Parenting
Giving back
My concern about celebrating Thanksgiving led me to a search for ways to contribute toward addressing the inequities faced by Indigenous communities. Here’s what I’ve found so far:
NAYA coordinates a multitude of services that, according to their mission “enhance the diverse strengths of our youth and families in partnership with the community through cultural identity and education.” Here is a list of their requested donation items.
Friends of Trees is not overtly tied to balancing inequities, but economic disparities related to cost of living and structural racism mean that historically marginalized populations are disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental contaminants.
Friends of Trees also has an equity and inclusion mission, and partners with Wisdom of the Elders, Verde and other organizations that are connecting environmental sustainability with social and economic justice.
Several of these organizations are also members of a Coalition for Communities of Color, which works on research, leadership development, and policy analysis and advocacy.
Learn more about kid-friendly volunteer opportunities here.
Important info for parents of white kids
This morning, after encountering an acronym I didn’t recognize (BIPOC), I ended up at this article, [CONTENT WARNING-violence] illuminating some ways that police brutality disproportionately impacts specific racial populations (primarily black and indigenous people).
Reading it reminded me of the importance of engaging with these topics despite my discomfort, which I realize stems partly from my own struggle with not wanting to sound ignorant. But the solution to that problem is to continue educating myself, not to avoid the discussion completely. If everyone waited until they had a university degree in a subject before participating, then those conversations would remain purely academic exercises.
Instead, I am choosing to contribute my perspective, even as I worry that it is incomplete, and imperfect. I believe it is still important.
The link to the book reviews above includes the author’s description of their own discomfort in coming to terms with how much to share with their children about the history of violence in our country. I share that internal conflict, and I keep coming back to the awareness that the option to share that reality or not is a privilege many families don’t have, because continued violence impacts them directly. (With gratitude to Aisha Ray for introducing me to that concept in this post.)
Q had his first encounter with economic injustice recently as we witnessed a person taking diapers from our local Walgreens and walking out without paying. Like many 4-year-olds in our culture, he often plays thief and police officer. And we’ve talked before about why someone might be stealing something. I’ve also attempted to model restorative justice rather than the criminal justice system.

In my own mind I grapple with the idea that in a land where anyone goes hungry, every well-fed person is a thief. And the books above are reminders that some of our ancestors stole from some others, and that the descendants of those who were stolen from have continued to suffer throughout the recent history of this continent and remain vulnerable to economic and social injustices today.
It has been asserted that there’s not much we can do about that now. I disagree, and I think the least we can do – a decent start – is to tell the children the truth, even when it feels uncomfortable. I have gone back and forth between boycotting Thanksgiving and trying to focus on the spirit of gratitude and togetherness without the myths behind it. My current goal is to find an act of service that directly benefits individuals who have been harmed by those lies. Even that feels a bit token, but we have to start somewhere, and I’m hoping that by using the “holiday” as an opportunity to connect with organizations that are working every day to balance the inequities that remain, we can begin to make that effort more a part of our daily lives.
Update: some volunteering and donation opportunities I’ve discovered.
The screen-free challenge is here! (free printable)
Q and I will both be heading back to school next week, so I’m thinking this is the perfect opportunity to shift our agreements around media use. This summer I did a one-week challenge with about 90% success rate (hahah, I just looked back at a previous post where I estimated my success at 80%! Maybe I’ll keep a log this time).
I owe much of that success to having some planned activities to turn to when the impulse strikes to say “go ahead and watch while I finish…”
To prepare for my goal of the four-week fast recommended by Dr. Victoria Dunckley, I put together a whole 28-days worth of screen-free activities available for free download below! (Ugh, my technological ineptness strikes again – actually can’t figure out how to make it downloadable, so feel free to screen shot (there’s a second page with some tips on specific activities, so if you want that email me.)
Update: I figured it out! You can download the complete file on my Free Resources page.

Prioritizing your time as a parent / caregiver
Note: this post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you purchase through the link. I only link to products I use and love.
This book recommendation may seem a bit off topic, but honestly it has provided me with so much “getting back on track” that I couldn’t be the parent I am without having read it.

