ParentMap, December 2011 Issue

Looking to take in a holiday show with your tots this season? Don't miss out on our 2011 holiday arts guide -- there's plenty of festive performances throughout the Puget Sound for all ages. And if you're still working your way down your Christmas list, be sure to get the scoop on this year's must-have toys, books, games and goodies in our annual gift guide! Got a couple young snow bunnies? Head out to Leavenworth for plenty of snowflakes, sleigh rides and more -- Sleeping Lady resort features neat activities for kids, great food, and oodles of outdoor fun. Also featured this month: tips on raising moral kids, getting your child to help with the housework (yes, please!) and how to help your young perfectionist. From the ParentMap family to yours, here's to a wonderful holiday season with plenty of gifts, gratitude and family fun! Read the entire issue online, or scroll down for links and cool online-only content.

About this issue

4G (not your phone!)

Glorious

My recent weekday overnight skedaddle to Leavenworth with my 10-year-old and her giggling bestie was a sure cure for our recent dark Seattle days.

The glory was standing firm and insisting that no other adult would accompany us on our spontaneous adventure to Sleeping Lady resort. I experienced pure, simple and unexpected delight just being “one of the girls” — absent the pressure another parent would bring to the party!

Adoring our dinner service over a buffet, my bad 'tude instantly flipped as we kicked off meal #1 backwards: delicious homemade cheesecake, crème brûlée and apple crisp.

Peace and joy are within reach if you can find yourself, this crazy December, under thousands of stars, on a perfectly cold, crisp night, laughing with some little ones!

Gifted

‘Tis the season to give and receive! Plays, ballets, push toys and puzzles, nesting blocks and catapult kits await your little elves. Our gift guide inspires classic and creative age-appropriate gifts. Get gifted yourself by signing up for our annual Big Gift giveaway. Awarded daily through Dec. 31, this is your chance to win lovely gift packages, including large cash shopping certificates.

Goodness

Don’t underestimate the power of your moral example. Our parental objective in giving to our kids should focus on goodness and on how children’s innate sense of empathy and conscience is nurtured. Malia Jacobson artfully writes (Raising morality) that our primary job as parents is to foster strong and enduring moral cores in our children. As their most essential moral and character educators, what better gift could we give them, their friends and our community? Let’s embrace a firm commitment to walk the talk and lead by example.

Grateful

I love my job and want to publicly acknowledge how grateful I am for it. I meet amazing people who lead and advocate on behalf of families and they inspire much of our content. The greatest gift, however, is working with an astonishingly talented team of people who write, edit, sell, manage, promote, design and create the award-winning products that make up ParentMap. The publishing industry leads the roller coaster ride in these challenging economic times, yet ParentMap’s team shines as a most dedicated, intelligent and kindhearted bunch.

I wish all of them, and you, a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, hope and love.

—Alayne