LilSugar

Politikids: Did You Take Them Along For the Historical Ride?

babysugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:24 -0800

Yesterday marked a historic day in American history. No matter how the election pans out, it will be momentous. This was the first time an African American male was a contender on the Democratic ticket, and the first time a female was part of the Republican ticket. To be a part of history in the making makes me proud and patriotic. I was thrilled to have my daughter along to experience it all.

Seventy-four percent of you said you would take your child to vote. Did you?
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Will You Take Your Child to Vote With You?

babysugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:00:28 -0700

The presidential election is less than two weeks away so we are being inundated with commercials, mailers, news articles and conversations about the next commander-in-chief. Yesterday we gave you some ideas for including your lil ones in the electoral process. Today, we want to know if you plan to bring your children to your polling station on November 4th.

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Politikids: Why Parents Should Take Their Kids to the Polls

LilSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:00:44 -0700

You may need to be 18 to cast a vote, but you're never too young to have an opinion. This is why I have brought my kids to the voting booths since they were born. I grew up listening to my mother say, "You can't complain if you don't vote" so I registered as soon as I earned the right. Moms and dads worried about the line at their polling place need not. The upcoming election may be the most important one we vote in and as parents our children will be affected by who we support. To make the experience fun for future voters of America, check out our tips!

Put a "Countdown to Vote" calendar on your refrigerator and have your lil ones tear the days away
Teach them a lil election etiquette - we all have the right to make our own choices, but need to be respectful other others, too
Help them make a button that says, "I'll be voting in 2020!" (or whatever year they are of age) to wear to the polls.
Bring along a makeshift ballot for them to fill out while you cast your vote.
Allow them to pull the lever in the booth
Have your child hand in your ballot
Give them your voting sticker and treat it like a badge of honor

To check out our ideas for older children, read more.

Prep them on the issues that directly affect them like education and simply explain what each candidate promises and ask them who they support
Have a dinnertime debate and allow each family member to argue for their candidate
Set up a mock-election party

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Politikids Think This Election Is Important

LilSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:00:58 -0700

The presidential election has most parents on the edge of their seats - tuning into the debates, making sure their registration is updated, even campaigning for their candidate - but, even preschoolers are going political. Our children hear more than just mom and dad's opinion, they read the billboards and digest the commercials on television and memorize the slogans. In one Iowa home, mealtime turns into a debate between a couple of opinionated siblings.

Does your child favor a candidate?

Baby Bait For Presidential Candidates

LilSugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:00:46 -0800

One of the Presidential candidates will be the future leader of our country, but would you trust them to hold your babe? One dad did.

Darren Garnick, father of two, recants his experience hitting the campaign trail for pictures of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson and Mitt Romney with his 5-month-old daughter, Dahlia in a recent Slate article. He wrote:

"As a resident of the "Live Free or Die" state, I'll concede that the New Hampshire presidential primary gives us ridiculously disproportionate influence. But I love the fact that my state's electoral power comes with a great fringe benefit: It's easy to enshrine the next president in your family scrapbook. A sucker for political kitsch, I set out to photograph my 5-month-old daughter, Dahlia, in the arms of every candidate with a prayer of making it to the White House."

To finish the post, read more.

The quest for photographs took Garnick from a parade to a private party and a sporting goods shop to a bookstore. But, he is no novice when it comes to getting political figures to say cheese with his lil ones. He admitted:

"During the 2004 presidential race, I took a few photos of my then 2-year-old boy, Ari, with Democrats Howard Dean, Joe Lieberman, and Wesley Clark. As a first-time parent, I was overly protective and had most of the candidates pose next to his stroller."

Mommy Dearest: In-Laws Call Baby by Another Name

LilSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:08:41 -0700

Mommy Dearest,

My husband and I put a lot of time into choosing our children's names. We have two boys: Matthew, 3, and August, who is 3 months old. We named our younger son for the month he was born and my in-laws have made it clear that they are not fans of the choice. That doesn't bother me, but the fact that they only refer to our baby by his middle name does. If we wanted his name to be Michael, we would have put that first on the birth certificate. What's more annoying is the fact that it is confusing our older son. Matthew doesn't understand why Grammy and Papa call August "Michael." How can I tell my in-laws to knock it off?

– Annoyed With In-Laws' Nickname

To see the response from Mommy Dearest, read more.

Annoyed With In-Laws' Nickname,

As parents, you and your husband have the right to name your children whatever you choose. While your in-laws don't have to agree with the moniker, it is not their place to make up a new one for your son. Not only is it rude, but it is confusing your older boy. Politely explain this and tell them that you don't want them calling August "Michael" anymore. It's better to confront this issue now rather than later, if and when your lil guy starts responding to both names.

- Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on our new community page.

