Leo Clement

Wait for it... Just wait for it... Yup, there it is. The inevitable question anytime we go out with Leo. How old is he? Oh wow really? Is he walking yet?? That is a loaded question my friend...Loaded with mystery and yet I love how people pretend it's normal. Because the alternative is much too threatening. What do you think Einstein? Would I be straining my back and lugging his big bum all over the place if he was? Have you seen my biceps friend? As parents, we are, and don't pretend otherwise, at the mercy of our kids. We see our selves through a strange and expectation tinted lens. We expect our children to act a certain way, preferably always. We expect them to grow a certain way, and to conform to a natural, and understandable timeline. And we blindly, kinda like a puppy dog, shove this trust on our kids. We faithfully assume, day after day, that our children will bend to our schedules, our hopes and dreams, and then, we faithfully freak o...

I, like many other parents, suffer from techno guilt. Are my children going to be iusers in life, instead of wehelpers? Is it right that the ipad is always around, like a permanent Mary Poppins, enticing and promising enchanted lands 24/7 and not just when the wind blows from the east? Does the constant magic make our children dull and boring, unable to think for themselves?  There are many schools of thought.  My motto always has been: know moderation. Nothing should, and could replace a parent. But supplement education? Yes, definitely.  If I find myself handing off the ipad with a sigh of relief, as in, whew now I get a few minutes of quiet, I know I need to step back and reevaluate my parenting.  In regards to Leo, as opposed to my perfectly normal six year old who could really find something else to do, the ipad takes on new meaning. There is a whole underbelly of apps geared towards special education. You won't see...