Big Kid
Managing your Child’s ‘Lizard Brain’
Our children have “lizard brains”? Actually we all do. Learn what that means and how to try to handle some common disruptive behaviors in children.
Big Kid
13 Reasons Why: The Book, the Series, the Issues
Unsure about whether 13 Reasons Why on Netflix is okay for your teen? My teen and an educator help me break it down for parents who have concerns.
Parenting
Slurs and Hate Speech: The Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
35 years after I first felt the pain of an ableist insult, “-tard” has suddenly become a politically fashionable suffix. It’s not casual or funny. It’s hate speech.
Young Child
When Boys Wear “Girl Clothes,” is Backlash Inevitable?
A reader fears she screwed up by letting her son wear non-gender-conforming clothing outside the house. I thinks he needs to cut herself some slack.
Big Kid
Help, My Best Friend’s Kid is Being Mean to My Kid!
A reader asks for help with a tricky situation: a best friend’s child with developmental issues is bullying her own child.
Big Kid
The Good, the Bad, and the Dorm
I’ve been focusing so much energy on getting ready to let go of my college freshman, I forgot I was going to have to do a trial run with her brother, first.
Big Kid
When Other Kids Suck the Joy Out of Beloved Activities
A reader asks how to help a teen stick out a difficult activity when the other kids are making things unpleasant.
Big Kid
Bullying. When Should A Parent Intervene?
When a kid is getting bullied, there are times when parents and educators need to get involved. Because children often need to be taught kindness.
Big Kid
Surprise: Both My Kids Start College in the Fall
My youngest is about to embark on a new adventure: college (as a dual-enrolled high schooler)! It’s weird and wonderful and scary and awesome.
Big Kid
Should You Allow Your Tween or Teen to Use Snapchat?
Should you let your kids get Snapchat? This popular app is creative, real and fun but also comes with some big drawbacks.
Parenting
New Neighborhood Pariahs
A family moved into a fantastic neighborhood with a built-in playgroup for their kids. But the entire family (including the kids) are social outcasts after the father more than crossed the line with his angry outburst. Can the relationships be saved?
Big Kid
5 Unexpected Life Lessons For My Teens
I should be an old hand at parenting by now, but there’s no shortage of surprises in it for me, even now. I handle it as best I can and hope the kids are okay.
Toddler
Little Boys in Pink Shoes
A mom wants advice on whether she should let her toddler son wear the pink shoes he wants to don because she is scared he will be picked on by other kids?
Toddler
Your Friendly Neighborhood Playgroup Bully
What do you do when your toddler son is now afraid of his constantly aggressive playmate?
Young Child
Won’t You Be My (ASD) Neighbor?
A mother wants to explain Asperger’s in positive way to her children now that they have a new friend who is on the spectrum.
Parenting
Alpha Mom Must List: Read “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio
Wonder, the novel about a boy with severe craniofacial deformities who starts middle school, by R.J. Palacio is a must-read for children and their parents.
Big Kid
Being a Teen Today
Teenagers today are dealing with incredible pressures but in some ways they are still very much the same.
Toddler
Daycare Bullies
I love my daycare provider…but not her kid. What to do when there’s a bully in the playgroup. We have some advice.
Young Child
Playdating With the Enemy
My friend’s kid is mean to my child, but my friend has no idea. Now what?
Big Kid
Bullying is a Crime, Not a Rite of Passage
Children have a right to go to school and not be bullied. They have the right to walk the hallways without being subjected to taunts. Their voices need to be heard and taken seriously.