When my first child was in Kindergarten I started to realize what keeping all of her artwork and school work would mean. Any mother who has had a child go through school knows it, too. It means piles and piles of paper. It’s paper that means something, certainly, but I am a minimalist at heart…
What is a finsta or spam account on Instagram and should parents of teenagers be concerned? Last weekend I dropped my 16-year-old daughter off at an event. I needed to talk to one of the other moms, so I waited around with her for a little while until that mom arrived. While we waited, my…
Parenting the strong-willed child is not for the faint of heart. Learning what these spirited kids really need from you makes it easier to honor their unique temperament. I realized I was dealing with a very strong-willed child when my youngest daughter was still a baby. She had a push to her that my other…
Is your child struggling in school? Here are the signs to look for and how to find the tutor your child needs. My oldest daughter began the 4th grade in a new state with an entirely new type of math curriculum. As far as math homework was concerned that year, it was awful with a…
What are we teaching children by the way behave on social media over politics? Edit November 3, 2020: I wrote this a few days after the 2016 presidential election. Tonight we wait for the results of the 2020 election and the division in our country leading up to this day is astronomical. I still stand…
Being present and listening is the most important thing a mother can do for her children. How to make the most of the afternoon “download” I feel confident in saying that the craziest time of day for moms is right after school. You might think it’s because of homework or having to chauffeur to extracurricular…
Is it okay for parents to be check grades online? Find out the pros and cons and make the decision that’s best for you and your kids. I get online a couple times a week to quickly check my girls’ grades. In our school district we use PowerSchool. There are many other similar programs out…
As it becomes more and more difficult to gather the family together, dinner is a precious time to reconnect with each other. The older and busier my kids get, the more difficult sitting down to family dinner has become. I have read all the research about the importance of having dinner together as a family,…
Doing chores around the house does a lot more for the kids than just keeping the house clean. Find out why it’s essential that children have chore responsibilities. As a child, I didn’t like Saturdays very much. Saturday was the day that my mom made us do chores—lots and lots of chores. I remember having…
Reading books out loud to your children has many proven benefits As a mother, bedtime is a difficult time of day for me. I’d even go so far as to say it’s the absolute worst time of day for me. Everybody is exhausted, and the last thing I want to do is sit in their…
To work or stay home? Many moms grapple a bit with the decision to either stay home or go back to work after having a baby, but I didn’t. I knew from the get go that I would be staying at home when I had my first. It wasn’t until I had my third daughter…
Is your child starting a new school after a move or other life transition? Here are several ideas for parents that will help kids adjust to being the new kid. There are few things kids anticipate more than starting school each fall, but it can be stressful for students who are beginning at a brand…