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The Serious One vs The Happy One

At about this time last year, I would often wonder if I were doing something wrong with Claire. Yes, every new mother has her moments of doubt regarding childcare, but the type of worry that went through my mind was of a different sort — I was concerned because Claire was such a serious, intense baby. "I don't think I've ever seen a baby frown that much!" was a phrase I heard often. Claire at four months old Now that we have Aerin, whose personality has really started to surface in the past month or so, I know that I was foolish to have worried with Claire — it was just her personality! She is a pensive, serious type who only truly shines in...

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“Why do we continue to watch this?”

Being the parents of two young girls, J and I have very little time to watch TV. So when we do get the time to catch up on our favorite shows, it is not uncommon for one of us to ask the other, "Why do we continue to watch this show again?" Let me explain. Say that you started watching a television series. Say that you fell in love with its storyline, its characters, and the way that it makes you feel. But after a few seasons, that show starts to lose its luster. The jokes become repetitive. The characters become clichéd and annoying. And worse still, the story begins to suffer. In other words, the show has hit its prime long ago, and it's...

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Hibachi FAIL

Yesterday, J suggested that we take both girls and — with the help of his parents — go have lunch at a Hibachi Steakhouse. Before I go on, I should state that I do not particularly like taking my kids to "adult" places. If the locale is specifically marketed as a family-friendly establishment? Sure, let's go for it! But otherwise, I am a firm believer that most patrons of restaurants, theaters, and such pay the markup for the experience, and have the right to get annoyed when children are ill-behaved, or when babies won't stop crying. (And although I am a mother myself, I personally would pay more for a child-free cabin if I were flying without my kids.) But this time around,...

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