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Baby Fever

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you may have noticed that I'd had a bit of baby fever lately.Say what?Me? The girl who hates the baby years and never looks back on her children's infancies with nostalgia?What happened?Well, for one, my friends and relatives keep having ridiculously cute babies and I don't mind at all that they clutter my social media feeds with baby pictures and stories.Then there's the fact that my girls, who will be turning 5 and 4 soon, are evolving into pretty awesome individuals who increasingly amaze me with their creativity, wit, and lively personalities. They're getting along better, they make each other and the people around them laugh, they're cooperative, and they're both so smart. I'd helped create...

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My 3.5 Year Old Still Isn’t Potty-Trained

I know that she's ready, both mentally and physically. She meets all the requirements for potty-training, and more.But at 3 years and 6 months old, my Aerin is still in diapers.It is not for lack of trying. Books and videos. Pretty underwear she chose herself. Setting schedules. Going without diapers or underwear. Going full-on nude. Having her older sister (whom she shadows and copies all the time) demonstrate. Bribing. Begging. If you've seen it or read it online, I guarantee I've given it a go.By this point, I know that it's just a battle of wills. Because on the few occasions I have made her sit on the toilet — for up to FIVE hours — she still refused to go. And as soon as...

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Homework: A Family Effort?

Claire should technically still be in preschool. However, because she missed her school's cutoff age by only a couple of months — and because she's a bit advanced for her age — her teachers recommended she start pre-kindergarten early. (As such, she will always be one of the youngest kids in her grade.) And one of the things that distinguishes preschool from pre-k is the inclusion of homework. I was shocked when they handed us her first assignment at pickup. Really? Homework for 4-5 year olds? (At the time, Claire was only 3.) I don't remember getting homework until the 2nd grade! They also included a sheet of instructions in her homework folder which included things like: Establish a scheduled time and quiet place for homework to...

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