child guidance

The Bad Behavior I am Ignoring

The babysitter was giving the baby a bottle this week. She set it down on the table. The toddler picked it up and chucked it across the room. Sound familiar? Afterwards, she asked me for advice on how to handle it–she wanted to know what I would have done. My advice? I would have ignored …

A Case Against Childproofing

American mother Debra Ollivier gave birth to her first child in Paris. When her baby reached the age of mobility, she shares, “I baby-proofed our apartment with rubber edge liners, covers on electrical sockets, latches on windows, locks on drawers and toilet seat guards… my French neighbor Genevieve took one look at our place and …

Why I Choose to ‘Lean In’ to Motherhood

This November will mark my second annual performance review. Despite the fact that I plan to shower the boss with gifts and cake—inevitably the outcome will involve some combination of screaming, general unpleasantries, and loving bouts of affection. Thus is the life when you enter your career as a Mother. Motherhood is not a job, …

How to end food throwing at meal time: a 3 step plan

How to get kids to stop throwing food and playing at mealtime.

We all know that accidents happen. However, food throwing and playing at mealtime doesn’t need to happen. When an 8-month-old starts feeding crackers to the dog and finger painting all over the table with yogurt, it’s kind of cute. When a 2-year-old does it, it is just plain frustrating—maybe borderline annoying. At what point does a …