudden pain?). Because I don’t recall my two elder children teething as badly as this (or is it Mommy amnesia?) I had some questions. How painful was it? When did it usually strike worst? When would it be over?
So I sought advice from one of my favourite online doctors, Dr. Greene who said this:
“….Young teethers can’t talk. We don’t know the moment teething pain starts and stops. Teething pain and its remedies are very difficult to evaluate scientifically. Therefore, we must rely on observation — general observations by many parents and care-providers, as well as specific observations of our own children.
When the mouth becomes a source of pain, it is quite unsettling for some kids. If you’ve ever bitten the inside of your cheek, you know how distracting a bit of newly irregular flesh can be. For a baby, the intrusion of a hard, sharp tooth through tender, swollen gums can be quite an adjustment. Some get used to it quickly, but at first it can be more uncomfortable than a pebble in a shoe.
The teeth (or tooth) that causes the most pain varies from child to child. It is often the first tooth that causes the most discomfort — or those big molars, when they arrive. For many babies, working on several teeth at once is the worst…..”
In a nutshell? The golden rule of parenting: Each child is different. I got off lightly with my other two on the teething, but Wills didn’t put me through the torment of colic like Ollie did. Ollie is now a saintly 3 year old, but Nat was a terror at that age. So I as I watch Wills playing on his exersaucer, he stops, looks right into my eyes and gives me a toothy smile,
I realize that no matter how tough these baby stages can be it doesn’t really matter when they smile at you like that.
Photo via sarniebill
Teething Ring
Just as you start patting yourself on the back for having a good week of parenting (i.e. no major arguments, tantrums or illnesses), you get thrown a challenge. Yesterday morning it suddenly came in the form of baby Wills being a little more cranky than usual. By afternoon he was a lot fussier, waking several times from his naps, and by early evening he had a low grade fever. Ugh. I hate fevers. I know that doctors say that when low, fevers actually help the body fight an infection – so leave it until it hits the upper range of 38. But when one of my babies get it I have to admit that I slightly panic and go straight for the paracetamol.
At his “well baby” check-up the other day, Doctor J noticed that his upper gums were swollen. So last night when he woke up every 2 hours screaming in agony (not his style at all!), I knew that teething was at least one of the culprits. His fever had also risen to 38.6 even 3 hours AFTER I had given Calpol, he was clearly in pain and discomfort, so I enlisted my husband to give an extra dose of ibuprofen. I don’t know how he does it, but my husband can work some serious Daddy Magic! With a few silly-faced peekaboos, he turned the dreaded “medicine time” into comedy hour, and literally had Wills laughing so hard, I secretly wondered if he had become slightly hysterical with the fever.
Mission accomplished, Dad went downstairs to watch his DVD reruns of “Las Vegas“, while I kept Wills in bed with me, hoping that the meds would kick in and we’d get some sleep. Well, you know that that wasn’t to be. This morning, I noticed a cough and a slight runny nose, which means that we’ve been hit with a double whammy.
Teething-wise though, here’s what I’ve done. Will report results in my next entry.
1. Homeopathic Teething Gel
I rubbed this in this gums every time he woke up during the night. It seemed to have helped because he went back to sleep after a couple of minutes.
2. Frozen Teething Rings/ Washcloth
Those went into the freezer this morning. When he wakes from his nap, they should be ready.
3. Paracetamol
I don’t like this, but I just felt it was necessary with the fever.
4. Chamomilla Drops
I’ve been starting to give him this homeopathic remedy for teething. It is in the gel as well, so the jury’s out on if this will help.
5. Mom’s TLC
The most important thing of all!
Photo via cjbvii
School Bus
The next day there was more letting go to be had, this time at the school bus stop, which I have to say was a little scarier for both of us. For first timers like me, just seeing my child enter a huge vehicle on her own, to be let loose on these roads beset with lumbering trucks, speeding sport cars and road rage (ok I admit I’m overreacting, but this bus has to go on the freeway) was not a good start to my day. I mean, just how safe are these things?
After a little sleuthing, I found the answer: school buses are EXTREMELY SAFE!! and better for the environment too. Hurray!
Read this below and be a new school-bus-fan like me:
The school bus is the safest means of ground transportation, period,” said Sandy Syburg, president of Oconomowoc Transport, which is responsible for busing students in the Oconomowoc Area School District.
The company transports 3,500 students from both public and private schools in a district that covers 135 square miles.
Syburg, who also served as the past president the Wisconsin School Bus Association, said the latest national statistic showed it was 125 times safer to travel in a school bus than a passenger car.
Key factors for that record include that school buses are designed specifically to protect students. Special safety features not available on any other vehicle ensure the safest possible ride for children, according to the National Transportation Association.
Federal safety standards and the structural integrity of the vehicles are large components in that record.
Students riding in buses are also 80 percent above the impact zone in the case of a crash.
“If a car or a medium-size vehicle came in contact with the body of the bus, they are out of the danger area of that impact zone,” Syburg explained.
Nearly half the students in the country go to school by school bus and half go to school some other way, such as private vehicles, walking or biking, the national association reported.
Among the half that use the school bus, there are an average 20 fatalities per year; but among the half that travel some other way, there are 800 fatalities each year. In particular, teenagers are 44 times more likely to arrive at school alive if they take the bus than if they drive or ride with friends, it reported.
In addition, the school bus offers a more energy efficient means of transportation.
I don’t know about you, but I will definitely be sleeping better. To learn more, read the rest of the article here.
