Parenting by Personality: Raising a kid who is your exact opposite
The Oklahoman’s Heather Warlick-Moore is referring to this article from Working Mother magazine in her column on Sunday.
Here are some tips in a story by Laura Flynn McCarthy with Working Mother Magazine for getting along with you children when your personalities and interests clash:
She’s a wallflower; you’re the life of the party. Couch potato; soccer star. Stylesetter; slob. When raising an opposite, focus on understanding your child rather than on your differences.
Kathy Weymiller describes herself as a “borderline-clumsy nonathlete who loves the arts.” The Gig Harbor, WA, elementary school principal’s idea of a perfect day includes watching opera on PBS. So, what’s the problem? Her two sons, Alex, 15, and Ben, 13, couldn’t be more different. Not only do they excel in math and science—Kathy’s worst subjects—they’re also athletes. Before she could say “La Bohème,” her life suddenly revolved around basketball and batting practice. “When my sons started playing basketball this year,” Kathy says, “I had to get the For Dummies book because I knew nothing. I’d never even been to a game in my entire life.”
Kathy thought she’d finally have a quiet, artsy kid to join her at the theater when she and her husband adopted their daughter, Ellie, from Russia. Ellie, now 5, has other ideas. “Inside her tiny body is a great big personality,” says Kathy. So much for mommy-daughter quiet time listening to Yo-Yo Ma. Ellie would much rather chase her brothers around. “At their sports games,” Kathy says, “Ellie will march right up to the dugout and shout, ‘All right, boys, I want to see hustle today!’ And they’ll listen to her!”
Raising a child who’s nothing like you can feel like a voyage to an alternate universe. But it’s also an opportunity to nurture a unique personality rather than experience a mini-me. (more…)
All aboard! Thomas is coming to town
Thomas the Tank Engine is chugging into Oklahoma City and tickets are on sale for this very fun event. According to the event website, Day Out with Thomas is in its 15th year, and as always, the Oklahoma Railway Museum will be hosting Thomas’ arrival.
Besides getting a train ride with Thomas, children can enjoy other activities such as arts and crafts, storytelling, playing with toy trains, meeting characters and getting a look at the history of Thomas, who is turning 65 this year.
Get tickets soon, as this tends to sell out. Dates of the event are Sept. 24-26 and Oct. 1-3. Tickets cost $14 to $18 each. When you order tickets online, you can choose which train you’d like to sit in. Pay extra attention to which train car you choose. Some are air conditioned, some only have sliding windows, and others are completely open. Also, I suggest picking an early morning ride to avoid high temperatures.
Two years ago, I mistakenly chose the 2 p.m. time slot and the car with only the sliding windows. Since some of the cars are so old, some windows won’t open. That was our window. September was especially hot that year, and my then-2-year-old son was completely decked out in his Thomas overalls, Thomas polo shirt, Thomas conductor hat, socks and shoes. We couldn’t bring our drinks on board, but it’s a 30-minute ride. No big deal.
About two minutes after we pull out of the station, my son starts screaming and crying. He’s sweating, he’s red in the face, he’s hot as can be. I didn’t know what to do and we couldn’t get off the train. We were starting to get some mean looks from other paying passengers. He cried the entire ride. People were upset with us, asking employees for their money back and just generally being more than annoyed.
About a year later, I was talking to some parents at my son’s day care about how Thomas the Train was back in town. All of a sudden, one parent starts talking about this screaming child on her train car last year … decked out in Thomas overalls, polo and conductor cap. She described my son to a T - an entire year later. She was on that car. She was one of the parents demanding a refund. Yikes.
Me: ”Oh, we didn’t get to go last year … how awful … why would his mom dress him in such hot clothes in the middle of summer? … “
So please take my advice. Choose the air conditioned car. Get an early time and don’t dress your child like a conductor. After all, it’s September in Oklahoma.
For a schedule and tickets, click here.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
Just Between Friends is ready for you …
… Ready for you to consign and volunteer at the August sale in Oklahoma City, that is!
Registration starts today (July 15) for volunteers and consignors. While volunteering may not sound like as much fun as actually shopping at the sale, let me tell you why it’s completely worth it.
70% on items AND an opportunity to shop BEFORE the public!
For those reasons alone, I signed up. For just a 3-hour shift, you get both those perks. For 6- or 9-hour shifts, you get in to the presale even earlier.
And if you consign, you can get 65% on all items sold and still get a presale pass. I know I’ll be bringing in a ton of baby/toddler items.
The fall/winter sale is open to the public Aug. 23-28 at State Fair Park. Presales are Aug. 21-22.
To sign up to consign and/or volunteer, or for more information, go to www.jbfsale.com. To access the Oklahoma City site, go to www.jbfsale.com/okc.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
On Facebook? Then ‘like’ this.
If you’re on Facebook as much as many moms I know, take advantage of a resource a friend of mine recently introduced me to. It’s called Freebies 4 Mom.
I’ve been following the site for about 4 days now, and already have seen great deals. Free photo books, food samples, free Coke, and many other discounted and free offers.
If you use Facebook, just search for Freebies 4 Mom or go to http://www.facebook.com/Freebies4Mom. You’ll see the deals updated in your news feed throughout the day.
-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com
