Conversations

No, You're Not Raising a Serial Killer

When our kids act out, we take it as an opportunity to mold them into the good people they will become.

Nurture Until They Shine on Their Own

It’s their life, not mine. I guess I can’t hold too tightly to something that’s not mine to begin with.

Have I Ever Been Fun? A Diary of Morning Sickness

Dear reader, I offer you, these short yet desperate notes taken in the midst of my most nauseous times. May my discontent ease your own.

8 Middle-Grade Mystery Series for Your Kid Detective

Here are eight excellent modern mystery series that will appeal to your burgeoning detective.

Keeping Her Father Present in His Absence

Her dad is off somewhere else, living his own life, in pursuit of (we hope) a better financial future for our family.

Connect Instead of Correct and Other Ways to Change Your Parent Perspective

Changing the way you view parenting will create a stronger and more positive relationship between you and your children.

There Is a Song Inside of You Yet

What you feel right now is real. It is not your fault. This is not where it ends.

Your Kids’ Friends Probably Influence Them More Than You Do

Threat of rejection – or peer pressure, as it’s normally called – is why our kids’ friends hold such incredible influence over them.

Always Have a Friend Who Saves You From Yourself

You’re more than a mother, with interests, opinions and guilty pleasures to discuss. She's not going to let you forget that.

The Art of Taking Things Literally is an Art of Childhood

Childhood is littered with literal misinterpretations.

You Don't Always Have to Diffuse Your Kid's Anger

Sometimes the best thing we can do is step down off our platform of being the “boss” and allow our kids to express themselves and have a voice.

It's Not Always the Score of the Game That Makes it a Winner

He might actually remember this experience, which turned an otherwise forgettable game into a lesson that he’ll carry with him for the rest of his life.

May the Fourth Be with You: 7 Ways to Celebrate Star Wars Day

If you share a love for Yoda, or have ever taken a Buzzfeed quiz on whether you’d join the dark side, it’s time to join “forces” on May fourth.

5 Signs We’re Tired of Talking Politics

We’re talking an “off” day from the rigorous mental routine we’ve subjected ourselves to for the last long while.

The Only Thing to Fear Is Fear Itself, and Perineum Tears

This was really going to happen again. I was going to have to deliver another baby. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it all went away.

The Five Stages of Grief When Your Child Calls the Babysitter Mom

The gratitude for a fabulous caregiver runs deep. Until your kid calls them mom.

Should I Pay Someone to Do That? The Best and Worst Chores to Hire Out

What if we viewed paying for household services not as spending but as contract negotiation? Here's how to determine when to call on the experts.

When Life in Bali Is Less Paradise, More Life as Usual

Much to my surprise, the person I had been in California followed me to Bali.

Keep Your Dot: How to Make Your Stay-at-Home Partner Feel Supported

It isn't about competing for who has the harder job. It's about acknowledging that everyone needs their turn in the center.

9 Things My 9-Year-Old Wants You to Know About Kids

Every so often, my son steps out of his first-person-singular mindset and speaks for the kids. These nuggets felt like advice to be heeded.

Watching My Parenting Come Full Circle

Eventually, with luck, It’s all there. Everything we’ve worked so hard for to form the unbreakable parent/child bond.

Bullying Is On The Decline: New Study Shows How Parents Can Keep It That Way

Although it now receives more attention than it did previously, bullying, overall, is actually on the decline in the United States.

Financial Tough Love Taught My Daughter Responsibility

Being able to support herself was the key to her future – a future I saw as bright and full of promise. So I cut her off financially.