Tia Mowry’s all new Circle of Moms video series in partnership with Kia

Tia Mowry hosts the fun, enjoyable new Circle of Moms video series in partnership with Kia, along with her Circle of Moms friends Diane and Stacy.  I was asked to watch the latest video from Circle of Moms by POPSUGAR and share it with you.  When I opened the video I was quite pleasantly surprised to see that the first  topic for the episode I was to watch was about Free Range Parenting (Lenore Skenazy)- giving kids more independence and self-reliance.  This is something I fully believe in- I feel like I need to get my kids to a place where they can do things on their own- and the only way to do that is to let them learn by trying, doing and yes, even failing.  I also feel like I should be writing “we” and not “I” because my husband is fully on board with this thinking- but since this is my blog and my post, I’ll continue the “I” part.

The idea Free Range Parenting is so far from the trend of the helicopter mom and so in tune with my beliefs. I don’t think we’re helping kids when we do jump in and help solve conflicts every chance we get.  I think it’s not only ok but HEALTHY for children to try to work things out themselves.  Obviously there are exceptions.  But as a rule…I think we’re collectively way too involved in all aspects of our kids’ lives and kids aren’t learning how the world works anymore.  Even with my three, I’ve been working hard for the past few years to stay OUT of their tiny and huge conflicts to see what happens.  To my amazement, many times, they are able to negotiate and solve things in their way, without me.  It’s taking practice.  I think we need to remember that for hundreds of years, children have been able to successfully negotiate and navigate through childhood without constant adult interference.  It’s how children learn to be adults and successfully be adults!

The  latest video from Circle of Moms by POPSUGAR also touches on co-sleeping, with three moms riding around (in the all New 2014 Kia Sorento, which is the only part of this episode and I believe all of them where the Kia piece comes into play), discussing why they do and don’t co-sleep. What I liked about this is that all three moms didn’t have the same opinion- there were comments and discussion but no blame, no negativity.  That “if it works in your family…” mantra again. We did not cosleep with my oldest- she’s um…an acrobatic sleeper, and no one would ever have gotten sleep.  With my son, my middle child, the cosleeping happened quite by accident- I feel asleep nursing him in bed one night and it was the first time he’d slept more than 90 minutes in a row.  Ever.  He was in our bed until about 8 months, when he stopped sleeping, we tried him in his crib, and he slept 6 straight hours that night and many after.  My littlest one coslept until about 7 months. I’d never have guessed I’d cosleep.  In fact, I’m sure it was on my “I’ll never” list that so many of us make before we actually have kids.  Live and learn.  And do what works in your family.

My favorite part of this episode was the discussion about fashion at school drop off.  Only busy parents can understand how awesome it is to see someone be able to pull together an outfit that includes black pajama pants, cover them with tall boots, spin pins and fabulous sunglasses, and look….well, not like me when I don’t have a chance to shower and stuff before dropoff.  If I had tall boots in my possession, I’d totally attempt that look, although I’d probably need to grab a pair of black pajama pants at the store first.  Something tells me the cute Peeps pajama pants I love so much would NOT work with the boots, ever.  Or the day after ever.

I think the Circle of Moms video series is cute, fun and quite modern.  Touching on what seems to be “in the moment” with today’s moms, helping us to connect and most importantly, reminding us of things that matter- like that mantra, “If it works in your house…” and the shorter time frame (about 9 minutes) means I can probably find the time to squeeze a whole episode in before someone needs help in the bathroom or a ride to softball, tball, or soccer practice.  And that, my friends, is a good thing.

Many thanks to Circle of Moms AND to Kia for creating this video series- I find it enjoyable and fun, I’ve always liked Tia Mowry, and I’m definitely going to keep my eyes open for the next weekly episodes!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kia through their partnership with Circle of Moms. While I was compensated to review the Kia Motors video and write a review, all opinions are my own.