Photo via digitalsean
Letting go of the balloon
When you have a new first grader, the world suddenly revolves around two words Moms like me hate to hear (and, gulp, do). Let Go. Ever since Kindergarten, my daughter has proudly been telling us, her teachers, and anybody who cared to listen, that when she turned 6, she would be going to the biggest school in our area. A huge co-ed establishment with fantastic facilities and a great sports programme, my sporty, sassy and independent kid loved the idea of it, and so did I, until the day came when I actually had to leave her there. On her own.
So there she was, hair neatly braided, brand new Hannah Montana backpack and My Scene lunchbox, sitting in her first grade classroom with 13 other 6-year-olds whose Moms were slowly leaving the open door where we all peeked in. As I watched my child sitting proudly at her desk, I secretly hoped that she would look back at me and say she didn’t want me to go (which she never did), and eventually, as I made myself walk away as all the other parents had, I realized that today we had both reached a milestone. She was growing up and I was letting her get to it.
Photo via against the tide
Maybe a better question would be, does parenting really affect personality? I am going to be honest right from the beginning – I have no clear cut answers to these questions. The reason I am posting about it is that my friends and I got to talking about children’s personalities as compared to their parents’ personalities.
Friend O was wondering out loud why her child was such a quiet little girl – she’s 2. She was wondering because she is a very gregarious person and so is her whole family. Obviously, her daughter is the “odd baby out.” Anyhow, we got to talking about what shapes the personality of a child.
Is it hereditary? Is it because of one’s parenting style? If it were hereditary, then naturally extroverted people should have extroverted children. But this isn’t always the case (as it is with my friend O). That is why I tend to lean towards parenting style having a great effect on children’s personalities.
I also found some material on this topic. Irene Watson shares how parenting styles can really affect the personality of your child:
Research on parenting during childhood and adolescence has focused primarily on the effects of parenting behaviors and styles. A crucial element of parenting is the way in which the parents attempt to control the child. Numerous consequential factors that seem to be significant have been isolated. Of course, the degree and kind of control that the parent exercises over the child has portentous ramification for the development of personality.
Studies and theories show that genetic analyses do not contribute to the framework as much as does the within-family environment in effecting personality constructs.
What is your take on this?
Summer camp is good for the kids – it seems that that is the general consensus. But exactly how does summer camp achieve that? I read this great article on reasons summer camps create great kids. Little Red sums it up nicely.
Camps Don’t “Teach to the Test”: “What we are seeing is that schools today are increasingly “teaching to the test” and in the process stripping out invaluable parts of their curriculums such as theater, dance, art and music programs, and physical education.
The idea is that children who go to summer camps do not participate because they are going to be tested at the end of the whole thing BUT simply because they need an outlet for all that creative energy that may be pent up within them. They go to summer camp to have fun, period.
Learn to Love and Respect the Natural World: “There is a real danger that our children’s generation won’t pick up the environmental mantle since they are spending a record-low number of hours in nature.
Learning to appreciate the natural world is something that we cannot take for granted. This is especially true for children who grow up in the city. Unless their parents make it a point to spend time outdoors with the kids, the children may very well grow up not having a healthy appreciation for nature. Spending a couple of weeks outdoors in summer camp can help offset months and months of city living.
(to be continued)
This is to be expected, right? After all, even us adults may have the tendency to ignore the advice of other people who are close to us. Yet what bothers me is the fact that some children, especially teenagers, would ignore their parents’ advice and then follow the same exact bit of wisdom if it comes from someone else.
I haven’t really thought about this idea much until I read Kori Rodley Irons’ post “They Might Need to Hear it from Someone Else (Too).” She says:
No matter how wise and forthcoming I think I am with my children, they are never as keen on my advice and wisdom as I imagine they should be-in fact, they are often downright resentful! Over the years, I have learned that often times it is not the advice that is sour-they just need to hear it from someone else.
Though this is not always the case, there certainly are times when it happens. Is this because of something not quite right in the relationship between parents and children? Maybe, but I would like to think that children go through a stage wherein they need reaffirmation from elements outside of their immediate family circle.
This is even truer for teenagers who tend to look to their peers for acceptance and affirmation. Or perhaps they have an uncle or an aunt whom they feel an attachment to. No matter who it is, they just seem to need to hear certain things from them as well – even if their own parents have already said the same thing.
I guess I should not be that bothered. After all, I do the same thing to my husband sometimes – or so he says. 
We took a look at how being overprotective can harm our children’s development. How about nagging, or as some describe it, repeating and reminding?
I personally do not see a problem with repeating instructions or requests, especially if the child does not seem to hear OR ignores a parent. However, we may have to go back to an earlier stage where we set the limits and the rules. It should be that when mommy says it is time to stop playing and time to wash up for dinner, she does not have to repeat herself. On the other hand, children will be children and sometimes, they will not follow the first request. In these instances, I believe that repeating the instruction is totally fine as long as one does so firmly. That is not nagging, is it? More so, we shouldn’t really YELL just because an instruction was not followed the first time it was given. According to Nancy Shute, “In fact, there’s abundant evidence that humans tune out repeated commands… Nagging also gives children “negative reinforcement,” or an incentive—parental attention—to keep misbehaving.”
The next time you feel the beginnings of a “nag”, bear that in mind.
Another area that we should be careful with is in giving praise. Giving praise is a positive thing – as long as it is not done too much and in the proper way. Have you ever met people who thought that the world revolved around them, that they are the best ever, and that they are God’s gift to mankind? Perhaps these people do so because their parents praised them to no end, making them believe that they are better than other people. I would like my child to have a healthy amount of self-esteem but it should be based on reality and not merely a perception. Get what I am saying? Share your thoughts?
Photo courtesy of LightSpectral
