Thanks For the Advice

Often in parenthood, I hear things from people that make me roll my eyes or cringe (or both). Too many random strangers at the grocery store have offered me advice when it comes to getting my two-year-old’s thumb out of his mouth. I know these people are trying to help, but come on now! My kid is being content while I buy grapes, chips, applesauce, and toilet paper. Just let us be!

Although advice from strangers carries little clout with me, I do love getting smart insights from people I trust. Here are some tidbits of advice that have worked wonders for my parenting mindset and household.

Children’s Medicine

This year while counting box tops and receipts with some fellow PTO moms we got on the discussion of fevers and kid meds. It is cold and flu season, so leaving the house without Tylenol or Ibuprofen is risky. My older children are at the age where dosages for liquid medicine constitute half of the bottle.

One of the volunteers told me she taught her kids to swallow tablets or pills by using mini M&Ms. These yummy candies come in a little tube package. Kids want to eat the mini M&Ms, so a deal is struck. Once the children get the hang of swallowing a few mini M&Ms in a row (say four or five) they can have the rest of the tube of candy to chew and enjoy. Ultimately with the candy reward comes the “know how” to swallow medicine and say good-bye to liquid dosages. This candy method offers an incentive to children to not be scared and gag repeatedly. The tiny M&Ms are similar in shape to small capsules of acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

This advice for me was a great idea, and a win-win for kids and parents.  It is a grown-up victory because toting around a pill bottle in one’s diaper bag or mom purse is easier than bottles of grape flavored syrups. The children reap the benefit of getting candy. All should be relieved and happy.

Leave Me a Message

Texting, smart phones, and voicemails are great for leaving messages. However, sometimes I need to write it down in order to really remember something. Post-it notes and scraps of paper get lost in the shuffle of life and messy counters. Enter: dry erase board paint.

I know a family that has a good portion of their front entry way wall painted with this special surface. It allows them to write notes and doodles with no fear of permanent marking. I have also heard of the chalk paint, but I think this dry erase stuff is even better and more practical to use for leaving everyday notes.

My husband painted a portion of our kitchen door as a surprise for my birthday. It has been my favorite gift. We use that door for everything, so my daughters always see it and any notes that pertain to them. Grocery list reminders scrawled on the door have made my life much easier because sometimes my husband uses the last of the salsa, but forgets to mention it until taco night. This kitchen door is by the fridge and all is good now.

Youth Sports

Everyone has a different opinion when it comes to youth sports. Me included. I enjoy watching my kids play sports, but keeping up with the level of competition out there is daunting. Families have to do what works for them. That is my own personal advice to others. 

The best advice I ever received pertaining to youth sports so far was from a childhood friend. I ran into her at the hockey rink. My son was lacing up ice skates for the first time and I had a lot of worries. My husband and I knew nothing about hockey and people kept telling us it was too expensive and takes up your life. I voiced some initial concerns, and this great gal who knew me as a grade-schooler shrugged and said, “It’ll just become that thing you do. You’ll love it.” 

Now this may not sound like much, but that remark made an impact on me. It let me know that I was the type of person who was 100% okay with chasing and enjoying my children. If my son likes hockey, or my daughters enjoy multiple activities simultaneously, or whatever…it will just become the things we do on the weekends or weeknights to support them.

Tournaments away from home will be our family getaways. Late night games or band concerts will be rehashed together. Traveling for match-ups or events will be made fun because hotel swimming gets factored into the equation.

It is Worth It

After school practices are the way my kids stay busy and hopefully stay out of trouble. Expensive sports gear gets designated as birthday presents or holiday gifts. Carpool duty doubles as one-on-one time and a chance to talk to my kids in the confined space of a vehicle. There are definitely hassles with youth sports, music, dance, and other extracurriculars. However, quality time with my kids is worth it.

Parenting is expensive. Be it in monetary value or time. I needed to hear that spending money and time watching our kids do things they love will be our norm and never a chore. I’m glad I listened because she was right.

Advice in General

Not all advice is great, but it isn’t all bad either. Filtering out information that is worth retaining is almost an art form in memory management. Yet, I feel like the good advice sticks around for years and hopefully gets passed along enough to matter.