LittleLegends.biz

… if so you are not alone.   This article by Jennifer Senior has caused outrage.  It basically says that having children does not make you happier.   In Texas childcare ranks below preparing food, watching TV, exercising, talking on the phone, napping, shopping and even housework!  Whereas children used to be economic assets now it is often the case that the world revolves around them and their needs.  There is a huge amount of guilt surrounding parenting and “getting it right” in the eyes of others.  As a result of parents are running around after their children trying to be “perfect” they often end up exhausted and then their relationships start suffering.

Senior is most accurate when she writes:

Children may provide unrivaled moments of joy. But they also provide unrivaled moments of frustration, tedium, anxiety, heartbreak.

Senior’s article will not come as any great surprise to most parents.  However, it has been given a provocative title (like this post) to make the issue appear black and white.  Obviously this over-simplifies the matter but there is nothing like stirring up a bit of outrage because it is definitely taboo to admit that you don’t love every moment of parenthood.

When you have children it can take time to adjust to their needs and you are bound to have moments when you are driven half-crazy by your kids, but this doesn’t stop you loving them any less.  It certainly doesn’t mean you hate parenting.  It is more likely to mean that you enjoy and need a well-earned break from time to time.

Let’s face it, if we all hated parenting no one would ever have more than one child and this is definitely not the case! So, if there are any cons, they are definitely outweighed by the pros.

Finding childcare is always stressful, no matter what your circumstances. So, any way to make this daunting task a bit easier is very welcome, particularly if it is affordable!

Mother of three, Georgiana Walsh, has recently written a book to tackle this subject called How to Find Childcare You Will Love

Individual chapters are dedicated to each type of childcare with simple tables and guides to make deciding what is right for a family as easy as possible. Inside you will find:
- Examples of questions to ask each type of childcare to help find the right one for your family.
- Advice for parents who have children with special needs.
- Tips for settling a child in with their childcare and for working well with them to ensure a lasting and happy childcare solution.
- Safety and developmental advice to help parents and childcarers work at making sure your child is safe, happy and thriving.
- A guide to changing needs to help parents make the right childcare decisions over the years.
- A chapter to help parents look at your own needs and feelings, towards both parenting and childcare; a family is not happy unless everyone within it is.

I am pleased to be able to offer readers a 25% discount on a copy of the book (or any NannySuccess.com product) – just enter the code NB2 at NannySuccess.com checkout

In the past, my DH (short for Darling Husband) has come under some severe criticism from me for his “hands-off” approach to children (mainly because his job entails working ridiculously long hours). Well, I take it all back. I have been feeling dreadful for the last few days and my DH has been an absolute rock. He has looked after the kids all weekend and let me stay in bed. What a star! The children have loved every minute. Whereas I usually nag them to tidy up their toys and eat up their greens, my DH is a more “go with the flow” type of guy and just concentrates on really having fun with them. I don’t know how he manages to play the same game ten times in a row and still be as excited as the kids are! So, this post is dedicated to supportive fathers everywhere (particularly my own DH!)

PS As it is now half-term I will be taking a few days off posting, but I will be back soon.

Source: Personal Robot Research Centre

According to this news story Japanese engineers have now invented a robot that can track your children as they move around and send a photo of them to your mobile phone on demand.

The futuristic robot also has an inbuilt mobile phone. When a parent calls it will locate the child and start to play with them. Parents can also send text messages and talk to children using PaPeRo’s inbuilt microphones and speakers.

I suppose it is only one step up from the webcams that are currently being used in a number of nurseries. It might sound a little strange but with technology moving as fast a it is, who knows what the future will hold.

For full information please visit the personal robot research center

Arranging childcare is generally a headache. You spend ages researching the options, agonise over making the right decision and then feel guilty for leaving your sprogs in the care of someone else. Then, the likelihood is that as soon as you and your child are completely settled, you have to start the whole process again for various reasons (eg child outgrows nursery, childminder cannot accommodate second sprog).

There is a useful checklist to consider when thinking about childcare on a website I recently discovered. It is called Career Mom Radio and seems to be fairly new. As you would imagine it is aimed at working Mums and there are a variety of contributors from different countries. What I really liked was the rather novel idea of adding a “radio show”. This means you can listen to various topics being discussed from various angles. Definitely one to watch.