How To Tell Your Kids that Mommy is a Love Child

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:43:00 GMT

How do you explain to your children that they won’t be meeting Grandpa since Mommy is the love child that resulted from a few too many Jagermeister shots one Saturday night in college?

Slate’s Dear Prudence column recently tackled a (slightly more tasteful) variation of this question. “Dadless Mom” wrote in wondering how to respond to her five-year-old’s question, “Who’s your dad?” She was wary of giving her son more information than he could handle, but at the same time she wanted to avoid creating the same aura of secrecy that surrounded her own quandaries about her father when she was a little girl.

Prudence masterfully answered this question with a gentle, “What’s the big deal?” With the wisdom of distance--and of a marketable knack for offering good advice--Prudence suggested that the child’s query is probably not nearly as loaded as “Dadless Mom” seems to believe. He’s probably just curious, and requires only a quick, but truthful, response.

In other words, if you’re relaxed about the fatherhood question—and other sticky subjects—chances are, your kids will be, too.

Photo: canada.com

How to Get the Kids Outside: Lie About Fairies!

Madeline Holler — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:31:00 GMT

Looking for a little "me time"? Take the advice of Strollerderby's Redsy over at Imperfect Parent and tell your kids to "get out" (of the house, into the yard, or at least away from the TV). No, no, this isn't for them (the little soul-suckers). It's for you!

But how to lure them out the backdoor after months of hiding from snow, cold, or sad gray overcast skies? Well, thank you for asking:

1. Tell them to go and count worms

2. Tell them to identify and draw all the birds they see while counting worms

3. Encourage them to open a rock store

When that fails, remind them about the fairies that live in the flower beds and that if they try hard and believe, they'll find them.

Me? I'm old school. I tell them they can have a Popsicle but only if they eat it outside.

How do you get the kids out of their winter ruts (and as far away from you as possible ... if only for 30 minutes)?

Photo: northernballettheatre.blogspot.com

Strollerderby : lying to children

How To Tell Your Kids that Mommy is a Love Child

How to Get the Kids Outside: Lie About Fairies!