Category: unCOMMON SENSE parenting

You DO want your kids to be unhappy, and here's why

You DO want your kids to be unhappy, and here's why
Recently, I've read some articles like this and this. Therein, the authors discuss putting marriage and spouse before children, and the backlash received from readers for doing so. The reason for this backlash, I believe, is that we place our children's happiness above all else. We feel as if we've failed when our children cry, or when they're angry, or if they react unfavorably to hardship. This is simply not true. You DO want your kids to be unhappy, and here's why:...
By Erin Petron Gosser,
October 1, 2014 at 7:14 am • 

One thing that parents forget to practice and teach

One thing that parents forget to practice and teach

As parents, we all have that one mom friend (or perhaps two) whose parenting style we hope to emulate. Her kids are smart but not pompous, well behaved but not stifled, kind to others but not just when the parents are watching. 

My cousin, Kristy, is that mom in my life. I'm lucky enough 1) to have her AND 2) to have her write a post for my "unCOMMON SENSE Parenting" series. Namaste, Kristy!

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By Erin Petron Gosser,
March 7, 2014 at 7:47 am • 

An open letter to the mom who doesn't want her kids doing chores

An open letter to the mom who doesn't want her kids doing chores
Dear mom-who-doesn't-want-her-kids-doing-chores, I read your recent article, in which you say you'd just rather do your kids chores. If I understand you correctly, this is because they don't do it as neatly or as efficiently as you would. I have one word for you: DUH. Now that you, Sherlock Holmes, have made this earth shattering discovery about children five and under, let me break a few things down for you...
By Erin Petron Gosser,
February 5, 2014 at 6:40 am • 
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Help your toddler to talk in four easy steps

Help your toddler to talk in four easy steps

My good friend, Nikki, is here today with four easy steps to help your toddler talk. Take it away, Nikki!

Thanks, Social Butterfly Mom, for asking me to be a guest blogger for your “unCOMMON SENSE Parenting” series!  Currently, I am a stay at home mom, but in a previous life, I was a Speech-Language Pathologist in an elementary school and middle school.

There are many ways I use my previous occupation to influence how I speak with my two year old, but you don’t have to be a speech-language pathologist to further your child’s speech and language development. A lot of it is common sense, really.

First of all, I want to stress that every child develops at a different rate. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people ask if it’s ok that their toddler can’t say a certain sound. In most cases, yes, it is perfectly normal!

There is a wide range of what is considered typical in regards to when a child can use different speech sounds. Teachmetotalk.com says that parents should understand at least 50% of what a toddler is saying by their second birthday.  By age 3, parents should understand most (90%) of what a child is saying.  By age 4, strangers should understand most (90%) of what a child says.

Kids depend on their caregivers to model appropriate speech and language usage. Our children learn the foundation for language by listening and using what they hear as a model for future speech and language production. Since we are the ultimate reference for our children, there are four common sense ideas you can implement today!

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By Erin Petron Gosser,
February 3, 2014 at 7:29 am • 

Why parents shouldn't cherish every moment

Why parents shouldn't cherish every moment
Social Butterfly Mom is kicking off her "unCOMMON SENSE Parenting" series with a post written by her husband. We hope that you find the following helpful: 5 tips to be a more present parent. Last week, a random 70-year-old lady made a comment to me about how precious kids are: "Cherish every moment." This happens to parents all the time. Will I take her advice? Probably not.....more likely I will continue cherishing many moments, and completely wasting the rest because I am human, and humans are complete idiots. It's human nature to take many things for granted, our kids included. Think of the guy you knew who COULDN'T WAIT to graduate from college. (Yeah- I hate sleeping in 'til noon every day and having zero responsibilities. Get me out of here.) Think of how often we complain about our jobs, even coming out of a recession that left many families struggling. I'm not going to argue with human nature, but rather, list some tips to tame this beast...
By Erin Petron Gosser,
January 14, 2014 at 9:16 am •