The idea of designating my time in terms of roles and goals has been instrumental in keeping me balanced as a person (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual), as a friend, a family member, a community member, a co-worker, and – at this time in my life – most importantly a parent.
The other concept that has guided and righted my ship numberous (haha that’s a great typo) times is the quadrant planning tool. The most significant aspect of it is noticing those things in our life that are not pressing or urgent, but are IMPORTANT. I am the Queeeeen of putting all of my ASAP tasks behind anything with an actual deadline, and all of my important tasks somewhere between Rainbow Bright and the Care Bears*.
Note: If you did not grow up in the 80’s, first of all I am so sorry, what a bummer, if there’s anything I can do to help please let me know; second, *what I mean is that those dreams are (or were, until I read this book) in the clouds.
One additional piece of advice – not directly from this book, but combined with some wisdom from my mom (thanks mom!) – that has shaped my self-concept was to recognize that one cannot “Get an A”, ie. do their best work as a parent, a housekeeper, a student, a partner… all at the same time. Many colleges now even frown upon 4.0 GPAs because it is impossible highly improbable to achieve that while also being creative and social and all of the other soft skills that are required to be a productive worker sustainably. (Obviously there are exceptions to any impossibilities. Especially if one goes to a really cool school that values real values.)
I’m not at all advocating for just letting the rest of your life go to heck so you can be a good parent, because the stress of a mucked up life is not good for parenting, but just to give yourself grace when you fall short a bit in one area or another, recognize the juggling act you are attempting, and know that you are doing your best. Or, if you really feel you are not, re-calibrate.
Take some time for yourself to map out new strategies, and ask for help if needed. I realize that it often takes an enormous amount of strength to reach out when you are struggling. If you are not sure who or how to ask for help, please get in touch and I will do my best help you figure it out or find someone who can!
Respecting kids
I am so grateful to have discovered RIE as a teacher, because it has profoundly altered how I am parenting my younger child (and my older child as well now). The biggest aha’s came to me in recognizing that a crying child does not mean you are not doing your job. An angry child does not mean you are being a bad parent – in fact, the opposite is true. The first time my teenager yelled at me, I celebrated (internally, I’m not trying to be rude!), knowing that I was providing the structure they needed to do their job of pushing against it.

At the same time, I have pulled back control over situations that I recognize my kids are perfectly capable of handling themselves, or when a (mild) physical lesson will be so much more effective than constant verbal warnings; asking myself what is the worst that can happen here? Will they be seriously hurt, or will not rescuing them erode our trust? If not, let them try.
The most important role of a caregiver, whether in a home or school setting, is “help me do it myself”.
Provide the minimal amount of scaffolding necessary for them to be successful at the task.
That doesn’t mean easily completing it the first time. You have to gauge the level of frustration, and balance it with the potential for a great sense of accomplishment.
Friday Night Fire drill!

A few weeks ago, Q got really interested in emergencies, so we finally practiced our first fire drill, and also an earthquake drill. What was really fantastic about getting this done was not only the practice (which ideally should be done often enough that the responses are automatic); I discovered things we needed to change about the setup of our room to be able to evacuate or shelter in place quickly.
“Oh, we can’t get under this table because there are a bunch of heavy bins to move first! Hey, we are going to need a stool to actually get up out of this window. Oh man, if this stool is in the hallway we are going to trip on it rushing out in the dark.”
Totally unexpected outcome, but so valuable! My goal is to establish “Friday night fire drills” – or more realistically, First Friday (of the month) fire drills.
I also moved two of our emergency gallons of water from the car to the house, realizing it’s probably more likely that we’ll get stuck inside than stranded somewhere else (simply because we spend more time here than in the car).
More info on preparing for emergencies is available at https://www.portlandoregon.gov/pbem/53983
Update: apparently leaving gallons of water in the trunk of your car makes them leak? I’m thinking the pressure changes of temperature or something. Anyway, new plan is to keep them with other supplies in a plastic bin.