Source: Flickr User Futurestreet

Does Your Child Have Any Adult Interests?

LilSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:00:13 -0700

Michael J. Fox made the young Republican come to life as Alex P. Keaton on the sitcom, Family Ties, but it looks like Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker's son is following suit with his interest in politics. To see which presidential candidate he's supporting, read more

Sarah recently told People about James Wilkie's candidate. She said:

"He's really, truly into this election," she says of her little guy's interests. "He's come to this conclusion on his own based specifically on Barack's gender. It's that deep. He's a fan and a true supporter of Barack Obama."

The five-year-old also likes playing with his parents and building things.

Does your child have any advanced, quirky or unusual interests?
Bauer-Griffin

Are Classic Fairy Tales a Thing of the Past?

LilSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Are the fairy tales we grew up with (not to mention our parents and grandparents) too scary and politically incorrect for our children? According to a nationwide survey in Great Britain, The Baby Website found that one in four moms forgo classics such as Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood over The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Gruffalo.

Traditional fairy tales were first popularized in the early 1800s with the publishing of The Brothers Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812 and Hans Christian Andersen's Complete Fairy Tales and Stories in 1835. The stories have been told to generations of children through various waves of social reforms, but today's parents deem the classics to be too scary (Hansel and Gretel are abandoned in a forest) or not PC (the dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). The survey revealed that parents feared that this text would give their tots nightmares, with 65 percent saying they purposely choose happy stories for bedtime reading.

Tell us, have you abandoned traditional fairy tales for more modern storytelling? To see the survey's top 10 bedtime storybooks, as well as the classics we are neglecting, read more.

TOP BEDTIME STORIES OF 2008 according to The Baby Website

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
Mr Men, Roger Hargreaves
The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson
Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
Aliens Love Underpants, Claire Freedman & Ben Cort
Thomas and Friends from The Railway Series, Rev.W.Awdry
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
What a Noisy Pinky Ponk!, Andrew Davenport
Charlie and Lola, Lauren Child
Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Robert Southey

TOP 10 FAIRY TALES WE NO LONGER READ according to The Baby Website

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Hansel and Gretel
Cinderella
Little Red Riding Hood
The Gingerbread Man
Jack and the Beanstalk
Sleeping Beauty
Beauty and the Beast
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Emperor’s New Clothes

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Interview With Michelle Duggar: Mother of 18 Children (PART III)

LilSugar — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:00:45 -0800

One Duggar flies the coop and another arrives! The large family known for their TLC show, The Duggars: 17 and Counting has had an eventful year. First born Joshua got married in September. (Tune in tonight to watch the wedding, which includes the 21-year-old's first kiss with his wife, Anna.) Then just before Christmas, baby Jordyn made her debut as number 18!

Despite their hectic lives and sleep deprivation, parents Jim Bob and Michelle took time to write a book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting! and carved time out of their schedules to talk to me about it. While their oldest son settles down to start a life and family of his own, Jim Bob and Michelle still have plenty of charges. They shared their thoughts on the future and how they are preparing their offspring for the real world. Aside from helping build the home they live in, the Duggar kids have been taught everything from plumbing to tile work and learned about politics while sitting in on committee meetings when their father was a state legislator in Arkansas. Other youngsters have the business inkling having built and sold bikes and eventually motorized vehicles for as long as their parents can remember.

lilsugar: Josh is now married and living with his wife, but in regards to your other children at what age would you encourage them to move out and become independent?

To see their answer and thoughts on modest dressing and setting their girls up for success, read more.

Jim Bob Duggar: When each of our children move out really has to do with what the Lord has in store for their lives. I would not want a married son or daughter living with us I mean unless it was a crisis type situation. I'd want them to have their own place because they are their own family unless maybe at an older age we may be living with them (laughs).
Michelle Duggar: At this point, I don't think we have anyone who wants to get out and thinks we're driving them nuts. Even Josh and Anna, they come this way and accompany us on some trips.
Jim Bob Duggar: As far as my children, my goal, especially for my sons is to be able to develop skills so they can hopefully provide for their families in the future. I also want my daughters to develop skills so they can provide if they had to. Some of my daughters may get nursing degrees. My sons, it really depends on their interests. My second oldest son (John-David) really wants to be a pilot so instead of him moving out on his own and spending all his money on paying for his apartment and expenses, I'd rather him go and save up and get his pilot's license and then start saving up for a house or make some kind of investment in business where he doesn't have any overhead so he can save up money and really get a good start.
Michelle Duggar: We taught our children from the very beginning that you never stop learning in life. School is never over. When you have that perspective, it's not the traditional way of viewing it. There are people who are out there and they are professionals at what they do and if you are a hard worker and have good character - are honest, responsible - there's many people that would be glad to have someone like that to work along side them. You can gain skills while you are being paid. A lot of trades, you may decide you like this right now, but go to work with somebody who does that and you'll find out if you really like it. There's so many people who go to college and turn right around and not use what they went to college for and this way, you're thinking it through.

lilsugar: In such a progressive society where many parents, especially mothers, are encouraging their daughters to be tough enough to make their own way in the world, your show often features your girls taking the homemaker and child rearing roles. Do you think they will be able to provide for themselves if they don't marry?

