Parental advice for Jennifer here......

Bringing up Max!

Congrats Jennifer, am sure you two will be great parents!
I'm sure youre gonna get lotta advice, but I have one book recommendation.

How to Listen So Your Kids Will Talk, and Talk So Your Kids Will Listen,
Faber and Mazlich. Very effective and useful tools for everyday life.

And... just have fun and enjoy it!

Kurt (in Oregon)
 
Congrats Rich and Jenn

If you can keep your head when all about you,
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream- and not make dreams your master,
If you can think- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
Twisted by Knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothin in you
Except the Will which says to them; 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue
'Or walk with Kings- nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more- you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling
 
Get down to his level

One more word of advice, especially when he gets a little older: quality time, & getting down on his level.

Its real easy to get too busy with chores, responsibilities, etc.... & not spend enough quality time with your kid(s). I catch myself "brushing" them off alot. Tonight, I set aside everything, & played several games & gave them 100% attention....which they loved.

And I guarantee that you will be overwhelmed at times raising a kid; the free time that you had to yourself is......gone. But, not entirely. Be sure that you & your hubby give each other "breaks" or time away from parenting.....or you just might go crazy. ;)
 
Thanks for all the advice, and especially for the book recommendation. I've been reading lots of parenting and "what to expect" books, and it makes a huge difference!

Jon...thanks for the poem, it's beautiful! Max and I will see you in Amsterdam early next year.

MrPool...this is where grandma will come in handy. She's waiting for the hubby and I to ask for a night out so she can have Max all to herself!
 
My advise:

1) There is absolute right and wrong out there, teach them to discern the difference. Right is right, even if nobody is doing it, and wrong is wrong, even if everybody is doing it.
2) Live as an example. One of the best sayings I have ever heard, "You're living so loud I can't hear what you're saying". What you do in moderation your kids will do in excess.
3) Tell them you love them every day.
4) Have fun!!!!!
 
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cuenut said:
One other "must have" book is "Baby Wise". Helps to get you through the first couple of months when it is the hardest to adjust to a baby that doesn't sleep through the night.

THIS IS THE WORST ADVICE EVER GIVEN IN 2006!!!! The subtitle of Babywise should be: A Guide of How to Emotionally and Physically Abuse Your Child. Here is more Babywise info.

A word of advice to your reading: Make sure you know the credentials of who is giving the advice. And then, even standard advice may not be what works for your child. Follow your child’s cues...not what some book says your child should be doing. EVERY child is DIFFRENT. ;)

That is enough serious talk from me in this thread. IMO, different people have different parenting styles and philosophies.... giving unsolicited advice about parenting is asking for trouble.
 
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