Moms Talk: Please Don't Help My Kids

Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics.

This week’s Moms Talk question relates to a Patch blog post called “Please Don’t Help My Kids.”

Originally posted on a California Patch site in September, the blog has taken on a life of its own in recent weeks, thanks to the power of social media. At the time of this writing it had 124,000 Facebook recommendations and 833 people had tweeted the blog. Written by Kate Bassford Baker as an open letter to other parents at the playground, the blog centers on Baker's request that other parents not help her girls on the slide. Baker says that getting up the slide’s ladder on one's own is the first step to learning new things and overcoming obstacles, which is a critical life skill.

Read "Please Don’t Help My Kids" by clicking here.

And that brings us to this week’s Moms Talk question:

Do you agree with the blogger's point of view that children should be forced to climb up that playground slide on their own? Why or why not?

Our Moms Council members include:

• Lisa Amey of Upper Milford Township is a stay-at-home mom to an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. A past president of the MOMS Club of Emmaus and longtime member of MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), Lisa is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International.

• Lisa Drew of Emmaus is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer, wellness and fitness coach with more than 17 years of experience. She is the mother of a 13-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy.

• Jennifer Elston of Emmaus has almost two decades of professional experience in child development and counseling. She is currently a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful girls. Together with her husband, Chris, she owns Christopher Elston Photography.

• Jeanne Lombardo of Nazareth is the mother of a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. She’s new to the Lehigh Valley, having moved to Nazareth from Bergen County, NJ in January.

• Lisa Merk of Lower Macungie is a stay-at-home mother of four boys – a 12-year-old and 6-year-old triplets. Lisa is a past president of the MOMS Club of Lower Macungie East. In her “spare” time, Lisa teaches piano to school-age children.

• Zoila Bonilla Paul of Bethlehem is a stay-at-home mom to two girls – a 5-year-old and a 14-month-old. Zoila is a member of her local “moms’ club” and says she is “well-versed in the fun that children can bring.”

• Beth Sharpless of Emmaus works part time in a local emergency department as a nurse and part time from home as a customer support specialist. She has two children -- a boy who is almost 2 and a 5-year-old girl. She says they love spending time outdoors and dancing.