jeffkleinman - Profile | Pictures | Blog - Dad on Duty
-
Mommy is in my class?! | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman Mommy is in my class?!
To many parents, school is a mystery. Once your children enter the door, you won't see them again until dismissal. Such a big part of your child's life, and you're invisible. Your only connection seems to be through fliers in the backpack, homework, graded papers, open house night and from the back row of the occasional concert or assembly. But there are other ways to get involved in school life. Not to spy...read more...Your child's fresh start | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman Your child's fresh start
The first day of school is like the first day of spring training. Optimism flows through the veins of children and parents. Everything is fresh: crisp uniforms, virgin notebooks, empty backpacks (except for some blank paper and newly sharpened pencils). Like baseball teams yet to play a game, the record is clean. Teachers smile at the doorway to greet their new charges with neither scowl nor red pen in sight. Friends...read more...Parents as groupies | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman Parents as groupies
Mom and Dad step off the school bus and right into a knee-deep mud puddle. By the end of the trip, they are soaked to their skivvies by blinding sheets of rain, and seek out a HoJo's to warm up with some coffee and eggs. A week later, they are back on the bus. This time, they step into a swarm of locusts. What we do for our children. At least that's what my parents did for me, attending every single high school football game...read more...Staying sane as school arrives | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman Staying sane as school arrives
With school peeking around the corner, comes a twinge of anxiety. The kids? Nah, they'll be fine. It's us parents who tend to freak out this time of year. Quick: What supplies do we need to get? Do we have enough uniforms? Is that summer reading list all done? Then there are last-minute doctor appointments and the school orientation sessions. And don't forget the back-to-school shopping with the big tax breaks. When is that...read more...Summer break is canceled | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman Summer break is canceled
Dear Parents, Effective June 2011, summer break will be canceled and classes will run year-round. According to the latest studies, our students are losing months of learning from mid-June until the resumption of classes in August. So in accordance with the new guidelines of the Academic Standards Society (ASS), the school calendar will change next year. Please make plans to cancel all fun from June 10-Aug. 20, 2011. This...read more...That kid is on a leash | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman That kid is on a leash
Do you walk your child on a leash? Back when we were young and childless, we squirmed when we saw parents and grandparents treating kids like the family dog. If the tyke tried to run off at Disney or the mall, one yank on the chain and he was back within the safety zone of his owner. Arf. Barf. We promised ourselves never to tie a leash on our girls. And we never did. Then they found their independence. One ran off in a...read more...A vacation with Grandma?! | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman A vacation with Grandma?!
Can three generations of a family survive a three-day road trip without ... -- Arguing over where to go? (Disney! Shuffleboard!) -- Bickering over what to eat? (McDonald's! Liver!) -- Stopping a zillion times to use the public facilities? (Too much water! Aging bladder!) -- Splitting up by interest when the purpose is to be together? (Ocean! Nap!) -- Disagreeing over the radio station? (Disney! Classical!) --...read more...Time to have a baby? | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman Time to have a baby?
The older mom in the play circle looked so relaxed compared with the first-timers. You could tell she had done this before. She was enjoying motherhood, not sleepwalking or panicking through it. More than 15 years had passed since the birth of her first child. She was older, wiser, calmer, more mature. She knows now what she didn't know then. And -- with a teen in the home -- she had a built-in helper. Which leads me to ask:...read more...How to change the family rhythm | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman How to change the family rhythm
The nutty homework is gone. The 6 a.m. wake-ups are delayed. The break from school isn't only a break for kids, but one for parents as well. It's summer in the city. And it's time for families to take it down a notch. The school year comes packed with pressure for kids and parents. It's one thing after another -- starting with getting the dear ones out of bed in the morning. Then there are projects and...read more...Home alone!? | Moms Miami //MomsMiami.com Member: jeffkleinman Home alone!?
When should a parent start leaving a child home alone? Hmm. 10, 12? Younger? Older? It depends on the kid, the parent and the situation. I don't remember seeing this question on the "fitness for parenting" test. And I'm not sure if there are any state statutes that set an age limit on kids going solo like Pippi Longstocking. So we seem to be all alone here in determining when and how we should leave a kid without...read more...
September 2010 
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Tags
school (14)
parenting (9)
behavior (6)
food (5)
homework (5)
fatherhood (4)
discipline (3)
activities (2)
aging (2)
babies (2)
books (2)
education (2)
middle school (2)
music (2)
travel (2)
tweens (2)
(1)
after-school activities (1)
anxiety (1)
band (1)
