Terms starting with P

Every Buhata Life Terms entry that starts with P, with its short definition.

P

P-trapThe curved section of drainpipe under a sink or tub that holds a little water to seal sewer gas out of the house.

Paced bottle feedingA way of giving a bottle that lets a baby drink slowly, take breaks and stop when full, closer to the pace of breastfeeding.

Packed lunchA lunch made at home and carried to school or work, which USDA says needs at least two cold sources when it holds perishable food.

Packing listA written list of everything to bring on a trip, ticked off as each item goes in a bag so nothing important gets left behind.

Paint sheenHow shiny a paint dries, from flat and matte through eggshell, satin and semi-gloss to high-gloss. More shine usually means easier cleaning.

Paper clutterPiles of mail, bills, statements, receipts and forms that build up at home, with no system for what to keep, where, and for how long.

Paper plannerA printed or handwritten planner, such as a bound book, a notebook or printed pages, used to plan days, weeks and months on paper.

PARA methodTiago Forte's system for organizing notes and files into four folders: Projects, Areas, Resources and Archives.

Parallel parentingA way for separated parents in high conflict to both stay involved while keeping direct contact to a minimum and running each home by its own rules.

Parchment paper vs wax paperParchment paper can go in the oven (Reynolds rates its own to 425°F), while wax paper can melt in oven heat. Both are microwave safe.

Parent portalA school's secure website or app where parents sign in to see their child's grades, assignments, attendance and messages from the school.

Parent-teacher conferenceA short scheduled meeting between a parent and a child's teacher to talk about how the child is doing in school and how to help at home.

Parental burnoutExhaustion from the job of parenting that builds when its demands outweigh a parent's resources for a long time, often with emotional distance from the children.

Parental controlsSettings and tools that let a parent limit what a child can see, download, buy and who they can contact on a device or app, and for how long.

Parenting planThe written arrangement, usually made into a court order, that says how separated parents share decisions and time with their children.

Parenting styleThe overall way a parent guides a child, usually described on two dimensions, warmth and demands, which give four styles: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and uninvolved.

Pareto principleThe observation, also called the 80/20 rule, that a small share of causes produces most of the effect, such as a few tasks bringing most of the results.

Part-time job payWhat part-time workers earn; BLS put the median for part-time wage and salary workers at $386 a week in 2025.

Passive incomeIncome that keeps coming in without much ongoing work, like rent; for taxes, the IRS limits it to rentals and businesses you don't materially take part in.

PasskeyA sign-in method that replaces a password with a key stored on your phone, computer or security key, which you unlock with your face, fingerprint or screen PIN.

Passport for kidsA U.S. passport for a child under 16. The child applies in person on Form DS-11 with both parents' consent, and it's valid for 5 years.

Pay frequencyHow often an employer pays you, usually weekly, every two weeks, twice a month or monthly, which sets how many paychecks you get in a year.

Pay yourself firstMoving a set amount into savings as soon as you're paid, before bills or spending, so saving comes first instead of from what's left.

Paycheck budgetingPlanning money one paycheck at a time, so each bill is paid from the paycheck that arrives before it's due and the rest is spending money.

Paycheck to paycheckSpending all of one paycheck before the next arrives, so there's little or nothing left over in between.

Payday loanA small, short-term, high-cost loan, generally $500 or less, that's usually due in one payment on your next payday.

Payment historyThe record in your credit reports of whether you paid each credit account on time, late or not at all; it's about 35% of a FICO Score.

Peer-to-peer paymentMoney sent directly from one person to another through a payment app or a bank's app, such as Zelle, Venmo or Cash App.

Pending transactionA card purchase or other payment the bank has approved but that hasn't settled yet; it lowers your available balance before it reaches your account balance.

Perfect webinarRussell Brunson's script from Expert Secrets for a sales webinar in three parts: the Big Domino, three secrets each told with a story, and the Stack.

PerfectionismHolding yourself or others to standards so high they can't be met, and judging yourself harshly when they aren't.

