My husband and I got into an argument the other night. It wasn’t a big deal. We didn’t yell or scream or call each other names.  But we raised our voices slightly and showed irritation with each other. That happens sometimes. We’re human.  Our 3-year-old daughter was sitting with us. She didn’t like what she heard.  I looked at her and could see the sad look on her face. Then, she started to cry.  It broke my heart. My husband hugged her. Then I did. I asked her if we were too loud. She nodded her head. I told her I was sorry. Then I cried, too. I explained to her that daddy and I argue …

I often ask myself as a parent: How much is enough? Kids, as any parent, teacher or coach knows, will test you. They’ll ask for more and more and more. And they’ll take more and more and more if you give it to them. Sometimes, it’s easier to just give them what they want than to stand your ground. Especially when you’re tired. But if you don’t want to raise a spoiled brat — and I don’t — that’s no solution. Our 3-year-old daughter has gotten into the habit of asking for a snack right before bed. It’s like Pavlov’s dog: “It’s time for bed,” I say. “Mom, can I have a snack,” she says. In the …

Our daughter turns 3 next week. She’s becoming a little person. As we celebrate her birthday, I’m especially grateful for having been able to share these first years with her at home. That’s because two and a half years ago, my husband and I made a tough decision: For me to leave my full-time job.  I agonized over it, wondering how, financially, we’d be able to get by. I had worked full-time for 20 years, establishing a good career with a good paycheck. How would we manage on half of what we were accustomed to making — with a baby just added to our family? And how would I adjust to not …

My 2 ½-year-old daughter and I were in the kitchen getting ready for dinner the other night. She wanted a snack. I said, “No, sweetie. We’re about to eat dinner. Come wash your hands.” She walked over to the sink, climbed up on her stool, looked at me and said, “You’re so mean.” My mouth dropped. “Julia,’’ I said. “That’s not a nice thing to say. Where did you hear that?” She just stared at me sheepishly. Julia repeats a lot of words and phrases I say, but I knew I didn’t teach her that one. I figured maybe she overheard it from one of the older girls on our block. But then at dinner, as I …

I was at the pool recently talking to friends about our summer activities when one mom, who was describing her daughter’s particularly busy schedule, whispered, “I feel like a Tiger mom.” There was a pause. “Do you know what that is?” she asked. I said I did and then went on to describe a cougar mom: An older mom who’s fit and sexy and attracts younger men. Oops. Wrong animal. A Tiger mom, as my friend reminded me, is a mom who overschedules her child. At least, that’s the simplified — and perhaps skewed — Western definition of it. The Tiger mom became a hot and controversial topic earlier …

NBC's promo for its new sitcom, Up All Night, makes me chuckle. In it, co-star Christina Applegate says in a quiet, sultry voice: "So here's my fantasy: I'm alone in the bedroom and you walk in. You tell me: Don't speak. That you'll take care of everything. So I lie down on the bed. You turn down the lights."  Then, as her voice gets louder and the room lightens, she says: “And I sleep and you take care of the baby for 10 uninterrupted hours."  Isn’t that every mom’s fantasy? Or at least one of them? It has been my wish the past couple of weeks as our toddler has struggled to get back into …

Friends often marvel at how well my 2½-year-old daughter eats. She likes vegetables — especially carrots, cucumbers and green beans — hummus, black beans and rice and almost any kind of fruit. She loves skim milk and won’t drink sugary juices. Perhaps her tastes are innate, but we also work hard to foster healthy eating. We cook balanced meals at home and shun fast food. We do like to go out occasionally, but we’re picky about where we go. Too many restaurants offer only the cliché (and unhealthy) kids’ meals: chicken fingers, hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries and macaroni and cheese. When …

I remember the first night we returned home from the hospital with our daughter: I was exhausted and anxious and clueless about what to do next. In the hospital, every time I had a question, I pressed the “call” button and a nurse promptly appeared with the answer. At home, the call button was gone. But I did have a telephone and the number to the pediatrician’s after-hours nurse line.  When Julia cried and cried that first night, I dialed the number: “My daughter’s crying. I can’t seem to soothe her. What should I do?” I don’t remember the answer, but it made me feel better to have someone …

For five years, I’ve driven by the Beachwood Community Center on Fairmount Boulevard and admired its sleek, modern look. Everything about it oozes 21st century.  Built in 2006, it’s now home to all kinds of community activities from aerobics to art classes to dance and ballet. I enrolled my daughter, Julia, in a Movin’ Together class there for the first time this summer. The class description promised “a movement potpourri … with costumes and props, hula hoops, balls and more.”  Kids 18 months to 5 years old were welcome.  I expected a young teacher with her iPod Touch, playing current music…

I’m reluctant to admit it, but I compare my 2½-year-old daughter to other kids her age.  I tell myself not to, but I still fall into the trap. Does she talk as well as them? Play as well as them? Is she as outgoing? Smart? Skilled? It’s crazy, and I scold myself when I do it. Kids and their personalities are so different. So is their development.  Last week, for example, I decided to try to potty train my daughter cold-turkey: Right from diapers to underwear. Two of my neighbors did it with their kids and they said they were potty-trained in a couple of days with hardly any accidents. I …

Every once in awhile, our family gets in a funk. Sometimes it’s the monotony of our weekday schedule or a long week cooped up at home, sick.  Other times, we just want a short, fun break from life. That’s when we head to Big Fun on Coventry Road. Like a dip in the pool on a hot summer day, it’s just the kind of fun, refreshing break we need to put a smile on our faces. Big Fun, as almost every Clevelander knows, is a throwback to the days of simple games and toys. There are no iTouches or DS computer games or even DVDs. Instead, the store is brimming with simple, silly, (mostly) non-…

I couldn’t wait to book our flights to Portland, ME, until I clicked on the reservation and — gulp — saw the plane was a 50-seat regional jet. I’m not crazy about those flying sardine cans to begin with. But add a toddler to the mix and my anxiety goes up. My husband, Mr. Cool-as-a-Cucumber, shook his head when I shared my concern about bringing our 2 ½-year-old daughter onto a plane where you feel every bump and hear every engine roar.  “It’ll be fine,’’ he said. “Book it.’’ Traveling with children, especially infants and toddlers, is always an adventure. I don’t expect every moment to be …

When we pulled up to Turtle Park the other day, my daughter’s eyes lit up as she pointed to the swings and exclaimed:  “That’s fun! We can do that one!”  Our neighbors, James and Bradley, were already there, playing in the sand with the shovels and trucks scattered about near the large, green plastic turtle that gives the park its name.   Turtle Park, at the corner of Euclid Heights Boulevard and Hampshire Road in Cleveland Heights, is a favorite summer spot for us — and for many other families, too. Like lots of public places — the library, the pool, the neighborhood restaurant — the park is…

One of my daughter’s favorite books is Silly Sally by Audrey Wood. At 2 ½, she can’t read yet, but she can recite the book almost word-for-word from memory.   Like most children’s books, it’s repetitive. A common refrain is: “Silly Sally went to town walking backwards upside down.”  It’s a cute, fun book and one we read together often. It struck me as an apt title for this column about moms. First, it’s silly. And how often, as moms, do we do silly things for our kids — or feel silly doing things because of them?   At the same time, it’s symbolic of how difficult being a mom is some days: …