What I Gained by Giving up Weeknight Drinking
What does it matter that my nightly glass of wine was turning into two or three, or two light beers were becoming five? It matters quite a bit, actually.
New Research Says Gamers Learn Better Than Non-Gamers
Your kids may be right: playing video games may not be a waste of time but may help learning and memory function.
14 Ways "Black-Ish" Normalized Postpartum Depression
A recent episode of the ABC sitcom "Black-ish" focused on postpartum depression and mental health. This is incredible progress.
How to Know You’ve Turned Into a Country Bumpkin
When you first move to the country, after living in the city your whole life, you stick out like a perfectly manicured thumb.
On Halloween, by a Candy-Loving, Dentist's Daughter
I’ll admit, as a dentist’s daughter and a lover of candy, I’m a little Jekyll and Hyde over the matter.
Kids Eating Food With Spices? Yes, It's Possible!
My nine-year old daughter Sabrina thinks McDonalds is gross. She won’t eat boxed cookies but likes snickerdoodles dusted with Vietnamese cinnamon. She doesn't like regular old mashed potatoes but d...
Winning the Battle, and the War
I never pictured that love would entail holding her body immobile so we could help her by hurting her. It was an act of faith and determination to endure.
Play This Spooktacular Orchestral Soundtrack for Your Kids This Halloween
There’s a wide selection of symphonic music that is beautiful and powerful as well as spooky for Halloween.
A Mother's Proclamation About How This Day is Going to Go
Today, we will get out of the house. This will be no easy feat, but we will get out of the house.
Putting the Train Together Again
Perhaps the hardest thing about being a divorced parent are the moments you feel real, powerful grief when your child is with you and you can't show it.
When School Is No Longer a Reliable Babysitter
This is a submission in our monthly contest. October’s theme is Determination. After a fraught winter of flirting with freelance writing (chagrin implied), I'd made some gains. They were almost ne...
After years of sleeping just fine in her own room, she stopped. At first we thought she must have had a bad dream the night before. But it kept going.
I Coach Five-Year-Olds and We Keep Score
The score does matter. It always has and it always will. Learning how to lose is important, and so is learning how to win.
How Parenthood Changed My View of Scary Movies
When people say that “everything in your life will change” once you have a child, I thought I knew what that meant. I wasn’t expecting this.
The Parenting Hack That Keeps My Kid in His Room at Bedtime
At the risk of sounding dramatic, bedtime has always been the bane of my existence- until I discovered this.
Kid Made Recipe: Butternut Fettuccine
This creamy, delicious (and vegetarian!) pasta dish will warm up any weeknight, and it’s ready to go in 45 minutes or less.
You know the days. The ones where you can’t catch a breath, or a second to stop and think. And still something, somehow piles on.
This newfound frustration with being able to swallow undesirable foods seemed more than I could fight after such a long toddler day.
This Holiday Season, I’m Breaking Tradition
I never want to confine my family to tradition. I want my children to experience it, of course, but I also want to mix it up.
If Determination Could Grow Gills
This is a submission in our monthly contest. October’s theme is Determination. For the fourth time my five-year-old came up sputtering and coughing. The other people in our community pool were star...
Recent Study Says These 3 Things Can Raise Kids' IQ
Many factors affect kid’s IQ, including their genetics and environment. But a 2017 analysis identified a number of things that can help raise it.
Ten Proverbs That Unintentionally Taught Me to Be a Better Parent
I doubt some of the parenting advice I gleaned from these proverbs was exactly what the original authors intended, but it was helpful nonetheless.
Teaching My Son About Sex in the Age of Harvey Weinstein
I ended the conversation by asking for his trust – that I be the person he turns to if he has any questions or concerns about sex, now or in the future.
The Most Important Grade on the Kindergarten Report Card
I was so proud of all of the check marks indicating that he met expectations. But one mark caught my eye.