Performance reviewA formal look back, usually once a year, where a manager rates how an employee's work measured up to the standards set for that period.

Permissive parentingA parenting style that is warm and accepting but sets few rules or limits. Researchers also call it indulgent parenting; it is one of the four styles.

Personal balance sheetA one-page list of everything you own and everything you owe on a given date, with your net worth as the difference between the two.

Personal chef costWhat it costs to hire a cook to plan and make meals for your household, usually the cook's time plus the groceries.

Personal loanAn installment loan, usually unsecured, that a bank, credit union or online lender pays out as a lump sum you can use for almost any personal purpose.

Personal valuesThe principles and qualities a person holds most important, such as honesty, family or creativity, which guide their choices and how they judge events.

Pest controlKeeping insects, rodents and other pests out of a home, best done by removing their food, water and shelter first and using pesticides only as the label directs.

Pet hair removalGetting shed dog or cat hair off floors, furniture and clothes, and cutting how much gets there by brushing the pet regularly.

Pet odorLingering smells from a pet's urine, feces, bedding or coat, usually tackled by cleaning soiled spots with an enzymatic cleaner.

PhishingA scam where someone sends an email or text that looks like it's from a company you trust, to trick you into giving up passwords, account numbers or other details.

Phone contract for kidsA written agreement between a parent and child that sets the rules for the child's phone: when, where and how it's used, and what happens if a rule is broken.

Phone-free schoolA school whose rules keep students' personal phones put away during school hours, for class time only or for the whole day.

Phonemic awarenessThe ability to hear, pick out and play with the single sounds (phonemes) in spoken words, like hearing that "cat" is made of three sounds.

PhonicsTeaching children how letters and letter groups stand for the sounds in spoken words, so they can sound out words to read them and spell them.

Physical touchOne of Gary Chapman's five love languages: showing love through welcome, affectionate touch, such as hugs, holding hands or a hand on the shoulder.

Pick up put downA sleep training method where you lift a crying baby to calm them, then lay them back in the crib before they fall asleep, repeating as needed.

Picking your battlesDeciding which of a child's behaviors need a firm limit, like safety, and which small ones to let go, so the rules that matter can be enforced every time.

Pillow washingWashing the pillow itself, not just its case, which Cleveland Clinic puts on a cycle of every few months to every six months.

Pipe insulationFoam or fiberglass sleeves and wraps fitted around water pipes to cut heat loss from hot water lines and help keep exposed pipes from freezing.

Planning fallacyThe tendency to underestimate how long a task will take, even when similar tasks have run late before.

Points and milesRewards earned from credit cards, airlines and hotels that can be spent on travel, worth whatever the program lets you redeem them for, often around 1 cent each.

Pomodoro techniqueA focus method that splits work into 25-minute rounds separated by short breaks, with a longer break after every four rounds.

Positive disciplineDiscipline that teaches a child how to behave through modeling, clear limits, calm consequences and attention, without hitting, yelling or shaming.

Positive parentingRaising children through warmth, attention, praise for good behavior and teaching, with discipline that avoids harsh punishment. The CDC publishes age-by-age tips.

Postpartum depressionDepression that begins in the weeks or months after a baby is born, up to a year, lasting 2 weeks or longer and stronger than the baby blues.

PotluckA shared meal where each guest brings a dish, so the table is filled by everyone who comes instead of one cook.

Power napA short daytime nap, about 20 minutes or less, meant to lift alertness without the grogginess that can follow a longer sleep.

Power pumpingA pumping pattern of short sessions with rests inside one hour, such as pump 10 minutes, rest 10, three times, used to help raise a low milk supply.

Power washing vs pressure washingBoth spray water at high pressure. In the stricter usage, a power washer also heats the water, while a pressure washer uses cold or lukewarm water.

Praise vs encouragementA distinction from Adlerian parenting: praise credits the child for a result, while encouragement credits effort, improvement and what the child did.

