The Birds and The Bees - (proceed with caution: some material may be offensive to some)

I always wanted an open relationship with my children so that when they got to be teens they could come to me about anything.  ANYTHING!  And so far..... they have.  Do they talk to me about drugs? yes!  Do they talk to me about sex? Absolutely!!  masturbation? Yep, that too.   There really isn't a topic that is "off-limits", and I don't think that there should be.  I may not always answer a question if it is too personal, but they are always free to ask.  I answer them honestly and matter of factly.  Is this how parenting should be? By being open about these issues, does it diminish my authority as a parent?  I don't think so......My daughter often tells me that I am her Best Friend because she can tell me anything.  Can we be our children's "friends' and still be "the parent"? Or am I setting myself up for difficult times ahead?

Bedtime Battles -

My youngest two children both became very attached to their blankets as babies.  Their blankets came everywhere with us.  We didn't dare try to go anywhere without them. Their Blankets had Magical Powers.  They could stop tears in 2.0 seconds flat.  If something upset one of them, all we had to do was call on the mysterious power of the "Blankie" and suddenly everything was all better.  No more tears, no tantrum, just peace.  But the BEST power from the Blanket came at night.....When bedtime came around, it was a simple matter of laying them down, saying "night, night", giving them their blankets, and leaving the room......

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Oh, How I Miss Those Days!!

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