Syracuse Parent and CNY Family

Brittney Fiorini Jerred is an award-winning columnist and the editor of "Syracuse Parent." You can leave comments below. She may also be reached at editor@syracuseparent.net

Bathtime overflows into my own childhood
Posted on Mon, June 9th, 2008
Lately my 4-year-old daughter has taken to the likes of long, drawn-out baths. They don’t end until her hands and feet look like prunes. The other day I interrupted her bathtub play to urge her to... More

Hope permeates spring season
Posted on Sat, April 5th, 2008
It’s not easy in the mornings. No matter how early I get up, I’m still running late when it’s time to go. Granted, I’ve got to get everything and everyone together and ready to go out the door—my... More

Preschool is world of her own
Posted on Tue, February 5th, 2008
The other day, my daughter came home and showed me a cut-out circle glued to the top of a popsicle stick. On one side of the circle, there was a face drawn on with her scrawl and underneath was the... More

Dance class brings out the provider in me
Posted on Sat, November 3rd, 2007
I recently signed my daughter up for dance class. I knew she would love it. She’s always singing and dancing around the house with a certain seriousness and I thought it’d be nice for her to do just... More

Childhood story reminds me of being a kid
Posted on Sun, October 7th, 2007
I was blessed with a mother who read to my sister and me. I remember sitting next to her and listening to stories on the couch in the afternoons with the sun shining on our backs through the living... More

Camping worth the inconveniences
Posted on Tue, September 11th, 2007
My family and I went camping recently. It was the first time Ben and I had taken Mary on a real outdoor adventure. The weather was picturesque upon arrival at Lake Sacandaga in the Adirondacks. We... More

Small gestures celebrate important moments
Posted on Tue, August 14th, 2007
As I was rummaging through a small pile of cards in search of a Happy Birthday card for our two young neighbors (five minutes before we were supposed to leave for their party, of course), I noticed... More

I have no problem with the occasional lie
Posted on Thu, July 19th, 2007
I was tired of rejection. Every lunch option I came up with was firmly refused. I tried cutting her food up in “cute” ways to get her to eat something that sustains her. I tried giving her the... More

Imaginary world lightens real one
Posted on Mon, June 4th, 2007
Earlier this spring, when the weather first broke, I found the Miracle Grow in the garage and my daughter and I mixed the soil with seeds in a few peat pods. It was a planned event, inspired by... More

'Move the shelf, I mean, the thingy'
Posted on Tue, May 8th, 2007
Lately I’ve noticed I can’t think of the words I need. I’ll be trying to tell Mary how to put her pants on and simple words evade me, like pants. Everything has become a thingy. I’m usually pointing,... More

Recording Milestones at the end of the day
Posted on Tue, March 27th, 2007
When Mary was about 16 months old, I started to keep a journal of all the little and big things. I picked up a cute, sturdy notebook at the dollar store and challenged myself to jot something down... More

Kindermusik saves the day
Posted on Tue, February 27th, 2007
OK. I admit it. I fell prey to television’s allure. I let the TV spend quality time with my daughter. It’s been so cold and she was sick and...It happened. I knew things had to change when she... More

Manipulators in the Make
Posted on Thu, February 1st, 2007
When I was younger, I used to take offence if someone dared call me manipulative. I thought this was a bad thing. (Granted, it usually wasn’t paired with a compliment.) I’ve changed. I now consider... More