Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
Whether or not you can feel it coming yet, your kid is sniffing that 70-degree air outside and thinking about one thing above all else: summer vacation is coming. Of course, for older kids, "vacation" may be a slight misnomer. And for some, that might not even be so much of a change from their activities during the school year... that is, those kids who already put a good chuck of their time into their jobs. Which brings us to this week's Hey Mom & Dad question: Saiward Brown: “We believe that during the school year, our boys' job is to be the best students that they can be; during the summer they should work. There are skills they need to learn there as well.” – Wheaton Patch Facebook Spencer Dylan Smith: “I think a part-time of 10-20 …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
Personally, my prom was an unmitigated disaster—no joke, I remember it as one of the worst nights of my life, Murphy's Law encapsulated in one five-hour torture session. But for many teenagers, prom is a magical experience for which they wait through all of high school, and expect it to be perfect... no matter what the cost to you! We've heard horror stories about prom dresses, tuxes and limos getting out of hand, and people spending really extravagant amounts on these things in recent years. Which brings us to this week's Hey Mom & Dad question: Tracy Paddy: “We split costs in a variety of ways. She paid for the after-prom tickets—her date paid for the prom tickets. She paid for his flowers and her hair. She did her own nails, and I made …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
By now it's a cliche to say it, but still: last week was really, really rough. There were a lot of crummy things that happened in American news, but the Boston Marathon bombing might have been the worst—and the subsequent Friday manhunt the most perversely watchable. Of course, adults aren't the only ones who are swept up in these dark tidings; the kids hear about things as well. Which brings us to this week's Hey Mom & Dad question: Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section. Mark Kempe: "Speak the truth. Evil is evil. Evil is, as evil does!" — Wheaton Patch Facebook Cathy Fischer: "Yes, no need to shield them from it. [My kids are] ages 10 and 16. They see the good and bad and hopefully …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
Of all the great destroyers of report cards, perhaps none is more feared than the dastardly Spring Fever. Well, okay, many others are worse, but spring fever can be pretty bad, too. Everyone can well remember from their own childhoods: when it's getting warm outside and summer vacation is in sight, sometimes it's just a little bit trickier to remember quadratic formulae and first-declension nominative plural endings for Latin nouns like "formula." Which brings us to this week's Hey Mom & Dad question: Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section. Kendra Scudder Thompson: "We just count the weeks until summer break and that helps. It's also good to have nice weather on the weekends... but they are …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
A couple of weeks ago, we asked parents if they had any rules for their new teen drivers. Of course, before those teens can be drivers, they need something to drive! Having your own car is one of the ultimate teenage status symbols (as Marty in Grease sang in "Summer Nights," "Like does he have a car?), but every parent has his or her own rules on how their rapidly growing-up bundle of joy should obtain that coveted set of wheels. Which brings us to this week's Hey Mom & Dad question: Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section. Sharon Crowder: "They should buy the car on their own—or do as my wise husband told our kids. He told them that he would buy them a used car when they could pay for their…
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
Welcome to "Hey Mom and Dad"—a weekly feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on parenting. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked parents the week before on Patch Facebook pages from around the area. While many stick to the traditional egg hunt and candy basket formula for Easter celebrations, other parents report the holiday is getting out of hand. Some readers say gifts like Wii video games and other expensive gifts are becoming commonplace additions to Easter baskets. That brings us to this week's question: Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section. Lee Ann Anderson: My daughter is 13 now . Over the pass 3 years I get …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
Welcome to "Hey Mom and Dad"—a weekly feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on parenting. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked parents the week before on Patch Facebook pages from around the area. Is there anything more harrowing than the day when you first hand over the keys to your brand-new teen driver, the same one who it seems like just yesterday was still biking with training wheels? It's not uncommon for parents to set some restrictions on their newly-minted leadfoots, so we took to our Facebook pages to find out what the laws on this are in some west-suburban households. Which brings us to this week's question: What new rules do you have for your new teen …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
Welcome to "Hey Mom and Dad"—a weekly feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on parenting. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked parents the week before on Patch Facebook pages from around the area. Most teens love to stay out late with their friends, a habit upon which many parents prefer to keep a certain degree of limitations. Mom and Dad tend to know better about when their kids need to get some sleep, after all—and when there's liable to be less reason to be out. Which brings us to this week's question: What curfews have you set for your teenage children, and how do you enforce them? Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
Welcome to "Hey Mom and Dad"—a weekly feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on parenting. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked parents the week before on Patch Facebook pages from around the area. Many parents assign their children certain chores or other duties around the house in exchange for a regular allowance as a good way to instill work ethic and responsibility. But the range of money paid and work performed can vary significantly from house to house. That brings us to this week's question: Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section. Julie Hallock Howard: We take a hybrid approach. Our philosophy is that chores …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Parents, Patch wants to hear from you on the questions that get families talking.
Welcome to "Hey Mom and Dad"—a weekly feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on parenting. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked parents the week before on Patch Facebook pages from around the area. That brings us to this week's question: Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section. Donna Campbell: Fear children becoming "friends" with the wrong type of kids! — Batavia Patch Facebook Julie Wlodarski Bruns: Just being happy. Between the stresses of school and sports and the competitiveness they seem to have now and bullying, I just want them to know that them being happy is all that matters. — Elmhurst Patch Facebook Amy De…
Gigi
1:20 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
I'm with you ... how precious. more ›