Working Class Parenting: Motivation, Education and Inspiration For Parents

The other day I took some time off work to drive my father to a doctors appointment. He had a hip replacement last year and was having some pain and wanted to get it checked out. My mother normally drive him to the appointments but she is dealing with pain in her knee, her doctor wants to do a knee replacement, and it makes it difficult to drive. It was a bit of a drive to the doctors office but we really didn't talk that much. As my parents get older, my dad is 77 and my mom 67, its hard to talk to them sometimes without causing a disagreement or a fight. I will say something wrong and next thing you know the cone of silence has come down on us and nobody say anything for a while. I found a great article on Agingcare.com with 9 tips on how to deal with this situation. 1- Don't Give Advice Unless It's Asked For 2- Listen to What Your Elderly Parent is Saying 3- Accept Differences of Opinions 4- Speak Distinctly 5- Don't Condescend 6- Choose the Right Enviro...

In my day job I am a Plumber, I know you are asking, "What, you aren't a millionaire blogger after only five posts?  Shocking!" (just kidding) So yes, I am a Plumber but I am finding some ways to blend that job with my parenting blog. Today I did a job for Mrs. Van(for short) who turned 100 years old in January of this year. She still lives in her own home, but no longer drives, and her mind is as sharp as a tack. As I am doing my job she mentions how old she was in conversation, and I thought after 100 years on this planet and for a larger portion of that being a parent, grandparent and now great-grandparent she has to have some wisdom into parenting. So after I was done with the job, I told her I was a parent myself and would really appreciate any parenting tips she could share. She paused for a minute, not often does your plumber ask for parenting advice I guess, but then she said some really profound yet simple things. Be a loving family (love each other and d...