Bunch Family

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. An essay from a woman who swore she’d be a different type of mother than her own, but becomes her mother anyway. Is that inevitable?

2. Dealing with a teen daughter? Or maybe you just want to be prepared for when you have to deal with a teen daughter? Here are some tips for dealing with a teenage drama queen.

3. A good or not-so-good divorce question: How do you keep a good relationship with your kids’ grandmother now that she’s no longer your mother-in-law?

4. A 46-year-old man who never thought he’d be a dad looks at the ultrasound photo of his yet-to-be-born twins.

5. Tell me you haven’t done this lip-synch yourself in the car:

Last week: One Millions Moms boosts JC Penney via boycotts, what moms really think about their Mother’s Day gifts and what new moms and teen boys have in common.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. Any parents/step-parents navigating the whole blended family thing? Rebecca Eckler talks about raising her daughter with her fiance, his two daughters, while expecting a new half-sibling for these three girls.

2. For all those following the gong show that is the GOP primaries, do you miss Bachmann a little? Apparently Rush Limbaugh isn’t the only one who doesn’t understand how birth control works, because Michele Bachmann was talking about birth control and how once the state gets involved, it won’t take much before America has a one-child policy.

3. Older parents think that childless 30-somethings should get a move on it.

4. Do you think that the public school system needs some work? Here’s why being a part of it can help make it better.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. How to change kids from passive consumers to active creators: Let kids be the inventors of play.

2. There are benefits to being an older parent, but there’s also a lot for kids to consider, like where they’d go if their elderly parents die before they’re adults. Wonder what Robert DeNiro’s newborn thinks about all this.

3. Almost half of all births in China are C-sections. Why? Some expectant mothers want to pick their kids’ birthdays, and some expectant mothers just do it because it’s the thing to do.

4. One of our favourite themes! How to get kids to love healthy food. Mmm… broccoli and kale.

5. Curious about the Muppets Google+ hangout? Here you go:

Photo by woodlywonderworks via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. In defence of the 50-year-old new moms.

2. A school in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood created a few 3-grade split classes and parents were none too pleased and worried about bullying. Now they’re looking at alternatives.

3. A mother of five (under 6-years-old) explains how and why she brought her kids to Ireland for a vacation.

4. Versace, Fendi, and Marc Jacobs are trying to start a lifelong relationship with your baby.

5. An 11-year-old and her sister sing Amy Winehouse. The next Beyonce and Solange Knowles?

Photo by marv117

What we’re reading today:

1. Older mothers seem to be on the receiving end of a lot of prejudice, why aren’t older dads?

2. Advice from the Kielburgers — What to do when your kid comes home and says they want to change the world? Listen, ask follow up questions, then check in with them the next morning. “Ultimately, you want to channel their passion into a healthy and lasting appetite for social involvement.”

3. The pregnancy photo shoot: it’s a thing. (Just be careful not to veer into awkward family photo territory)

4. You have a baby: best excuse to get out of things you don’t want to do?

5. Kids struggling in geography? Just play this a few dozen times:

Photo via Awkward Family Photos