Mommy Morah

The other day I had an epiphany. "I'd better start liking bedtime," I wrote in my diary, "after all, by the rate things are going I'm going to be serving at this post for another 20 years." OK, I exaggerate. My youngest is 6 weeks so I've got another 10 years of bedtime ahead of me? 12? Either way, I need to stop crying that I hate bedtime every night. Literally crying. Last night my husband was out during the joyous hour. At one point in the chaos of bedding down three big ones while holding a newborn I'd had enough. I tried "disengage". Clutching baby to my chest I closed the door to my bedroom, leaned against it and started sobbing, praying for success in The Bedtime Battles. Tonight was the opposite side of the coin. The difference was dramatic! Oh sure, my throat was still sore at the end of it but thankfully that was caused by a different sort of screaming. It was Love Screaming. The turnaround came after everyone was s...

I'm starting a new parenting course. This was a big jump for me as I really, really liked Sheffer. Oh, sure there was an item or two that didn't sit well with me. In general, though, I'd really adopted the approach and was using it exclusively. There was one problem: Consolidation. Part of the structure of the Sheffer system is to solve problems. At each session a participant would raise an issue and then after learning the topic of the day we'd resolve it (actually she'd resolve it) after digging deep to discover what the problem really was. Towards the end of the course, sessions were spent problem-solving all the way. It was terrific. I loved the system and was even able to do some problem solving with a friend on the phone. And time moved on... And I grew forgetful... And I'm stuck. Stuck believing in a system that I am no longer able to practice. I need the support of the problem solving sessions or a refresher course, but alas, neither ...