Do Not Let Your Child Be Spoiled

I recently came across an article on POPSUGAR titled "10 Signs That A Child Is Spoiled." At first I thought, Ugh. Do I really want to read this?

Inherently, I know my kid is spoiled. I am a spineless twit when it comes to that kid. I spend my days trying to come up with creative ways of saying, "no" because the word itself doesn't register with him.

I read the article. I had to.

I'm so glad I did! By number four on the list, I was laughing my ass off.  It was clear my kid was spoiled, but according to the list, it wasn't all my fault. Or FTD's.

It was Nature's fault.

As in, the Nature of the beast...

Here's the list and my thoughts on each one:

1. S/He throws tantrums, often.  

 --HA! He's a toddler. Tantrum is his nickname.

2. He isn't ever satisfied.  

--Debatable. He's satisfied... when he gets his way.  Does that count?

3. He isn't helpful.

--Well... He's "helpful," just not in a helpful way.  He's always happy to help in his own way, which usually includes either making a huge mess or making things take three hundred times longer than they should. Or both.

4. He tries to control adults.  

--HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Hell yeah he tries to control adults. He was born thinking that was how things worked. When it comes to just about everything, he tries to control the situation. This would be why he's sleeping in my bed, not potty trained, picking out his breakfast and lunch and bitchy about bathtime and bedtime.

5. He frequently embarrasses you in public.  

--Um. Yes. Always.  He's a toddler! His behavior in public is atrocious. Before we even leave the house, I start prepping him for our day and what he will get if he is a "good boy."  It never works. The kid's behavior in public is work-in-progress that might kill me.

What do you think about the list?  Is your child spoiled or annoyingly age appropriate? What age do you think this list best relates to?

Time to Get Back to School

I can’t believe we are lacing up our shoes and getting ready to go back to school next week. Seriously, I need a few more days, weeks, months to soak up these tiny people before they sprout on me all over again. Over the summer, they have surely grown half a foot. We had to buy all new everything — even socks and underwear!

When choosing clothes for my kids, I have always been of the mindset to

let them wear what they like.
Dress in a way that makes them feel confident.
BE BOLD. BE BRAVE. BE YOU.


The best part about getting dressed is expressing yourself, letting a bit of your personality shine through in what you’re wearing and for the most part I have been extremely lucky they have a pretty good head on their shoulders and eye for what suits them best.

They each have such a strong aesthetic and couldn’t be more different, but we managed to find pieces at Tea Collection that catered to them all.

My wild child who can’t get enough of bold prints or pops of color, my animal lover with a heart of gold, and my cool kid who just wants to be comfortable while he’s jumping over and under everything on the playground.

I love the concept of teaching children about the world around them through design, you’ll see us start to focus more heavily on design for kids in the months to come and Tea Collection is a perfect way to fuse fashion with function with education. I hope this is a partnership that will continue through the seasons.

This fall, they released a new German inspired collection and it has been the perfect way to open up conversations about this wonderful land two of my children were born in. They may not remember the rolling hills and green valleys, the industrial cities or lightning fast train rides we took while they were very young, but they do feel a deeper connection now thanks to the way Tea presents its materials each season — the adorable graphics, inspiring blog posts and videos and really awesome activity booklet that comes in every box.