Email

Did you ever have a simple question for your pediatrician and wish you could talk to them about it without a trip to their office?

Well guess what! You probably can.

Most pediatricians will gladly give you their email address to use for simple questions or simple refill requests. You can use that email to communicate with your doctor without wasting your time - and his - with an office visit for something that is fairly easy to deal with.

You can ask for a refill to be called in for regular maintenance medications that won't need a visit, such as eczema cream or allergy medicine.

You can even keep your doctor updated on issues in your child's life, particularly if your child has other doctors.

When Kira had her surgeries, I kept her pediatrician informed about her progress through his email. I also avoided quite a bit of hassle when I needed some sort of information that could be dealt with without a visit. After all, taking Kira anywhere while she was in her cast was more than a little difficult.

If your pediatrician refuses to give you his email address, ask him why. He may have had a bad experience or saves this means of communication for certain special cases. Kira's orthopedic surgeon did just this. Only certain patients with extreme cases were given his email address. Others were directed to go through his assistant for any kind of questions they might have needed, so if your pediatrician won't give you his email, don't be offended. He probably has a good reason...

Pediatrician Problems

I've been very blessed to have a wonderful pediatrician. However, I've known many people who haven't been nearly as lucky as I have. They find that their pediatrician isn't quite what they were looking for, yet they feel bad about seeking out a new doctor. There's some sense of loyalty when dealing with doctors.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are unhappy with the performance of your child's doctor, then there are a few things you can do to fix the situation.

First, you should discuss the issues you are having with your doctor to try to come to an understanding. (Unless the issues are extreme, talking about it first is the best thing you can do. Of course, there are times when talking to the doctor is pointless, particularly if you have a serious difference of opinion on key issues such as vaccination.)

If you talk to your doctor about the problems you are having, and you're unable to come to an understanding, then you need to consider finding a new doctor. So many new parents feel badly about looking for a new doctor, especially if they've been with their pediatrician for a few months.

If you do decide to switch doctors, you may want to notify your pediatrician that you are leaving and why. It isn't necessary to notify your pediatrician, but if you decide to give him a reason then be sure to keep it professional. Written notification may be the easiest way to let your doctor know why you've decide to go to a different doctor. You can easily detail the issues that have led you to switch doctors and avoid any kind of confrontation.

One last thought - If you think your doctor has given you an incorrect diagnosis, it is absolutely acceptable to seek out a second opinion. It isn't disloyal or rude. It's responsible parenting.

Glow Sticks

For $1.00 per kid, you can have a night of fun and entertainment with very little effort.

Visit your local dollar store or Michael's, and pick up a pack of glow sticks for each child.

Open each pack, then activate all the sticks. Hand them over to your kids and turn out the lights.

This is what I did tonight. My girls have been running around with their glow sticks for nearly an hour now.

For a bit of added fun, pick a room that you want to decorate.

Clip the tips off of a few of those glow sticks so that the liquid can come out.

Stand in the middle of the room with the lights off and shake each opened stick vigorously.

Let the kids enjoy their new starry room.

Oh - and don't worry - the color will fade in a fairly short time.

First Day

Around my house we have a pretty constant battle about who gets to go first (or be first, or eat first, or - really - just about anything "first.")

After the millionth argument one day about who was going to be first, I finally had an epiphany. There had to be a solution to this constant bickering. Indeed, I was right.

So was born "First" day. Each day would be somebody's first day. All I had to do was institute this new policy.

I started by explaining to Randall what I was going to be doing. After all, if a new policy has any chance of being successful, everybody has to be in on the game plan. Together we decided that we would use an odd / even alternation. Kira's birthday is on an even day and Marisa's is on an odd day so this was a logical option.

After we worked out the details, we told the girls what we were doing. I took a bit of time to explain our method and what this new policy would mean.

Now, instead of "Me first! Me first!" I get to listen in on the endless discussions about who's first day it happens to be. At least they no longer argue over it.

Oh, they still argue. I couldn't possibly be lucky enough for the arguing to stop completely. But at least we've settled the "first" issue.

Where Is the Value in This?

I've read several articles lately about parents who send their teenage child to stand on the side of a road with a sign of some sort that details all the evils of said child and his or her behaviors. One such article was with regards to a kid who had poor grades in school. One was a kid who had been caught in some sort of minor criminal activity. The parents felt that making the child stand on the road with their sign would somehow change the child's undesirable behaviors.

It's been a while since I saw one of these articles, but the image has stuck with me. I believe I have to address this before I can let it go within my own mind.

I wonder what brings a parent to believe that this is a good idea. What will be accomplished from this type of punishment?

Well, for starters, the child will be thoroughly humiliated. People will drive by and stare at the child. They will laugh at the child. They may even taunt the child. The child will be embarrassed and probably angry and hurt.

Where is the lesson in this?

The child learns that behaviors that are unacceptable will be met with other behaviors that are - or at least should be - unacceptable.

The child learns that it's okay to laugh at somebody who has failed to meet the expectations of others.

What the child does not learn is the value of good grades or good behavior. The parents teach their child that if the child does not meet certain expectations, the child will be subjected to the world to be stared at, laughed at and taunted.

Now, don't get me wrong. I think parents should be involved in their child's life. I also think there are times that a child needs an extreme level of discipline. However, intentionally setting a child up for blatant humiliation just seems inappropriate to me. The child may choose to adhere to whatever stipulations have been given in order to avoid future humiliation, but at what cost? The parents lose so much more than they gain when they resort to this type of punishment. They lose their child's trust. They lose their child's confidence. They most likely lose a great deal of respect, if they ever had any to begin with.

I do believe that parents who resort to this type of discipline should stand beside their child with their own sign that displays all the ways that they have failed as parents, because quite frankly, if a parent needs to resort to such public humiliations just to get their child's attention then they have certainly failed as a parent.

There - I feel better now. I can move on.

I Did It

I went to the Dollar Tree today and purchased several squeeze bottles - the red and yellow ones generally intended for ketchup and mustard.

I bought a big bottle of clear laundry detergent.

I came home and poured detergent in each squeeze bottle.

I put a different food coloring in each bottle.

While I was doing all this, Randall was depositing the children into the bathtub.

After the paint was finished, I went to the bathroom and began squirting paint onto the girls, who immediately started begging for my paint bottles.

They spent nearly an hour in the bathtub painting rainbows on the walls and each other.

The water was a dark and dingy green color within a few short minutes, but I have no doubt that each and every inch of those girls is completely clean now, not to mention the giggling that I heard from the bathroom.

Starbucks

I'm the greatest Mom in the universe. I have managed - in just one day - to insure that Kira is completely and thoroughly addicted to Starbucks Hot Chocolate.

The good thing is - Kira is LOVING sitting here in the coffee shop and doing her school work. She's done nearly ten pages of work already. I think I've found a new favorite spot for doing school work. I've even managed to get some of my own work done while she's eating her chicken nuggets (from McDonald's) and drinking her "This is SO good, Mommy." hot chocolate.