The other day, I was marveling at how tall my son is getting. I'm a mere 5' and almost 1" and I noticed that when I don't have heels on, my 10-year-old is almost my height. Incredibly, some of the girls in his fifth grade class are actually taller than me. This, in essence, is a view of typical 10-year-old child physical development.
When I look at how rapidly my child and his friends are growing (some of the girls, whom I've known since they were in preschool with my son, are actually using training bras), I am filled with a sense of time moving too fast, as if I'm on some strange time warp that has sped things up faster than normal.
As a parenting expert, I know that this is exactly what is supposed to happen. We are perfectly on schedule, and we are very lucky to have healthy, happy, and growing children. As a mom, however, I am wishing for the days of the fat cheeks and chubby hands that I kissed over and over in our days together that were not filled with homework and activities and social obligations.
This, I suppose, is the essence of parenthood: to watch your children grow bigger, more independent, and away from you. It's a good thing, but sometimes, when I think about how fast things are moving, it's a thing that makes me a bit emotional.
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Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced new rules to improve the nutritional quality of school lunches.
Under the new guidelines, schools will serve only fat-free or low-fat milk rather than full-fat; offer more foods high in whole-grains; reduce saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium; tailor portion sizes to kids' ages; and ensure that kids are offered fresh fruits and vegetables every day.
Here's to hoping that changes like these will help fight the astronomically high rates of child obesity in the U.S. (as many as one in three kids are estimated to be overweight) and improve the health of school-age children.
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What is it about cold winter nights that make curling up with a good book so tempting? Maybe it's the fact that it's warm and cozy when we settle down to read, especially under a throw on the sofa. Or maybe it's the early darkness that makes us want to snuggle together with a good book while we read together or side by side.
While we love reading year-round, I have to say that winter is an especially great time for reading a great book. Here are some of our favorites. What are yours?
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Winter is the perfect time to play some board games. While it may be cold and blustery outside, your family can gather together in the coziness of your home (preferably with some mugs of hot chocolate!) and play some fun board games for kids.
It is one of the best ways to spend time together as a family, not only because it's fun but because good board games can expand kids' verbal and math skills, help them develop logical thinking and strategy, and teach important skills such as how to be a graceful winner or loser.
So pick some favorite board games and have fun!
