Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Lance Armstrong, the role model, failed his son and his young fans.
Like most of America, I have to admit to watching at least some of Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah last week. I’ve seen bits and pieces replayed on the news and watched videos of the interview on various websites around the Internet. Perhaps the most poignant moment for me was when Armstrong described the pain he felt while admitting to “doping” to his 13-year-old. As Armstrong explained it was when it was when he heard his oldest son, Luke, defending him that he knew he had to admit what he had done to him. Without a doubt that was likely the moment that Armstrong won over the hearts of many viewers but the reality is, mine simply isn’t one of them. Like Armstrong, I have a 13-year-old son and can certainly understand how difficult…
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A loose spider sums up just what moms have to sacrifice for their children.
As moms we are used to making sacrifices. Some of them are simple, some of them are just a bit harder and, frankly, some are just completely unexpected. I’ll be the first to admit this. I’m a pretty darn “girly” mom. Now, before anyone out there takes offense, I’m just admitting who I am and absolutely not criticizing anyone else. I like girl clothes, I like to have my hair and makeup done, and pedicures are my friend. Now, I’m not opposed to getting dirty, but it’s really not my favorite thing to do. I can’t deny that being the mom of a boy has been a bit of an experience. In my own strange way I’ve come to appreciate things that I never thought I would be able to face. Immediately things like the “Discovery Room” at the zoo come to mind…
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
There has been recent talk of longer school days, but one mom doesn't believe it's the right option for children.
Lately there has been a lot of talk about increasing the length of time that students spend in the classroom each day. Recently, it was announced that a pilot program will be introduced in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Tennessee and Colorado that will allow some cities and towns to lengthen the school day. The goal is to determine if the move to a longer school day will help students to achieve more academically. Here in Massachusetts two towns, Lawrence and Fall River, are expected to participate in the program which will add approximately 300 hours of learning time to the school year. The pilot program is expected to continue for approximately three years. Now, let’s face it. As moms we do joke around a lot about dying for …
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Moms' columnist Christine MacKenzie thinks New Year's Day 2013 time to keep priorities straight and goals realistic.
Every year, New Year’s arrives, and we, as moms, feel obligated to make promises to change our lives. We vow to stay ahead of the laundry pile, to make healthier meals for our kids, to keep our home completely clutter free and, of course, to fit back into our skinny jeans. This year, however, I don’t think I’m alone is saying that I’m tired of the same old pressure to make the New Year a perfect one. As a matter of fact, I’m very content to admit I’m not perfect and simply move on. Yes, it would be nice to wake up every day knowing that no one would need to rifle through the laundry basket to find clean socks and underwear for the day. It would be incredible to realize that an unexpected knock at the front door wouldn’t mean that I needed…
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Many parents find themselves trying to "keep up with the Joneses"
Yesterday, when speaking to a friend, an interesting subject came up. She had been reading updates on Facebook and one of her friends had posed a question that she found a little odd. It seems that this mom was looking to find out how many gifts other families were leaving under the Christmas Tree for their children. Upon reading further she found that a number of people had chimed in and basically given counts on what their kids would be getting for the holiday. I have to admit that, like her, I found the whole post just a bit disconcerting. Yes, we all like to spoil our children on Christmas. We want to see their faces light up when the open gifts and, often, are just as excited as they are. What I don’t understand, however, is taking …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
For parents, it's difficult to explain to children what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School. But what helps is focusing on the heroes who emerged that day.
As I sat down to ponder my Life in The Mom Lane article this week there simply didn’t seem to be any real decision as to what subject to choose. Yes, I would have loved to write an article that would spread some holiday cheer but there is no bigger issue on the minds of moms right now than the tragic events that took place last Friday morning in Newtown, Conn. I admit that, when I woke up Friday morning, my mind was pretty much consumed with holiday stress. Frankly, that morning nothing seemed more monstrous than the task of getting everything ready for the Christmas holiday. That feeling, however, didn’t last very long. I was in line at a local store when the first indications of what had happened began pouring in. My phone buzzed and I …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Columnist Christine Mackenzie gets a reminder of what it's like to be 1-on-1 with a toddler.
Let’s face the facts; motherhood is not an easy job. The take home pay is non-existent, the hours are grueling and, frankly, the benefits package doesn’t always seem to measure up. No two stages of motherhood are alike and, sometimes, it can seem like the toughest job on earth. As the mom of a 13-year-old I sometimes look at old pictures and wonder how my son could possibly be a teenager already. While some moms I know long for their kids to be babies again I have to admit that I have enjoyed watching my son grow into a self-sufficient and independent young man. Unlike a lot of moms that I know I don’t spend a lot of time longing for the days when he relied on me completely. To be perfectly honest I’m not even sure that, after all this …
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Though Santa is still the number one man, these little friends are becoming a holiday staple.
These days it seems that there is a bit of competition when it comes to holiday traditions. Without a doubt, Santa is still the number one man when it comes to Christmas but, alas, there is a new kid in town when it comes to getting attention. Lately it seems that someone a little smaller than Santa has also moved into the hearts of children. That someone is The Elf on the Shelf. As the mom of a teenager I have no experience with this little elf. As a matter of fact I had to enlist the help of a friend to learn exactly what this new tradition is all about. It seems that these elves, like most, are Santa’s treasured assistants. While many of their friends are at home in the North Pole making toys these elves have a different role in the …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Parents are faced with the dilemma of putting together a great party without wanting to spend their life savings.
Ok. I’ll admit it. This week when I sat down to write "Life in The Mom Lane" I was fresh out of good ideas. As I’ve done on the past I put the call out to some of my mom friends and, much to my surprise, was bombarded with opinions on a rather unexpected topic. Yes, everyone wants to talk about the holidays but, at the same time, there was something else on a lot of minds. It seems that, these days, the pressure to host the perfect birthday party can be overwhelming to say the very least. Gone are the days when, as one of my friends pointed out, “a birthday party was cake after dinner, some streamers over the table and you could invite two friends over to play.” Today parties are becoming more and more elaborate and the expectations for …
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Columnist Christine Berry MacKenzie reflects on Thanksgiving traditions.
These days it often seems like time passes more and more quickly. Family life is hectic, parents and kids are busier than ever and, oftentimes, there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Unfortunately, that sometimes means that we, as moms, don’t always make the time to enjoy the same traditions that we did when we were kids. Holidays come and go quickly and, sometimes, Thanksgiving seems to have become nothing more than the day before the “silly season” of Christmas shopping begins. Let’s face it, Christmas decorations seem to be going up earlier and earlier every year and, by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, we often seem to be so programmed into the upcoming holiday stress that we forget exactly what we should be giving …
Bob
1:03 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
I agree Dave! We also need to look at the delivery system (ie teachers). We need to get the unions out of the education business. My kids have had great teachers in Tewksbury and they have had very bad teachers too. The bad ones never seem to get rooted out and some of the good ones have left. We need to get back to teaching American Exceptionalism in our schools and challenge our kids to be … more ›