The other morning I was jolted out of bed by the sound of my daughter singing in her room. The sound of her voice was not disconcerting at all – in fact, it was beautiful. It was the lyrics that jolted me after hearing an 11-year old sing about getting “crunk and drunk.” I pulled myself out of bed after I heard: “Before I leave, I’ll brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack.” A few seconds later … “Erbody getting crunk (crunk), Boys try to touch my junk (junk), Gonna sock ‘em if he gettin too drunk (drunk).” Thank you, Ke$ha. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Category: Parenting
A Mother’s Intuition: My Kids Know Me the Best
I’ve always heard about and truly do believe in a mother’s intuition. My mother could always tell when something was wrong based on my tone of voice or my facial expressions, no matter how hard I tried to mask the pain or anguish I was feeling. She just knew something wasn’t right. She wasn’t a magician or a superhero – she was a mother. Now that I have two children of my own, I have the same gut feeling in my stomach when my daughter’s voice is low or my son turns his head so I won’t see his expressions. As a mother, you feel what your kids feel. You hurt when your kids hurt. Ironically, though, I think that we underestimate how much intuition our kids have. Children have a keen sense when it comes to someone they care about. Just as I can detect when my son or daughter has had a bad day at school, my children can sense the same from me. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Proud to Sweat the Small Stuff
If you know me well, you know how I fret over the little things. It irritates me when wet towels are left on the floor, when dishes are in the sink and my counters are cluttered. It irritates me when my newspaper students don’t even the text off at the end of each story or leave half-empty soda cans next to brand new Macs in the newsroom. It irritates me when periods are outside of quotation marks, when story leads don’t have a hook and when text is bold or italics within an article. I sound neurotic already, but in my mind, the little things really do matter, no matter how much I get irritated. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Howdy Neighbor
After spending two weeks listening to my children fight with each other about anything and everything possible, we resorted back to a plan we adopted last summer. They became neighbors, not siblings. As odd and unconventional as the plan sounds, it has worked for us in the past and evolved out of desperation. My son and daughter are at ages (9 and 11) where they both want independence, they don’t want to be bothered with a younger brother or older sister, and they don’t seem to mesh as well as they did when they were younger. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Top 10 Blog Posts of 2009
Over the past six months, I’ve produced some heartfelt writing and some shabby fill-ins as my blog evolved. During this time, I’ve realized that what I thought was a great post (or a fun one to write) may not have interested or inspired anyone else. Today’s post is dedicated to what my readers have deemed as the top blog posts of 2009. The results are based on my blog stats and the number of page views – not necessarily scientific but definitely an indication of what you, as my readers, chose to read. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Mom, Mommy, Mum, Ma
A few days ago, I watched an episode of Family Guy and laughed so hard at the scene where Stewie consistently calls for his mom. “Lois, Mom, Mommy, Mum, Ma …” and repeat (video clip). Most parents can relate. We are in demand at all times and the beckoning sounds like a broken record. Kids are impatient, time consuming and even annoying with their demands. Some evenings, I swear I’ll scream if I hear the word “mom” one more time. But, the reality is that I am “mom” and it’s a term of endearment that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
The Long Road to Thanksgiving
Six years ago, it seemed like my world was falling apart. I was newly single, struggling with the stigma that accompanied divorce; I was working three jobs to make ends meet and provide the basics for my children; and I was finishing up my degree, with hopes of a better life – all while mentally struggling to make sense of a new lifestyle as a single mom. At the time, one of my jobs as a reporter for a small religious newspaper put me in daily contact with people who sacrificed themselves for others without a second thought. They truly knew the meaning of giving. Ironically, though, during my bout of self-pity, all I could see was the devastating reality I was living. As Thanksgiving rolled around, it was difficult for me to truly reflect on my blessings until one person changed my life with a subtle action. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Missing Mommy
There’s something both rewarding and heart wrenching about missing someone. If you’re missed, it makes you feel valued and appreciated. If you’re missing someone else, it helps you to appreciate and value that person even more. After five days away from my family last week, I’ve come to realize that missing mommy is healthy and painful at the same time. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Tales from the Middle School Carpool
A few days a week I drive around with extra kids and gain more insight than most parents receive in a month’s time. Even though transporting a car full of 11 and 12 year olds home from school doesn’t sound like a joy ride, I am one of the rare parents who actually looks forward to it. In just a half hour, I receive an education most parents would pay big bucks for. I have to admit that I often learn more than I want to know, but more importantly, I’m learning more about my daughter and her environment. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Sweet Dreams
Dreams have always fascinated me to the point that it irritates me when I can’t recall the details of my dreamy sagas. There are times when I wake up agitated knowing that something in my dreams sparked the feeling. There are times when I wake up at peace knowing that something or someone inspired me while I slept. Dreams are mysterious, though, and as much as it bothers me to not know, it’s probably best that I don’t. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 