While a child’s 18th birthday is a big deal no matter what, it’s especially meaningful to our family that our once-struggling kid is now, finally, thriving.
A reader asks if she should stop in when her middle schooler is being harassed, or if it’s too much. I have soap box for this one.
A reader asks how we deal with teens and the specter of poor teen decisions about drugs and alcohol and parties.
Ah, homework. It can be the bane of your existence. It may be your nightly battle. Here we tackle finding the balance between helping your children accomplish their responsibilities and fostering independence.
A step-dad turns to us looking for help on a tricky situation with his partner’s mother and how she is influencing her grandchild, and not in a good way.
I remember what a big deal my first checking account was, and can hardly believe I’m already there with my own kid. How does that little ATM card mean so much??
As the clock ticks down on my oldest’s remaining time at home before launch, the pushing and pulling between us intensifies, bittersweet.
My preschooler is very good at unlatching our strong baby gate. At what age can I let him have some independence in house during the early morning, before we are up?
Oh, the irony of parenting: It’s undeniably hard work, and yet most of us are doing entirely too much of the work. And while we might be able to swoop through a room and put toys away in 10 minutes doing that job for them is actually lazy parenting on our part. It’s their responsibility. Kids NEED chores. Here’s your starter’s guide.
Even though we’ve been incredibly lucky to have a great teacher in our lives as long as we have, saying goodbye is never easy.
A mom is wisely picking her battles with her toddler but she still wants to maintain a pleasant family mealtime arrangement. What can she do?
Having older kids should make summer less complicated, not more; at least, that’s what I used to think. Planning for the “right” kind of summer is still daunting.
Honesty is the best policy, but I routine lie to my teenagers on one very important point… and I’m going to keep doing it, too.
A lifetime of nagging my children in the name of “helping” is coming to a close, because we all need me to back off. It’s hard, but I’m working on it.
How do we switch gears from “child we provide for” to “young adult who must provide for herself” in a way that makes sense? In our case, slowly.
We have just one short year left before my oldest heads off to college. That means it’s time to start pulling back on some rules and letting her figure it out.
Teaching my teen to drive continues to be challenging, but perhaps less because of the driving itself and more because I’m still learning how to help her.
While trying to balance helping my autistic son’s potential and limitations, I don’t always get it right. The good news is, he does, in spite of me.
As my autistic son grows and matures, his awareness and coping skills grow, too. But I’m still grappling with his awareness (or lack thereof) when he’s sick.
What can be done when a young adult has been enabled by her parents and is now completely immune to failure or consequences?
