My first ParentsAsk.com video

A few weeks ago ParentsAsk.com floated out an open casting call to the online community. Basically, they were looking for moms interested in asking their panel of experts a parenting question....on video. I got in contact with ParentsAsk.com and was all...I’m totally doing this raising kids thing all wrong....pick me, pick me! I mean, if you’re looking for a slack-jawed-clueless-mom then I’m your woman!

Apparently, my parenting ineptitude, as is documented here and here, was convincing. So, their very nice producer, Katie, contacted me and was like...I know you think you’re ‘doing it ALL wrong,’ but you’re going to have to narrow it down to a couple of questions.

Fine. I’ll narrow it down, but you don’t know what you’re missing. I, for one, think your readers would benefit from a episode on: How to Get Your Child to Wear Pants, or How Can I Prevent My Child from Saving Chewing Gum in Her Belly Button?

In the end, I asked their experts how Ben and I can better deal with the fighting between Whitney and Heidi. All of the recommendations and advice Joanne Stern, their expert, offered were valid, however there was one piece of advice I hadn’t really considered before, which was to teach them lessons about sharing and conflict resolution [no not that part, I knew that] once things calm down and not at the height of their emotions. That’s something everyone in this family could get a little better at doing.

Ben, I promise you that if I ever lose the car keys again I will wait until the situation is resolved, and we’ve both calmed down, before I remind you for the UMPTEENTH time to stop taking the car key off the key ring! I can’t help it if that one lone key slips out of my pocket! I was right when I told you that we’d be more likely to lose the key that way. But more importantly YOU...WERE...WRONG!
 
For this episode Katie thought it would be good if I could “capture” the girls fighting so that their expert could get a first hand look. I agreed. However, turns out that videoing lightening bolts shooting through rainbows, while leprechauns flew overhead on unicorns, would have been easier. Don’t get me wrong, they were still fighting. They were just fighting at inopportune times. Like when I was straining boiling water out of the pasta, or that one time when I heard screaming at one-thirty in the morning. Hand to god, I’m totally serious...I found them in the middle of the night wearing their princess dresses and fighting over a wand.

People, I can’t make this of stuff up.

I sent Katie as much video as I could shoot, and luckily they were able to do something with the hours of shaky footage of my feet! Although, they did cutout a lot of the footage I took of myself asking their expert my questions. Like the part where I asked if it would be considered “inappropriate,” in their professional opinion, if I curled-up into the fetal position, in the back of my closet and ate powdered donuts when the girls’ fighting got out of hand.

But, that’s editing for you!

Get more expert tips for dealing with siblings that fight here...