It’s one of the worst phrases said to parents of young kids: “Just you wait!” The idea is that however tough you have it, life will be tougher in the future.
But while it is true that bigger kids can have bigger problems (and children develop in different ways and at different paces) there can also be a lot of positive milestones too.
This week’s episode of Best of Both Worlds (also recorded several weeks ago, for those following Sarah’s story) looks at positive parenting milestones. From kids being able to tell you what’s wrong, to getting more independent, to being able to stay home alone, and even watch their younger siblings, there is a lot to look forward to.
In the Q&A, we talk about when personal and family tasks get done. This is especially tricky if people are at a workplace full time.
Please give the episode a listen, and as always we welcome ratings and reviews.
If you read the email that I sent you on 2025-2-22, Ms. Laura Vanderkam, you’d know that I consider you one of those that I’m actually willing to listen to when it comes to parenting. As a result, it means that I will no longer need to ask “Does there exist such thing as a ‘parenting milestone'” or “Does it make sense to include ‘counting parenting milestones’ in parenting”. Since you consider the answers to these 2 questions to be “yes”, I’m confident that the answers to these 2 questions are “yes”.
The 3rd thing that we figured out in this episode is that the attitude of demanding a son or a daughter to reach specific milestones at specific ages had better be avoided. The 4th thing that we figured out is – of course – an entire list of examples of parenting milestones.
Longtime listener here – want to thank you both for the very sensitive and compassionate disclaimer for parents of differently-abled children. I appreciate the smart and thoughtful way you consistently handle things like this. My youngest child has a disability that has caused developmental delays across the board and it can be hard to consume media that assumes kids hit milestones at a certain time. I listened anyway, because I love you guys, and it actually reminded me of how many milestones he HAS reached. Thank you for being a positive place to come think about work and motherhood!
@Nicole – thank you for listening, and for your kind words about the disclaimer. It was meant to be a light episode, but it is such a complicated topic!