Wearing Your Kid on Your Sleeve

It used to be that proud parents merely tucked a photo of their child in their wallet and brought it out when appropriate. Nowadays people are literally wearing the likeness or names of their kids everywhere on the body and on items that they own.

It's almost like an image or portrait of your kid is becoming the new cool 'logo'.  Instead of boasting Nike or Guess somewhere as a status symbol you have your baby's name or picture. 

One of the newest fads is to make a cameo of your kid's profile and then have the likeness of the cameo printed in black on a white shirt. You can also get this likeness printed on mugs and dishes or send it out on stationary.  This service is available at 9Stork. 

Yet another way to advertise that you have had a kid and are darn proud of it is to order up a specially made laptop sticker from Schtickers. This way every time you prop open the lid of your laptop others can see an oversized photograph of your kid. 

Yet another trend is to not wear a watch on your wrist. Instead you wear a wristband type strap that showcases an oval frame. Inside this frame is a likeness of your loved one.  Men can also get oversized buckle belts that look like picture frames into which you can put a picture of a child as well. 

Yet another big trend is to put your favorite baby picture on a big bag or purse. You can also get this done on a diaper bag. One company that does this is called Nappy Be A Bag.  Keep in mind that this is quite expensive and costs over $700 to achieve. However a picture of your child on a purse would probably be the ultimate Mother's Day Gift for Grandma. 

Yet another curio for the busy working mom or dad that wants to keep their kid's face around are paperclips with tiny frames on the end into which you can slide pint sized portraits.  

Speaking of purses you might also want to  check out something called Scribble Couture. This is a white clutch bag that has a surface on it that is similar to one of those erasable refrigerator message boards. Your child can use semi-permanent markers to draw pictures on your purse and you can carry it proudly like a one of a kind design.  With tax this innovative item will set you back about two hundred bucks. 

If you can't wait to get home from the airport to see your kid you can also order up luggage tags that contain a photograph instead of the usual I.D. information. An outfit called SmugMug takes orders for these online. I

I'm not sure if I like this idea because I never liked wearing jeans with logos in the first place. However I guess if you really want the world to know you are a proud mum this is the way to do it!

Parenting Tips
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You Can’t Always Control Your Kids’ Diet

I want my kids to have the best chance in life by giving them the healthiest diet I can provide. Furthermore whatever this diet it is I also want them to like it. I know that kids need to eat the right stuff to grow up slender, smart and emotionally well off. However sometimes children have other ideas. Sometimes they want to eat food that is unhealthy for them because: 

-They have seen an advertisement on television for a food they find absolutely irresistible.

-Their peers at school put pressure on them to eat in the cafeteria or pay for lunch because it is more 'adult-like'

– it's just not cool to carry a brown bagged lunch.-Some foods are considered uncool (especially cut up vegetables) because the kids seem them as symbols that you are poor.

-They are already so addicted to sugar and carbohydrates they simply have no taste for healthy things. Some of these bad eating habits are in your control and others aren't. It is hard to hand your child a salmon and lettuce  sandwich when their head is filled with visions of sizzling Big Macs slathered with white sauce or exploding microwave Pizza Pops.  This kind of eating you can discourage even if your child is protesting the whole time. Here are some examples of situations where you may not be able to control what your child or adolescent is eating. 

-You are at a restaurant and healthy foods are just not available on a menu.-Your kid is subject to a lot of peer pressure from friends (this is especially true of adolescents in high school who will choose that fat laden chocolate milk shake or glass of Coca Cola with 14 tablespoons of sugar in it rather than an orange at lunch

-Your child is having dinner or lunch at the neighbours and you have no idea what's being served, how it is made or how healthy it is. 

I am not suggesting that you be a control freak and try and correct the above situations. I am merely pointing out what you can't change. 

However you do have more control over your kids eating habits at home.  Keep in mind that people don't like change and the more that you try to make these healthy foods a regular item on your menu the more likely you are to be called a control freak by your kids or husband. I bring up the matter of being a control freak because your neighbours, mother or husband may accuse you of it as you subtly try to sneak in more fruits, vegetables, grains and healthy grilled foods into their diet and somehow make it seem like a bad thing. This is because women, in particular tend to be very neurotic..

Even I sometimes wonder whether all of this neurotic obsessing with food is simply an extension of women obsessing over their own dietary intake.  Sometimes women control their kids when they can't control themselves.  God knows I don't want to be one of those but I do want them to eat in a healthy way.

Parenting Tips
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