Bringing common sense with a grain of salt back to parenting!
The Primary School Hustle (7–10 years)
Welcome to the multitasking years — homework, hobbies, healthy snacks, and the growing sense that you’re managing a small start-up called “Family, Inc.”
These articles explore what happens when kids discover opinions, competition, and independence — while parents discover how easy it is to overschedule childhood.
Here’s to slowing the rush, finding balance, and remembering that childhood isn’t a performance — it’s practice for being human.
The "After-School Uber Service" Trap
Parents once dreamed of relaxing evenings.
Now we’re unpaid Uber drivers, carting kids from karate to coding to clarinet like frazzled chauffeurs — without the tips, and with backseat karaoke on repeat.
It starts with one after-school activity — soccer, maybe. Then comes piano, karate, tutoring, coding, choir. Suddenly your seven-year-old has a calendar more crowded than your own, and you’re sprinting from one parking lot to the next like you’re competing in the Triathlon of Parenting.
Let's look at why we do it, how it backfires, and how to reclaim sanity before you need an oil change every month.
Why we do it? How it harms babies? What can I do about it?
The "All-or-Nothing Rule Enforcer" Trap
Rules are supposed to keep order.
But when they harden into absolutes — enforced with the flexibility of a medieval stone wall — kids don’t learn respect, they learn resentment (and loopholes).
In the short term, turning a household into the "The All-or-Nothing Rule Enforcrcing empire" and crowning oneself a hosehold Tzar may yield results, but in the long term, cultivating an authoritarian parenting approach usually backfires.
Let's explore this parental, why it’s tempting, how it backfires, and how to keep rules meaningful without turning family life into a courtroom drama.
Why we do it? How it harms babies? What can I do about it?
The »Ask Your Mother/Father« Endless Loop
It starts with something innocent: “Can I have ice cream before dinner?” One parent punts: “Ask your mother.” Mom, mid-email, punts back: “Ask your father.” The child, now a shuttlecock in a badminton match of avoidance, eventually either eats the ice cream in quiet rebellion… or grows up to believe decision-making requires a full quorum.
When “Ask your mother/father” becomes a lifestyle, kids don’t learn clarity. They learn chaos.
Why we do it? How it harms babies? What can I do about it?
The "Buying Love with Stuff" Trap
We might think scrubbing away every germ protects our kids. In reality, when we run Germ Patrol HQ 24/7 — wipes at the ready, sprays holstered like weapons — we risk raising kids who believe the world is hostile, sticky, and terrifying.
The good news? We can keep hygiene sensible without losing your sanity — or turning ourselves into ever-alert security guards of perfect hygiene—and our kids into little paranoids who will see lurking horrors and worst-case scenarios around every corner throughout their lives.
The "Fear of Average” Trap
We love our kids. We want the best for them.
But somewhere between kindergarten crafts and third-grade math, many parents catch the same fever: the desperate fear of mediocrity.
Suddenly, “average” isn’t just a description — it’s a diagnosis. And the cure seems to be: gifted programs, accelerated classes, enrichment camps, and maybe a side order of Mandarin lessons before bedtime.
Let's look at why parents panic at the thought of “average,” how it actually harms children, and how to shift the focus from chasing labels to nurturing real, long-term growth.
Why we do it? How it harms babies? What can I do about it?
The "Fear of Free Play" Trap
We’ve somehow convinced ourselves that every minute of a child’s life needs purpose, structure, and achievement. Soccer practice, Mandarin tutoring, coding camp, piano lessons — all before dinner.
The humble act of “just playing” has been rebranded as lazy, unproductive, or even dangerous.
In reality, things are very simple, and play has an essential role in a child's development. Free play is how kids learn creativity, resilience, and joy.
When we cut it out, we’re not protecting them. We’re robbing them of the most natural form of growth they’ll ever have.
Why we do it? How it harms babies? What can I do about it?
The "Competing for the Fun Parent Trophy" Trap
Imagine a kid glowing because Mom let them have ice cream before dinner. Then father, determined not to look like the boring parent, announces a movie night with popcorn. The kid beams, the scoreboard ticks, and suddenly parenting feels less like teamwork and becomes more like Survivor.
The danger? Outdoing the other parent and becoming child's BFF with the "Best Fun Parent Ever" trophy might seem as winning the parenting game ... but it can actually lead to losing the long game.
When parenting becomes a contest for affection, the prize isn’t worth the cost — because the child ends up losing the stability they actually need.
Why we do it? How it harms babies? What can I do about it?
The "Overreacting to the Small Stuff" Trap
Small stuff builds up. The toothpaste smeared across the sink. The Lego under your bare foot. The socks left in the hallway. Before you know it, you’re reacting like your child has committed a felony instead of… forgetting to put laundry away.
Sometimes one of the most important parental tasks is to know how to calm down and quietly remind ourselves the world won’t end if or kids' room looks like a sock tornado hit it. So let's look at why we sometimes lose our cool over the tiniest infractions, how it shapes kids’ perspective (and ours), and how to build a calm, sane household where mismatched socks don’t feel like the end of civilization.
Why we do it? How it harms babies? What can I do about it?
The "Parent Paparazzi" Trap
What starts as one proud snapshot of the school play often escalates into a full-blown documentary series with multiple camera angles, whispered stage directions, and a soundtrack of parents hissing “Shhh, I’m filming!” louder than the actual performance.
Parents with phones at school events are the modern paparazzi — desperate for the perfect shot of their child’s five-second line in the holiday play. But in trying to capture the memory, we sometimes forget to live it.
Let's explore why we become the Parent Paparazzi, how it backfires, and how to step out from behind the lens without losing the memories.
Why we do it? How it harms babies? What can I do about it?
