My friend Wendi sent me this “Mother of the Year” YouTube clip (a commercial for Vicks First Defence (sic) nose spray) with the message, “Didn’t you do this with Truman once?” I’ll make no claims about the product (though I wish I had known to try it as I’m finally getting over a cold), but I will say this about the ad – ingenious!
Truth be told, I have reacted that way to my son’s temper tantrums. Just not in public. While “Mother of the Year” may be expressing how you feel when your child’s temper erupts, child expert, author, speaker …read more

My family had lunch with my friend Suzanne and her crew the other day. The last time I saw her was two years ago, when Truman and I drove two hours to her small town to visit with her and her two boys. Truman was barely 3 then and he tornadoed through their house, destroying a lamp and nearly giving her 2-year-old a concussion when he lobbed a toy across the room, narrowly missing the little tike. That was bad enough, but when Truman threw one of his stellar temper tantrums and swung his arms at me, actually making contact …read more