Pre-KPrekindergarten: school-readiness classes for children, typically 3 and 4 years old, in the year or two before they start kindergarten.

Prepayment penaltyA fee some lenders charge if you pay off a loan, or a large part of it, before the end of its term, most often through a sale or a refinance.

PreschoolerA child from 3 to 5 years old, the age band the CDC uses for its preschool parenting guidance.

PresenteeismGoing to work, or logging on, while sick or otherwise not well enough to work at your usual level, the reverse of an unplanned absence.

Pressure washingCleaning outdoor surfaces such as siding, decks and driveways with a machine that sprays water at high pressure to lift dirt, mildew and grime.

Pretend playPlay in which a child acts out something that isn't real, like feeding a doll, using a block as a phone, or being a superhero.

Price anchoringWhen the first price you see, such as a crossed-out original or a pricey option beside the one you want, sets the yardstick for judging the next one.

Price matchingA store policy of lowering its price to match a lower price for the identical item, found at a competitor or at the store itself.

Primary caregiverThe adult who provides most of a child's day-to-day care and is usually the child's main attachment figure in the early years.

Prior authorizationA health plan's decision, made before you get certain care, that a service, drug or piece of medical equipment is medically necessary.

Private mortgage insuranceInsurance that protects a mortgage lender if the borrower stops paying, often required on a conventional loan with less than 20% down.

Private schoolA school that isn't supported mainly by public funds and gives classroom teaching in one or more of grades K to 12, whether religious or nonsectarian.

Private student loanA student loan from a bank or other private lender, priced by your credit and governed by its contract rather than federal student loan rules.

Process praisePraise for how a child worked, such as effort, strategy, focus or persistence, rather than for a trait like being smart or talented.

ProcrastinationPutting off a task you intended to do, even though you expect the delay to leave you worse off, often to escape how the task makes you feel.

Product backlogIn Scrum, the ordered list of everything needed to improve a product, and the single source of work for the Scrum Team.

Product goalIn Scrum, the long-term objective for a product, a future state the team plans toward, kept in the Product Backlog as its commitment.

Product ownerThe one person on a Scrum Team accountable for maximizing the value of the product and for managing the Product Backlog, including the order of its items.

Professional development dayA day on the school calendar set aside for teacher training and planning, usually with no classes for students, though some districts close only certain grades.

Progress report(1) A school's update on a student's grades partway through a grading period; (2) the periodic report on an IEP's annual goals that IDEA requires.

Proofing doughLetting yeast dough rise until it's puffy and ready to bake; King Arthur Baking's poke test tells you when it's there.

Property taxA yearly tax your local government charges on real estate you own, worked out from the property's assessed value and the local tax rate.

Proportional bill splitSplitting shared bills in proportion to each person's income, so someone earning 60% of the combined pay covers 60% of the shared costs.

PruningCutting away branches or stems to keep a tree or shrub healthy, safe and in shape, timed to the plant so you don't cut off next season's flowers.

Psychological safetyA shared belief on a team that it's safe to speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes and disagree without being embarrassed or punished.

PubertyThe years when a child's body matures into an adult's, usually starting between about 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys, per Cleveland Clinic.

Public schoolA school run by publicly elected or appointed officials and paid for mainly with public money, including district, charter and magnet schools.

Pulling to standWhen a baby grips something steady, like furniture or your hands, and pulls themselves up from sitting or kneeling to standing.

Pumping at workExpressing breast milk with a pump during the workday, protected for most U.S. employees by the PUMP Act's break time and private space rules for 1 year after birth.

Pumping scheduleA plan for when and how often to express breast milk with a pump, usually matched to how often the baby would otherwise feed.

Punch listA list of the small unfinished or faulty items left at the end of a building or remodeling job that the contractor must fix before the work counts as done.

Purchasing powerHow much a unit of money, such as one dollar, can buy. When prices rise faster than your money grows, its purchasing power falls.

PureesSmooth, blended foods that many babies eat when they start solids at about 6 months, before moving on to lumpier and chopped textures.