This tee reminds us to unplug and play!
I’m still here! Ha. I’ve been pushing my second Etsy shop and accompanying parenting group focused on raising resilient kids, all under the name Funnermother. To sign up for my free weekly E-zine about building resilient kids to make parenting more fun, click here. Or to buy the t=shirt pictured at right, click on it.
I’m also working to raise Funnermother’s public profile. In that vein, one very exciting thing happened this winter!
I submitted one of Running Mate’s tee shirt ideas, and it was accepted to be included in gift bags for an after party at the GRAMMY Awards! I’m unduly awed by star power, so it’s pretty thrilling. The tee is pictured below.
Many artists were charged with dangerous cultural powers: early blues artists like Robert Johnson, Jerry Lee Lewis, the great borrower Elvis Presley, Kiss, Marilyn Manson, and so on. Sometimes whole genres of music scared people: early blues and rock, goth, rap, hiphop, metal, and beyond.
Shirts were gifted to the Goo Goo Dolls, Cage the Elephant, Timyra Joi from the Voice, Billy Ray Cyrus, Wanz, and lots more. If you see one out and about, I’d love to know!
That shirt is also available in the shop, just click the pic.
Thanks for keeping up with me!
xx
Angela
About AngelaLTodd
I am queen of the helicopter parents. But there are enough of us that we are becoming a social problem. Here’s my story.
Thing 1 was coming, they couldn’t stop him, it was only 24 weeks and 3 days. Someone asked: should we try to save him? Well, yes. Yes! Ten days later, a team of doctors closed the door behind us to explain brain bleeds, sepsis, meningitis. Shall we pull the plug? Well, no. No!
Babydaddy laid hands on him every day, massaged him when he was ready. For the three months he was in intensive care, and the three weeks at an intermediate hospital, I would get up in the night and pump breast milk, thinking about my baby across town. Babydaddy delivered it every morning, earning the name “milkman.” It was funny.
We had every therapy going for as long as possible: early intervention, the intermediate unit, private therapies. Terms multiplied: sensory processing dysfunction, sensory integration problems, orally defensive, auditory sensitivities, comprehensive developmental delay, cognitive function impairment, retinopathy of prematurity. He did occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, play therapy; we consulted with a neurologist, school psychologist, wraparound service provider, developmental specialist. He worked with an occupational therapist for a year and a half to tolerate teeth and hair brushing.
Not surprisingly, parenting didn’t feel natural. I learned to read to my baby watching Phyllis, our physical therapist. Voices, commentary, labeling colors, counting… she was very good! Merging professional research skills with my genetic propensity for silliness (mom was class clown, dad’s distantly related to Lucille Ball), my mothering style came together. Eventually. But I still channel Phyllis on occasion.
Thing 2 was full term. They are complete opposites; she is a sensory seeker with a wild sense of adventure and an inventive sense of fashion. Keeping them both busy and happy is an exasperating and sweet challenge. I still believe that every day can be fun and educational while reinforcing kids' boundaries. I’m on a mission to save us helicopter parents from ourselves. No more bubble wrapped kids and guilty parents. Let’s teach them coping skills. Let’s get fun.
AngelLeighDesigns 