#parenting

#parenting

This week on Care and Feeding, Zak, Lucy, and Elizabeth tackle a letter from a parent whose mornings are a nonstop battleground. What do you do when your kid just isn't a morning person, and every transition out the door spirals into crankiness and chaos? The hosts share strategies for smoother starts to the day, and in triumphs and fails: a birthday party pulled off without a hitch, the joys (and wobbles) of re-learning to ride a bike, and back-to-school prep that actually went right.

Whether she's dealing with the growing pains of raising children or just really struggling with her own identity, there's a lot happening in a mom's life that she can't always share out loud. Not all of it is bad or super secretive, but releasing things usually means someone's going to have a reaction - and moms will do just about anything to keep everyone happy and safe and free from her worries and thoughts.

You might be familiar with Kim Quindlen if you're a fan of Chicago Med or What We Do In The Shadows. Or you might know her if you happen to be into the improv and comedy scene in Chicago. But more likely, you recognize her from Instagram, where she does hilarious skits, sometimes involving her husband, almost always about being a woman or a mom.

"'Now, with the bath, make sure you fill the tub all the way up, but then crack the drain a little bit and let the water continue fizzling out because he likes to use a cup - make sure his cup is in the bath. He likes to use a cup to fill up the water and then just continue dumping the water out, filling it up, dumping it out.'"

"Sometimes that can be hard for a parent to hear, but attributing behavioral issues to a child's intelligence is often easier than confronting the root causes."

"The mental load is almost completely borne by women. It's permanent and exhausting work. And it's invisible."

Packing a lunch for a 5-year-old can lead to unexpected outcomes; a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home may be rejected but accepted at school. Parents often notice that different environments influence children's food preferences, and what they refuse at home might be eaten eagerly in a different setting like school.

"Nothing is cooler than when a kid watches a movie and feels like they're really being seen," Hale says. Sketch, he hopes, will teach kids that they're not alone in the world, despite whatever feelings might be churning inside.

If you plan to have children, Anthony is not the right person to have them with. His disappearing act when his son is present is a red flag.

"Lola wants a side-shave haircut like Natalie Dormer had in Game of Thrones and singer Cassie sported, but she is sensitive to others' judgment."

"When you start to feel serious about one another, it's time to start talking about those things," Bejar said. "You want to make sure that you're not just on the same page about life in the moment that you're meeting."

Danielle expressed that parenting six individual children is challenging as they all want to go different directions, despite the days of diapers and naps being behind them.

Postpartum represents a relational stress test, highlighting pre-existing vulnerabilities and strengths within couples as they transition to parenthood.

If Yasna and her husband are truly laissez-faire about hygiene and haven't made the effort to meet you halfway, and if this is part of a larger pattern, then I suppose you can hold firm to your disinvitation.

Teen friendships are essential for emotional development, providing a sense of belonging and healing uniquely different from adult support.