Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Peabody Patch Moms Council offers some advice to mother how to limit jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, etc., on Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday is almost as much fun as Christmas Day for children who can't wait to tear into their Easter baskets and eat lots and lots of jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, marshmellow eggs, etc. But Monica, a Peabody mother of three, doesn't want her kids to eat so much candy that it ruins the family's day. Setting limits and not giving in to a child's whim is always hard and Monica reached out to the Peabody Patch Moms Council for some advice. Here is her question: "Dear Moms Council: I know with Easter less than a week from now, I should be excited to see out two boys, ages 3 and 5, and our little girl, 4, open their Easter baskets on Easter Sunday. But because they have been eating too much candy and sugar lately, my husband and I …
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Peabody Patch Moms Council offers her some advice to help boy have fun as he learns how to play baseball.
When parents welcome home a newborn baby boy and they imagine the kinds of things he will enjoy doing when he grows up, baseball is often one of those things. Excitement builds as kids get close to T-ball playing age and some parents hope their children will enjoy playing ball the way they did growing up. But some parents, like Christine, encounter some unexpected resistance when their child may not intially share their enthusiasm for the American past time. Try as she may, Christine has not been able to get her little boy, Kyle, to overcome his fears of being teased if he doesn't play well and Kyle's fear is preventing him from discovering the fun he could have from the experience. Here is Christine's question: "Dear Moms Council: My name…
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Peabody Patch Moms Council offers advice to make it easier for three-year-old boy to learn how to share with others.
Teaching kids how to share at an early age can be a trying experience and Anne, a Peabody mother of a three-year-old toddler, has run out of options and patience. Here is her question: "Dear Mom's Council: I am a mother of a three-year-old boy, Jackson, and I am trying to teach him how to share is toys with other children. So far, it has not been going that well. We usually go to a weekly play group with other moms and their kids and Jackson refuses to share any toy he is playing with and last week he threw a tantrum that was so bad we had to leave. I felt so embarrassed and bad that my son doesn't understand that it is okay to share. I would appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks." Here's what two members of the Peabody Patch Moms …
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Moms Council offers advice on how to get children to try other foods, restaurants.
McDonalds and other fast-food restaurants that serve up lots of burgers, fries, shakes and food that kids love can often be a blessing and a curse for parents. On the one hand, McDonalds is often the perfect pit stop when there is little time to make dinner. But if kids end up liking Ronald and the gang's fare too much, it can be a challenge to wean them off the golden arches. Janet, a Peabody mother of three young children, is currently facing this dilemma. She indicated her situation is so bad that her family can't even drive by a McDonalds without having to stop and eat there instead of another restaurant. Here is her question: "Dear Moms Council: I am a mother of three (two boys, ages 5 and 7, and my daughter, 4) and my kids love …
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Peabody Patch Moms Council offers Peabody mother some advice on how to curb the time her children spend playing Wii, XBox 360.
Ever since Coleco released the first Pong game way back in the late 1970s, parents have struggled to keep their kids from spending too much time playing video games. The situation only got worse as Pong gave way to Atari and Ninetendo before things really shifted into high gear with XBox 360, Ninetendo Wii and other gaming systems. Vicki, a Peabody mom of two, has run out of ideas to keep her kids from spending too much time playing those games and not living their lives. Here is her question: "Dear Moms Council: I have a teenage son, 13, and a 10-year-old girl and they are both hooked on video games. I feel like it is our fault because we bought them an X-Box 360 and Ninetendo Wii when they came along to make them happy and then we kept …
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Moms Council gives Peabody mom some helpful tips on how to make this part of spring cleaning easier.
Finding ways to get kids to give up some of their older toys and donate them to other children or charity is often a very difficult process for parents. They are often torn between the need to clear out older trucks, Barbie dolls and Legos in their children's bedrooms to make room for the new toys their kids will inevitably receive and not wanting to let go of toys that are linked to when they kids were toddlers or babies. This week, the Peabody Patch Moms Council offers some advice to Barbara, a Peabody mother of two, who has run out of ideas on how to deal with this issue. Here is Barbara's question: "Dear Moms Council: I read the article that Bridget Lynch wrote over the weekend and I can totally identify with it! I have two kids, my …
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Moms Council offers helpful advice to help Peabody mother create evening routine.
It is a scenario many parents know all too well. It is the end of the day, you are tired after a long day of working and your kids just won't go to bed when they are supposed to. For whatever reason, they are just bouncing off the walls in their bedroom and will not go to sleep. One Peabody mother, Deborah, is wrestling with this dilemma and reached out to the Peabody Patch Moms Council for relief. Here is her question: "Dear Moms Council: I am at my wits end on trying to find ways to get my five year-old and three-year-old boys to go to bed at bedtime and not whenever they feel like it. I have tried everything from limiting their television and video games to bedtime stories and they just refuse to go to bed when I feel they should. …
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Moms Council offers useful advice to help boy complete last step of potty training.
This week the Moms Council offers some helpful advice to Jenny, a Peabody mom with a son who has nearly mastered potty training with one exception. Jenny's son often wakes up wet each morning even though he wears a pull up. Here is Jenny's question: "Dear Moms Council: I am potty training my son and he does great during the day and during nap time, but he still wears a pull up to bed and wakes up wet every morning. Are there any tricks to getting over this last potty training hurdle?" Here is what some members of the Peabody Patch Moms Council had to say: Lori Ann Johnson is a mother of four and a freelance writer who regularly contributs to Peabody Patch. She also owns the Each Peach Cafe, a juice bar business in Danvers, that is …
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Moms Council offers helpful suggestions on how to keep the kids busy during their week off from school without getting too stressed.
February school vacation (for those districts that still have it) is a time of great celebration for school kids of all ages. But it can also be a week of incredible stress for parents who are running out of ideas of how to keep their kids occupied. Denise, a Peabody mother of three, is hoping the Peabody Patch Moms Council can help her out. This is her question: "Dear Moms Council: I have three kids, my daughter who goes to kindergarten, and my two sons, ones in third grade and the other in fourth grade, and they are all home for February school vacation. As much as I love having them at home, I struggle when it comes to finding fun things for us to do together. I could use some advice on how to map out this week so that we can do …
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Moms Council offers mother advice on how to help child discover new foods in school lunch box.
Joanna, a Peabody mother, is worried that she is running out of ideas and patience when it comes to getting her kids to eat new foods instead of just the standard PB&J for his school lunch. Here is Joanna's question: "I have picky eaters. I'm always looking for some suggestions for new items to put in their lunchbox. Can you recommend something other than a PB&J, bagel with cream cheese or mac n' cheese in a thermos?" Here is what five members of the Peabody Moms Council had to offer for advice: Kerri Lynch is a mother of two children ages 13 and 8. She currently works as a special education teacher in an urban city servicing children with the diagnosis of Autism. I have had to think out of the box for the same reason with my own children…
Augusta
10:04 pm on Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Brandon - fabulous addition to our sentiments. Especially "excess of anything is detrimental." This is a philosoohy true across the board for all ages - moderation is key. Thank you for your valuable, and certainly educated and experienced!, advice! I must admit - i had some fun with donkey kong and pac man as a kid! but the key difference was i grew up in the 80s so it was not yet a part of '… more ›