About Bethany Prange
Bethany Prange's 'MoCo Mommy' column reflects upon on the trials, tribulations and joys of raising children.
Bethany grew up in downtown Fults, and now lives in Waterloo with her husband, Kevin, and their sons, Remy and Ty.
A former full-time print newspaper journalist, Bethany now runs her own digital marketing company. Writing MoCo Mommy keeps her writing skills sharp and more importantly, keeps her sane during the hijinx and hysterical mayhem that often overcomes their boy-filled home.
Read MoCo Mommy
Embracing The Weird: Teaching Kids It Is Okay To Be Different
If you ever look at your kid and think, “my Lord this child is weird,” take heart. Spend just 20 minutes on Facebook scanning posts from other parents – or read one of my columns – and you’ll quickly learn it’s not just yours. They’re all weird. Honestly, who can blame them? They’re new to …
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Kids Can Lead The Way In Raising Money
Last weekend, my husband ran to the local farm supply store to grab an extension cord for the garage. He came home instead with two boxes of Lemon Ups and one box of Thin Mints. When I asked what happened, he grinned sheepishly and said, “the Girl Scouts ambushed me.” I giggled to myself, imagining …
Inspiring Joy Is Worth The Work
The days between Christmas and New Year’s Day are always a little befuddling. The kids are on break, work schedules are off kilter, and the house, well, it looks like a Lego truck crashed into a store stocked with Ritz crackers and wrapping paper. And let’s be honest – we don’t even care. Ambition level …
Handling An Impossible Wish List From Your Little Darlings
by Bethany Prange Like many families these days, my husband and I have to make some adjustments to have a traditional Christmas morning with both our boys. Our older son, now 13, is only with us for a week at Thanksgiving. So when he was young, the Elf on the Shelf left a note saying …
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Every Mom Is Crazy About A Sharp Dressed Young Man
It’s Tuesday, October-something and I blew it. We’re not even halfway through the school year and I already threw in the towel. Did I forget to pack his lunch when the tray offering was something “gross”? No, that happened on week three. Did I accidentally forget to completely empty the homework folder? Once! One time and I got …
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Brutal Honesty Is A Weapon In Kids’ Arsenal
by Bethany Prange Kids are good at a lot of things. Dropped your phone into a tiny crevice and your annoyingly large adult hands won’t fit? No worries! Your kid’s itty bitty hands will slide right in and nab it. Got all adult-y and started to think dandelions are just a noxious weed? Get a …
Preparing For School Is Harder On Moms
by Bethany Prange I once drove to a farm field in the middle of nowhere Missouri, got into a small biplane literally held together with duct tape, and then trusted a complete stranger when he hurled both of us out of the plane at 14,000 feet. Still, I felt more emotionally, physically and mentally prepared …
Mom Shaming Can Make Parenting Harder
by Bethany Prange Prepare yourself, friends. Here come some confessions of a run-of-the-mill, overworked mommy. My kid is and has always been a co-sleeper. And yes, he still sleeps with us at age 5. I feed my kid fast food, often more than once a week. Sometimes we skip his bath, especially in the summer …
Kids Need Time To Find Who They Are
by Bethany Prange He didn’t look nervous at all. No, my son strode confidently between the packed rows of parents and grandparents, beaming in his cap and gown. He didn’t even notice the little tassel periodically whacking him in the face. Where, I wondered, did that self-assuredness come from? A year or two ago, he …
Making The Best Of Gagging Noises, Germs And Goofiness
by Bethany PrangeEven though Calvin and Hobbes went out of syndication back in 1995, I sometimes think my son is modeling his life after the spikey-haired comic strip character.Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, didn’t have kids – crazy right? He has said that the mischievous and hilarious Calvin is really based on …
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