Birthday parties should be all about the birthday haver. It's their day to do whatever they feel like doing. They get to choose what food they eat, what activities they do, and who is around them for it. It's the one day of the year when you get to be utterly selfish . But, you'd expect, that your wife is one person that you'd like to include in that selfishness. Not that you can't enjoy time with friends as well (you should), but it's probably not a sign of a healthy relationship if you want t…

Life's not easy as the 'easy child'

Cinderella story

Getting your child to school every morning is one of the top tasks of being a parent. It's part of the gig. You either have to do it yourself or rely on someone else in your community (a neighbor, a friend, a bus driver) to do it for you. That's why when they get to the age of being independent enough to do it on their own, it's a huge blessing. But what age is the right age, especially if the school is within walking distance? There's a Japanese show called "Old Enough!” that follows the journ…

Please stop changing your costume idea

Thanks, mom

Favoritism is not something you want to get accused of as a parent. If you have more than one kid, you should do your best to love them and support them equally, since they're all your kids. And it's just a good example to set for them. But it's also incredibly common that parenting styles change from kid to kid. When you're on your first kid, everything is new and untested, and you have basically no idea what you're doing. By the time the second kid rolls around you're more of an expert, you'v…

Sounds like they're being set up for success

What's the magic word?

The self-esteem of a 14-year-old girl is always in flux , and usually in a bad way. It's around the age when you start developing insecurities about what you look like since your body is changing and the attention you get is changing along with it. You become more aware of your clothing choices, the way you wear your hair, and how others perceive you. And those insecurities can be very hard to shake, even into adulthood. What happens to us as children can shape who we become as adults, and if t…

Living in my head 'rent free

Time to clean up your own messes

Incredibly bleak

Boundaries

Thanks, dad

He was embarrassed