By Tatin Yang
Philippine Daily Inquirer
07/07/2010
Ditch the guesswork with these helpful online resources
MY MOM’S GUIDE TO raising us kids were an old, battered copy of Dr. Spock’s “Baby and Child Care” (the pediatrician, not the pointy-eared Star Trek commander), plus hand-me-down advice from her mom and other parents, the occasional article in Good Housekeeping or Redbook, even the example of TV moms in popular shows.
I was my mother’s guinea pig for various discipline techniques. I got spanked in the rump, which stopped when a more benevolent parenting style became popular in the early ’90s. I was asked to “stand in the corner and face the wall,” per the recommendation of one of her friends (this lasted all of five minutes, when she realized she needed me to run up the stairs to fetch her eyeglasses), and the grounding, no-telephone combo.
Nowadays, parenting has become another hot topic on the Web, and it’s easy for a new parent or a parent new to the Internet to become overwhelmed with all the information available.
Here are some helpful online resources parents should keep on their radar:
1. Real Simple
(www.realsimple.com)
Real Simple lives up to its name by keeping its material elegantly simple, sensible and, most of all, easy to live by. Get insights on family life, tips on how to handle finances, home organization, pet care and general guidelines on smart day-to-day living.
2. Ohdeedoh
(www.ohdeedoh.com)
Having children doesn’t mean having to live with messy, crayoned, stickered walls. You can have your kids and their trappings jive with your preferred aesthetic with the help of Ohdeedoh’s design-centric site. Learn how to brighten up your child’s room and decorate it in a way that appeals to your child’s whimsy, and yet will let him or her grow into it as a teen (read: more classic patterns, less Winnie the Pooh frolicking on the walls). Ohdeedoh also contains practical and timely entries on mixing technology with parenting, toys for tots and even nice DIY tips for a kid-friendly abode.
3. Motherlode: Adventures in Parenting
(http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com)
A blog run by New York Times contributing writer Lisa Belkin, this site contains articles on the hilarious side of parenting. Belkin offers anecdotes and tidbits of media found all over the Net, like a list of sentences a mother says often—to the tune of William Tell’s Overture. She also tackles topics such as teens being exposed to alcohol, teaching kids manners, breastfeeding in public and other empathetic stories any parent of any age can relate to.
4. Plugged in Parents
(http://pluggedinparents.com)
This online resource, run mostly by Dr. Hillary, a nurse practitioner, and her other team of experts, brush up on the practical side of parenting, covering a wide umbrella of topics ranging from nutrition, entertainment for kids, coping in school to child safety. Hillary’s background as pediatric nurse practitioner (a growing trend in American healthcare) is helpful as her tips are backed up by her professional expertise. You can even consult her on concerns that haven’t been addressed in her site, as well as connect to other blogs by moms.
5. Smart Parenting
(http://www.smartparenting.com.ph)
This homegrown online companion to Smart Parenting magazine is chock-full of topics young parents concern themselves with, from health issues brought about by pregnancy to child-rearing guides and tips. Reports on the latest kiddie products are also very helpful, as they cite mostly readily available local shopping sources and kid-friendly places and activities to try out in the metro.
You can also join and get in touch with other moms in Smart Parenting’s forum community, and get tips on how popular celebrity moms deal with motherhood.
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