Relationships
Sharing the Work of Parenting: What I Learned By Giving My Partner Some Room
What I learned when I stopped hovering and started giving my partner some room to be the parent they always were.
Relationships
Saying Goodbye To Tucker
Saying goodbye to a family pet is always difficult but we share one family’s story about difficult decisions and their focus on treating their pet humanely.
Parenting
Nerves, Fears, Tears: a High School Orientation Story
“I feel like I don’t belong here.” She said. Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. How could I just get up and leave her in a place where she felt so alone?
Relationships
Hashtag: ChooseKind. (Showing Kids How to Make an Apology and Accept One)
I overreacted in a stressful situation and took it out on teenage camp counselors. What happened next is where the life lessons came in… for my family.
Travel
Family Trip Advice: Pack Away Your Expectations
When heading out for your family trip this summer, be sure to pack your swimsuit, your books, and your expectations. That’ll make it a good trip for everyone.
Big Kid
Help! Teenage Dating Drama
A mom asks how she can help her teen son in the wake of a bungle and subsequent blow-up with his girlfriend.
Money & Work
Use Back-to-School Budgets to Teach Kids Money Management
We list some ways that parents can use back-to-school shopping as a lesson in money management by putting the kids in charge of their own budgets!
Pregnancy
How Something Good Can Come From Firing a Babysitter
It can be a bummer to let a babysitter go (and have to find a new one!) but sometimes it can be an important life lesson for your children.
Your Life
Undeniable Middle Age: What’s Important, What’s Not
Turning 45 forced me to accept that ominous “middle age” label, and to think about what matters to me now (and what has changed over time).
Big Kid
When “I’m an Adult!” is Still a Kid in Your House
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.
Big Kid
Feeling Blue in a Red State: Teens, Politics, and the Party Line
A reader asks how to handle a teen who buys into majority politics in what she sees as extreme state, but really, the issue is teaching both critical thinking and tolerance.
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
My Kid Turned 18 And All I Got Was Grateful (and Some Ink)
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.
Big Kid
Tell Me a Tale: Everyday Storytelling and Story-Changing
I tell stories for a living, but we all tell stories to ourselves and others all day long. How can we learn to make them ones that work for us?
Big Kid
“Thank you” is Not Enough: When a Teacher is So Much More
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.
Food & Home
Homemade Tomato Sauce (Recipes Kids Should Know How to Cook Before Leaving Home)
Homemade tomato sauce is a great recipe to teach your kids before they leave home – here’s how!
Big Kid
Teens, Politics, Kindness: Being Compassionate, Even When It’s Hard
There’s nothing quite like a contentious election cycle to make you realize your kids are hearing and watching everything.
Big Kid
How to Immunize Your Kids From the Insanity of Election Year
How are we, as parents, supposed to keep our kids believing they should do the right thing when they see how rewarded the bad things are?
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.
Big Kid
Laundry Cheat Sheet for Your College-Bound Graduate
Do you know a graduate that will need this when s/he leaves for college soon? Just download a copy of my Laundry Cheat Sheet and print to share with him or her.