THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Ear piercings for children -- yay, or nay?
Yesterday, Sara and I headed over to a tiny jeweller here in the centre of Amsterdam to get another ear piercing. She already had three -- when she was 12, she had one hole in one ear and two holes in the other one pierced. In the meantime, the single hole closed up after she ...
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TEENAGERS
At what age do you give your children a mobile phone? Here's how we deal with technology in our household.
We live in an interesting age. Technology is developing with the speed of light and a life without mobile devices has simply become unthinkable. I find this such a strange phenomenon, especially given the fact that it's not even that long ago since we didn't even have wireless communication! (I think my dad, because his ...
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PARENTING
When teens get upset -- how best to respond
My mom sent this New York Times article to me last week, and I found it both comforting and incredibly helpful. Reading it, I had one of these 'aha!' moments of parenting clarity. I realised that whenever Easton has come to me upset lately, I have this urge to immediately try to say something or get ...
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PARENTING TIPS
Teenagers -- let them vent!
When my girls were small, their problems seemed smaller. A cuddle and a kiss solved most problems. But as they grow bigger, so does the complexity of their problems. I cannot just rush in like Batman anymore and make everything okay. One new development I have noticed as my kids getting older is the need ...
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TEENAGERS
Great books for teenagers -- Sara's favourite reads
Sara (now 13) is a big reader. She seriously devours books! It's such a pleasure to see her being absorbed by captivating stories, strange worlds and exciting adventures. Especially since I was exactly like her as a teenager. I've asked her to share a list of books she would recommend to readers of around her ...
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TEENAGERS
Clones / Not Clones
For me it has been a real learning curve to realise that my children are, in fact, not just clones of me! I think I genuinely thought that they would be, when they were newborns. Turns out that they are in fact 2 very distinctly different people. Who knew? I am finding this especially interesting ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
Dealing with teenage negativity. Tips please!
Easton will turn 13 next month, and in perfect timing, he is beginning to act like a teenager. Suddenly, it seems that I can't do anything right, and he feels compelled to complain about everything: The specific t-shirt he wants to wear isn't clean. We're not leaving on time; we'll definitely be late. The music in ...
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PARENTING
Reading to older children-- fun and beneficial
My kids love reading. Pim and Sara really devour books, and Ava has also recently gotten the hang of it. They are entirely captivated by their books! (Poor Casper, it can be frustrating to be the only one unable to read!) I suppose it can be a natural transition to stop reading to children when ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Teenagers and resisting fast fashion
One of my pet peeves is fast fashion -- buying heaps of cheap clothes on impulse only to discard them after a few wears. But, as my girls get older, I'm finding it more and more challenging to avoid the fast fashion pitfalls. Up 'til now, dressing my children was pretty simple. They are easygoing ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
When teenagers challenge -- a tip for how to respond
I have a dear friend who is a mentor and life coach in all senses of the word, offering advice to everyone at all stages of life -- from how to develop healthy sleep habits with your baby to dealing with the death of a loved one. She's also a mother of four, including two ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
A 'first period' box, to prepare for the first menstruation
Slowly but steadily I'm getting the news of Sara's friends getting their first period. Between the age of 11 and 13 it will most likely take place. (Of course some girls are younger, and some are older.) Sara is not there yet, but it might not be that long now! Do you remember getting your ...
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KIDS
Teen Breathe - a new magazine for teenagers
One of my favourite things to do on a plane or train is to pick up a magazine at the newsagents. I sit down and take my time looking at pictures, reading articles and seeing what is up and what's new. I get anything from fashion, interior design to current affairs. The great thing in ...
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EDUCATION
The Anne Frank house, a visit with Sara
Anne Frank is a name that is familiar to most if not all. Her world-famous diary is translated to more than 60 languages worldwide, and the story of her family hiding in Amsterdam during WWII is universally known. We can all envision the photos of Anne's sweet face, showing a girl on the verge of adolescence. ...
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TEENAGERS
Organic skincare for teenagers -- a lovely new range from Green People!
With my biggest kids now being 10 and 12, I've been on the look-out for a nice range of pure, organic skincare for teenagers. There's a lot of lovely organic skincare around for adult skin these days, but I've been unsuccessful in my search for a nice range for Sara and Pim. Until now! Green ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
A tip for parents of teenagers: don't be afraid to say 'no'
A while ago my cousin and I were talking to the wife of another cousin of mine, who has two children, a boy aged 20 and a girl aged 18. We both have girls who are 12 years old, who are slowly but steadily entering a whole new phase of children's development: that of puberty ...
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BOOKS
'Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls' -- an inspiring book for girls (and boys!)
I was chatting to a friend over the weekend and she told me she recently read an interesting article about raising girls. The article pointed out that when a young girl is showing signs of being pioneering or dominant or even simply independent, she is called 'bossy', whereas when a boy acts in the same ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
'Read the Room' -- advice for kids
I have recently realised that a lot of my parenting philosophies can be synthesised down into a few short phrases or even words. The phrases have changed with the years (I don't seem to be screaming a simple "Stop!" that often anymore). Some phrases, I am sure, have been used since the dawn of time. ...
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TUESDAY TIPS
Some sweet gift ideas for a girl who just got her first period
A little while ago, a reader asked us for some gifting inspiration for the daughter of a friend, who just got her period for the first time. I thought this was such a very sweet and special idea! It's also quite relevant for me, as Sara just turned 12, and it won't be long for her... I ...
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CHAPTER BOOKS
David's top ten book list (great for boys aged 10 to 15)
David is the 11-year-old son of my friend Kim. Kim, Courtney and I met when our babies (David, Easton and Sara) were around 6 months old, when we would take them to French class in Swiss Cottage (London). Right now, I'm thinking -- why on earth did we feel it was important to take our ...
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THURSDAY THOUGHTS
Do you talk about sex with your children?
The other day, Courtney and I were discussing the way parents talk about sex with their children. How difficult this subject sometimes seems to be, and how easy people shy away from discussing it. Why is it, that something so beautiful and special can be so controversial at the same time? I don't know if ...
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TEENAGERS
The big phone debate
Apologies for another post on the mobile phone debate. The thing is - it is at the forefront of our minds as our eldest kids are approaching the equally feared and anticipated teenage years. It is also triggered by a recent survey that found that in the UK the average age for giving a child ...
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PARENTING
The almost teenager
I have always had a healthy fear of my children turning into teenagers -- probably based on my personal experience of being one! But I have found it fascinating, not at all scary, to watch Coco, who is now 10, swing wildly between being a child and a teenager. Esther and I were talking about it ...
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PARENTING
When do you give your child a cellphone?
For a while now we’ve been writing regular Tuesday Tips posts — posts in which we share little parenting insights, tips and things that we’ve learned or picked up over the years. We enjoy these posts a lot, both writing them and reading them, and especially the tips and tricks that our readers leave in the ...
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