Michelle Duggar: Our girls are go-getters. No matter what, I know they could do that if they wanted to or needed to, but in their hearts, they would love to marry and lord willing if they had children to stay at home and raise their families. I've got a couple of them talking about going for their real estate licenses and about getting their CDL licenses because they want to be able to drive some of our big equipment. Believe me, my girls are not Namby Pamby. They've got goals and the desire to do things.

lilsugar: Do any of the girls object to the modest clothing? I liked Jessa's quote in the book that said teenagers all wear the same thing and nobody is bothered by it.

Michelle Duggar: We do a lot of that the perms and make-up. I think it was our producer who said the girls have sort of their own thing going, it's a "modern modest". That's a good way to dub it I guess. I told my kids, (growing up) I mowed the lawn in a bikini and had no idea what I was doing to my neighbor's husband across the street. No wonder the woman hated our family - you know? And, I think I had no clue as far as the responsibility I had in that the way I dressed caused men to have struggles. They (the girls) want to dress modest to draw attention to their face and not the other parts of their bodies that seem to be uncovered now a days. As far as wearing dresses, skirts and things, that was a conviction that the Lord placed on my heart and he knew the struggles of my heart from growing up Whether my girls continue that in their lives, it's up to them.

Check out what Michelle had to say about feeding her large family, shedding the baby weight and her basic beauty secrets. If you missed the first portion of the interview, check out these posts. For more information on the Duggars, check out their website.

Courtesy of TLC

Interview With Michelle Duggar: Mother of 18 Children (Part I)

LilSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:17:46 -0800

Michelle Duggar has been pregnant for 12 years if you combine all the time she spent carrying her 18 children. She and her husband, Jim Bob, have two sets of twins in their brood aged one month to 21 years old.

The mom and dad made famous by TLC's 17 Kids and Counting took time away from their family to chat with me via phone about their new book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting!, and the topics - marriage, raising children, conservative values, financial freedom, and faith - it covers, while their newest addition Jordyn gurgled in the background. The couple was candid, open, and incredibly kind. And if you assume they set out to have kids by the dozens and name them all with the letter "J," then think again!

After suffering a miscarriage, Michelle and Jim Bob, who are religious, chose to forgo the birth control they had been using and leave it up to God to decide how many children they would have. Michelle, now known for her soft voice and calm demeanor, spoke of a time when she had five children under five, was exhausted and shedding tears. She credits her faith for getting her though the challenges of motherhood.

As far as their children all having names starting with "J," in the text, Jim Bob and Michelle explain that they initially picked names they liked that all happened to start with the same letter for their first three children and then continued the trend not wanting the newest baby to feel left out - only they never suspected there would be so many names.

To see Michelle's candid responses to a couple of lil questions, read more.

lilsugar: The book answers just about every question a person could have about your family and the forces that have guided you in making those decisions. Did you write The Duggars: 20 and Counting! to dispel misconceptions people have about your family?

Michelle Duggar: I see how the book could do that, but I don't think that was our intention. We really just had a heart to answer the people who had been emailing us. We had thousands of emails and there was just no way we could do what we needed to do to take care of our family and take care of those. We've been in politics in the past (Jim Bob was a state legislator in Arkansas) and we know there's a lot of people out there that don't agree with us, so that goes on as well, but we wrote this for the people that ask us for advice and encouragement more than the other angle.

lilsugar: Online, some members of the public have been critical of your buddy system, saying that your older children are raising the younger ones; do you think this is a misconception?

Michelle Duggar: I'll put it the way my daughter, Jill, said it - she had really had a sweet answer. She said, "Mama, they just don't understand or know what it's like to be in our large family and how much fun we have and how sweet is it to have these little ones that look up to us and want to be like us. When people get this idea of oh my God, they have so many kids and there's no way you can spend one-on-one time with them and give them the undivided attention or that the older ones are raising the younger ones, love doesn't divide it multiples."

My older ones have a mentoring relationship with the little ones. We are still the parents, Dad and I are the ones to give them counsel and different things like that, but when they are working together on their music practice or playing phonics games and doing math drills, those times are precious because I see the relationships that have developed.

Check out what Jim Bob and Michelle had to say about homeschooling and keeping a calm home in tomorrow's post on lilsugar. For more information on the Duggars, check out their website.