5 Books that Changed my Parenting: Book 3

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You might find it surprising that one of my favorite parenting books was written by someone who is the top result of online searches using the terms "America's Worst Mom." She also has a reality show on Discovery/TLC International titled "World's Worst Mom." But Lenore Skenazy has a lovely sense of humor that pairs well with her understanding of parental behavior, and she laughingly accepts the ironic labels. (They were coined by the media after she let her nine-year-old son ride the New York subway alone.) Her ensuing book, Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry, is a straightforward, humorous, and surprisingly informative read. 

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The Best French English Dictionary App

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Though I majored in French and English in college, I somehow made it through my studies with only a pocket-size French English Dictionary from the early 1980s. I had no idea how impressive a dictionary could be until I began teaching and purchased a two-and-a-half-inch thick, five pound French Unabridged Dictionary from Collins Robert for classroom use. When a translation question arose that I couldn't answer, the student who volunteered to be the daily fée du dictionnaire (dictionary fairy, with optional wand, ID tag, and tiara) would find the answer in that massive dictionary. But ever since I downloaded the Collins-Robert Concise French Dictionary App as a stay-at-home mama, I've been amazed at how useful a dictionary app can be.

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Avoiding Resentment in Marriage

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Before our marriage seven years ago, my husband and I had a few sessions of premarital counseling. (It was paid for by my parents, and at one point my mama wanted to know what was being discussed. The counselor, bless him, didn't share.) The counseling was pretty straightforward, as we were a confident couple who'd already dated for five years. (We have long-distance excuses, among others.) In any case, two agreements came out of that counseling:

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The Best French Children's Books for Learning Object Names

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American parents love educational toys and books for their preschool-age children, so I find it a little strange that the French have an entire category of children's books for which we don't have a word in English: l'imagier. Wikipedia.fr defines an imagier as "A collection of photographs or drawings featuring objects, animals, and individuals along with the word that characterizes them." Put simply, they're word books with corresponding images. For little language learners, imagiers are a fantastic visual resource.

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Halloween Howls and A Momentary Lesson on Contentment

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 Yesterday my four-year-old daughter announced that she wanted a different Halloween costume--one from the printed advertisement that she'd seen at her friend's house. "Alex got a costume from the magazine, and Claire bought one from it too. I want one! There was even a Hello Kitty." I'm sure the skeptical look I gave her was disappointing, but she'd been prancing around for two weeks in the fairy costume she'd convinced me to buy at a resale event. "Honey," I told her, "You already chose a costume. We're not buying another one." Normally I'd suggest that she do some extra chores to earn the money to buy what she suddenly fancied, but I figured the catalog she'd seen probably featured costumes that cost more than either of us wanted to pay. 

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