April 15th, 2010 05:27pm
by kristi.palma
I’ve had a toddler now for a little while and I’ve learned one sure-fire way to get my son to do something he may not want to do: Rename it.
For example, I tell my son to eat the “white trees” instead of cauliflower and the chance of him actually doing it goes up. When he’s feeling grumpy, revamping a loved song with silly lyrics usually brings about giggles. His current favorite? “Ipsy Bipsy Spider.” No heavy lifting on my part, which is always excellent news as I navigate this often bumpy toddler terrain.
Oh I love these small victories when so much of parenting feels uncertain! At least I’ve figured some stuff out.
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
April 9th, 2010 11:17am
by kristi.palma
My parents tell me when I was a toddler I never shut up.
I talked and talked and talked and talked. And talked and talked and talked and talked.
Now my 3 year-old son is talking and talking and talking and talking. And talking and talking and talking and talking. And my parents are eating it up, I just know it. They haven’t said it. But I know what they’re thinking: Payback is a you-know-what.
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
March 28th, 2010 10:39pm
by kristi.palma
There were strangers at my door Friday night. So I let them in.
I had never seen them before. I knew they’d be women. I knew they were mothers. And I knew they loved to read. The next thing I knew, they were in my kitchen, drinking wine with me and we were talking about our kids and our jobs and our likes and our dislikes and our week and our husbands and whatever else came to mind.
Welcome to 21st century parenting, where a comrade is just a click away on the computer.
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
March 8th, 2010 09:06pm
by kristi.palma
As I face the passing of my grandmother this week, the matriarch of our family, I have come to a few conclusions.
1. Even if someone is old and you expect them to pass soon, you are never quite ready for them to do so.
2. When someone you love dearly is passing away, you cling to your children and kiss them a bit more and hug them a bit more and see that relative in their eyes a bit more
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
March 2nd, 2010 01:12pm
by kristi.palma
I signed my 3 year-old son Jack up for pre-school this week. He begins in August. I am excited for him and nervous too.
But today, as Jack’s daddy takes him to gymnastics class so I can stay home with his sick little sister who is sleeping soundly, I hear something: Quiet.
This house is never this quiet. I hear the heat coming through the vents. I hear my fingers typing on my keyboard. That’s it. It may as well be balmy instead of brisk outside. Because I’m getting a taste of August, baby. So this is what it’s like to finish a thought during the day. Awesome.
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
February 18th, 2010 01:30am
by kristi.palma
I was amazed to learn today that there is a Canadian athlete in this year’s Olympics who is 5 months pregnant. And she’s got the bump to prove it. Check out the pic.
Her sport? Curling. She is an alternate and won’t play unless a teammate gets hurt. But it raises the question, how safe is it for a pregnant woman to train and perform at the Olympic level? And even if doctors say it’s safe, how do these women find the energy to do it?
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
February 1st, 2010 07:56pm
by kristi.palma
Thank you Anna Paquin.
Because of you, my gap-toothed smile is now trendy.
But I will never embrace it the way you and countless other celebrities do. I hear about stars purposely getting gaps in their teeth, and I wonder why. I have hated my gap for as long as I can remember.
The worst is when a child looks up at me and asks, “Why do you have a hole in your teeth?” or “What’s wrong with your smile?” Ahh. Gotta love kids. So innocent. So honest.
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
January 26th, 2010 07:11pm
by kristi.palma
There’s a Sick Room and a Well Room at the pediatrician’s office.
But what happens when you have one sick and one well child? You sweat.
That was me this morning when I took my 3 year-old son to the doctor and had to subject my 7 month-old daughter to a waiting room full of coughing, runny-nosed kids. My son was up all night in what turned out to be his first ear infection. He was so miserable he curled up in a waiting room chair and seemed to be sleeping. And my daughter was in her car seat at my feet — a sitting duck.
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
January 15th, 2010 07:10pm
by kristi.palma
A mom I know said she’s tired of people ranting and raving about how much their lives suck on Facebook.
As I sit here watching the devastating images coming out of Haiti, I have to agree with her. My son may have refused his nap today. my daughter may be teething, I may need to lose a few pounds, and I sure do miss my family in NY. But my life does not suck.
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
January 5th, 2010 01:32am
by kristi.palma
Resolutions. I never keep them. So why do I make them?
Probably for the same reason I clip coupons I never wind up using — the mere act of doing it makes me feel like I’m trying. Well, in 2010 I’d like to be a better parent. I’ve already proven I can’t save money. Forget money. I’d rather save my child.
Save him from what?
First off, from becoming a bossy beast.
View All Comments (0)
CATEGORY Uncategorized
TuscMoms.com Editor Kristi Palma writes a parenting column for The Tuscaloosa News called “The Mom Stop.” She is a stay-at-home mom to Jack, a blue-eyed, banana-lovin’ toddler who loves to sing and count. She and her husband welcomed daughter Paige in June. Contact her at kristi.palma@tuscmoms.com.