The Things to Remember When Positive Parenting Fails
When it feels like you’re not getting different results despite doing the “right” thing over and over again, here are a few things to keep in mind.
When I Got Married, I Realized My Mom Missed Her Calling as a Wedding Planner
So what did all this neurotic attention to detail result in? The most magical wedding I could ever have imagined.
Rewards and Punishments Don't Intrinsically Motivate – These Things Do
Rather than teach them to overvalue the approval of others, we ought to teach them to follow their own quiet voice of guidance.
What Do I Tell My Granddaughter When Tragedy Strikes?
What do I tell her when she sees I am a million sad miles away when she is showing me her latest gymnastic move and I miss it or asks why my eyes are red?
I Have a Hereditary Visual Disability – Is My Son a Ticking Time Bomb?
For prospective parents with chronic hereditary medical conditions, exploring this has merit. Here are three important considerations.
How to Keep Kids Calm During Shots (and a Bonus Reason For Doing so)
How do we possibly overcome what seems like an impossible task to keep our kids happy and calm before they get pricked? Here are some ideas.
How to Find the Sweet Spot in Discipline: Parenting Advice From a High School Teacher
There is a way to be genuine with your kids, have a good relationship, and still be the parent. You aren’t losing your influence, it’s just changing.
My 7-Year-Old's Top Concern After Getting "The Talk"
All that research and preparation goes out the window when you're face-to-face with your kid about to have "The Talk."
What Does Single Motherhood Mean for Kids?
Surprise! A growing body of research finds kids in single parent households aren't sentenced to lives of poverty, crime, or addiction.
From Mentor to Meltdown: How to Handle Your Highly Verbal Preschooler
One minute it feels like you’re talking to a mini-adult, the next you’re dealing with a screaming newborn. Here's some help.
A good psychologist helps a child and gets paid for it. A good mother tries in vain, and then her child succeeds in spite – not because – of her help.
Navigating the Tricky Waters of Kids and New Partners
Once you’re divorced with a child, that is a background fact for the rest of your life. Nothing will change it.
I really thought I'd gotten over my fear of spiders, at least to the point where I could remove them from my kids’ rooms when needed. You always know when it’s needed. There is no shriek quite as p...
My Toddler Taught Me More About Mindfulness Than Deepak Chopra Ever Could
I could go off into the mountains for a month-long retreat and I still wouldn’t come close to being as present as my daughter is every night at bedtime.
Cry-Baby and Other Questionable Baby-Related Expressions
There are a lot of expressions out there about babies. You've heard them, you've used them, and now it’s high time to see how they stack up.
Don't Talk to Your Sons About Sex – Talk About This Instead
If you’re wondering about the right time to talk to your son about sex, then recent research has some recommendations for you: don’t.
What Would A Better Mother Than Me Do?
The thing is I don't know a single mother who does feel like she knows what she's doing. Not in real life, anyway.
5 Productive Questions to Ask at Teacher Conferences
Addressing the following questions will give both you and teacher a better understanding of the child throughout the year.
Indulging My Son's Obsession With Funerals
Our loved ones know that he has autism, so they’re less likely to freak out if he does his “happy dance” at the sight of a real casket and funeral home.
I find nothing wrong with needing time and space to recharge, but I am also learning to welcome challenges to my assumption that it’s immutable.
8 Ways to Clap Back at Unwanted Parenting Advice
Sometimes, parenting can be a minefield for judging. For those of us going for more than “fine” for our kids, here are eight ways to deflect unwanted advice.
This is a submission in our monthly contest. October’s theme is Determination. We decided to get pregnant. As younger adults, my husband and I had thought about this for a three-year period. What w...
No, Your Kids Aren't Sociopaths, It's Just Hanlon's Razor
We can’t assume the world’s out to get us, even when it feels like it is, and in parenting, it often does.
It was the first time he’d ever had dirt on his nose. I know this is not a big deal, or shouldn’t be. But my kid is not most kids.