Photo by the Stay at Home Dadcast and tumblr.

My daughter was absolutely elated when she was finally offered a job. She had been searching for what seemed like months when she finally figured out that the absence of gas money was no fun.  So she filled out dozens of applications.  She had an interview at a frozen yogurt place and had given up on the job because she hadn’t heard back in nearly two weeks.

Then out of the blue, the manager called and asked if she could come in the next day for training.  Cartwheels! Happiness! She said the training was weird.  The manager wouldn’t make a copy of her social security card or other papers she needed to bring. She also stayed in her office while my daughter worked with another girl up front – someone she knew and liked from school.

It was an easy job.  Weigh the yogurts after people filled their cups, charge them the appropriate amount, and then keep the store cleaned up.

Before she left, she asked when she should return. The manager hadn’t worked out the schedule yet, she said, and would call her.  Two days passed and my daughter called the store.  The worker said she wasn’t on the schedule.  Today the manager called and explained that she randomly had five different people come in “for training.”  Of the five, she picked two to stay on and my daughter was not one of them.  She asked her to bring her shirt back and she would pay her for the one day of training.

First, is it not a violation of labor laws to pay someone without taking out social security, etc. which obviously she can’t do if she refused to make copies of her social security card.  Second, what a really horrible, despicable way to treat the young people who are trying to find their way in the world. Shame on them.

Photo from hungry meets healthy.

Parenting is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  How many other parents have said or thought those very words?  I know I have gone through some extremely difficult times with my girls.

Full ride scholarship to college and lost it?  Check.

Hours of therapy with one because she can’t stand me?  Check.

Getting both on birth control pills?  Check.

Sneaking out to date a boy that’s really the age of a man and talking to the police about it? Check.

Oh my own list could go on and on and on.  I definitely feel a great deal of sympathy for the author of My 4 Daughters Plus 2 who is going through some tough times of her own.

I am frustrated that one of my daughters believes she is entitled to anything she wants just because I brought her into this world, and who considers me the worst parent on the planet because I say no. And I am thoroughly disappointed that another cannot get out of bed to show up for school. I hate the powerlessness that comes with being the parent of an adult child who makes poor choices. And I despise myself for feeling that I have failed as a parent because they made those bad choices. The logical part of my brain knows I am not a failure. But my heart aches in hindsight at the different choices I could have made and the different lessons I could have taught my daughters so we could be looking at different outcomes today.

I hope her heart finds peace during this difficult time.

Photo from Suzanne Bond on Pinterest.

Unfortunately in my house, there was no fixing Barbie hair that had been cut. However, if it’s frizzy there are ways to make it pretty again!  From Housing a Forest, here’s what you can do to fix the friz!

The first step is to brush barbies hair the best that you can.  Then simply “dunk” her hair in really hot water for about 30 seconds and towel dry. Brush and style your barbies hair.  Once the hair is dry the frizz and snarls will be gone.  OK, it’s not that magical but it will leave your barbies hair looking much, much better.

Maybe it’s time to dig out those old precious dolls and get to work! Right after I do all my scrap-booking!

I spent many happy hours in our vegetable garden growing up as a child of the 1960′s.  We’d help pull weeds sometimes, but mostly we’d hide behind the rows of green bean plants and sneak and occasional cucumber or tomato. Nothing tastes as good as vegetables eaten fresh from the garden.

It would have been amazing as a kid to have had a teepee to play in while in the garden.  Here’s how you can make one from e-info pages. The site does not allow copying text, but it’s pretty simple.  Just click through to read.  Here’s what it looks like (from Pinterest).

While I have to watch other people clap in order to keep time with everyone else, this baby can do this? Amazing!

April is Autism Awareness Month, wit World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. I have a niece and nephew who are autistic.  The son of one of my best friends is autistic.  Autism is very common in today’s world with one in every 88 children diagnosed with the disorder.

The cause of autism is still unknown, but with efforts by parents, siblings, educators, and other friends and professionals at least more people are aware of autism and the behavior of autistic children and adults.  Recognizing this behavior is urgently important for first responers – whether EMTs, firefighters, or police offiers.  If a behavior is “out of character” from normal, police for example might react in an extreme manner.  Therefore their understanding the what they might view as threatening could really be curiousity.

During Autism Awareness Month, don’t be afraid to talk about the disorder.  Talk to family, friends, and neighbors and explain that an autistic individual might have trouble communicating. They might have trouble speaking – or pronounce words differently.  They may interpret words from an authority in a way that most people would not consider appropriate.  An sutistic person may not want to be touched.  They may seem quirky.

Show kindness, patience, and understanding to both the autistic and their family, in April and throughout the year.

Baby girl got a new job this week. While I am extremely pleased for her that she’s earning her own money, I am not-so-happy that she was supposed to get off at 9:30 p.m. and as I stare at the clock saying 10:30 p.m., she’s still not home.

Why does this worry me?  A friend’s daughter had a job and would say, “I’m going to work!”  She would then disappear to meet her friends under the guise of working.  Yes, I trust my daughter but that’s always in the back of my mind.

It also bothers me that this is a school night and she’s not home.  My guess is that she really did get off at 9:30, but is hanging around talking with her friends and new colleagues.

Where do you find that balance with kids making their own way in the world, but still balancing the responsibility of being a parent to a teenager?  I do not have all the answers for sure, but am trying to muddle my way through it!

Photo by dottieg2007.

Few things are harder than listening to a baby cry in pain, especially when it’s a pesky ear infection.  You can’t see it.  You just know it causes distressed crying caused by horrible pain.

The one symptom I always looked for was when my babies tugged on their ears. That was always a sure-thing.  There are other things to look for as well,

An ear infection is often hard to diagnose as a parent, but you’ll probably be aware that something is wrong. Look for these symptoms:

• Changes in mood, tending toward fussiness. These tend to be dramatic and last throughout the day.
• Flu-like symptoms including runny nose, cough, and/or fever.
• Apparent discomfort when nursing, drinking bottles, eating, or sucking on a pacifier.
• Reaching toward, touching, or pulling on ears (his own, not yours).
• Pus or strange odors emanating from the ear (less common).

If you do suspect an ear infection, make a doctor appointment as quickly as possible. There’s no sense in seeing an infant suffer when it can be easily treated with antibiotics.