All you Moms out there who are in need of a little support, I invite you to check out MOPS. They explain it quite well on their own:

MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. MOPS International exists to meet the needs of every mom – urban, suburban and rural moms, stay-at-home and working moms, teen, single and married moms – moms with different lifestyles who all share a similar desire to be the very best moms they can be! MOPS recognizes that the years from infancy through kindergarten are foundational in a mother-child relationship and are filled with unique needs.

Now, so nobody gets surprised, MOPS is a Christian organization. Every local group has to be chartered by a church or other Christian organization, like the YMCA/YWCA. The best groups, however, remember the purpose – to meet the needs of every mom – and no matter where you stand spiritually/religiously you’ll be encouraged and supported as a mother.

I’m going to brag for a moment: My wife, Kerri, started a MOPS group at our old church, and it rocked! It ran for three years before the church closed its doors, and I don’t think a single mom who came regretted it. If fact, most of the moms were not a part of our church, and a number of them had no interest or involvement in any church. They were just moms who wanted the support and encouragement of other moms.

So if you’re feeling like you’re the only one experiencing the fears, doubts, stress, exhaustion and joy of being a new mom, I encourage you to check out MOPS. A directory of local groups, with contact information, can found at their website.

Post from: Blisstree

MOPS

The two speak favorably about our Supernanny and her techniques, in particular the famous “naughty spot.” Though they echo Jo by adding that too many warnings significantly undermine the technique.

When done correctly, I believe putting a child in a timeout place is extremely effective. However, the biggest problem I see is that whatever form of discipline parents choose, they tend to do it after too many warnings. So it’s important to make it the child’s choice whether or not they go to timeout. And if the timeout chair is effectively miserable, then a normal kid won’t want to be there.

Are you familiar with Drs. Cloud and Townsend? Have you read one of the Boundaries books, and has it helped you as a parent?

By the way, their comments also remind me of an old joke about sending kids to their rooms, where they’ve got toys and TVs and videogames and phones. What kid wouldn’t want to go to their room?

Post from: Blisstree

Drs. Cloud and Townsend on Supernanny