Big Kid
Difficult Parenting Situations Turned… Cooperative?
Can a “cooperative kid” be made of a troubled teen? With a lot of parental changes (and tongue-biting), signs point to yes.
Baby
Alpha Mom Book Club: Minimalist Parenting
I like to do less and wouldn’t we all like to enjoy our lives more? But what exactly do the authors mean by minimalist parenting, was a question that I wondered. Do they advocate living like Tibetan monks? Eschewing possessions and leaving our children to play with sticks? Does it mean letting your kids run wild with minimal parental interference? Is it hands off parenting?
Turns out it was none of those things.
Young Child
Alpha Mom Parenting Book Club: Kids Are Worth It! Giving Your Child the Gift of Inner Discipline
The way to get your kids to behave is to give them the gift of self discipline. But exactly how do you do that? That is what author Barbara Coloroso outlines in her book, Kids Are Worth It!
Baby
Alpha Mom Parenting Book Club: Far From the Tree
You know the old adage, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree? Well, sometimes it does. Andrew Solomon explores in his new book what happens in families when the apple doesn’t just fall from the tree, it rolls far, far away.
Big Kid
On The Eve of My Oldest Son Turning 18
The years will fly by. I know right now you can’t believe that. But I am telling you as I sit on the other side of parenting, eighteen years in, they will.
Young Child
Alpha Mom Parenting Book Club: The Five Love Languages Of Children
When I read “The Five Love Languages of Children” years ago it truly revolutionized the way I parented my children. I remember there were several moments while reading when a light bulb would go off and I wanted to smack myself on the forehead for missing what seemed, in retrospect, so obvious. Rereading the book this time I was struck by how much I had forgotten.
Toddler
23 Exceedingly Helpful Tips For Maintaining Your Sanity While Living With Children
“Do not paint any walls in your house with flat paint” is just one of our many helpful tips for staying sane while raising children.
Young Child
Back-to-School Resolutions
Back to school seems more than a fitting time of the year to make some resolutions. A time to reinvent our routines and make them work for us.
Big Kid
It Is None of My Business What Other Teenagers Do, Or Is It?
Do you tell parents if you know their kid is involved in destructive behavior? I happen to think it takes a village, even if it makes me uncomfortable at times.
Young Child
Make Morning and Bedtime Routines Easier with a Chart (Free Printable)
Mornings and bedtimes with the kids easier when they use a chart so I can give fewer reminders.
Big Kid
I Let My Young Teens “Date”
There are valuable lessons to be learned in all of our relationships, romantic and otherwise. And like so many other things that I was so sure about, I changed my mind. Here are the reasons I let my children “date.”
Toddler
A Family Tradition for Thunderstorms
I could spend the next hour reassuring my kids not to be scared or….
Baby
Don’t Quit Before Your Parenting Shift is Over
It’s easy to get frustrated by the long days of parenting and want to essentially quit before your shift is over. Don’t. It’s not fair to anyone. Including you.
Resources
The Time I Gave Really Bad Parenting Advice
I gave terrible parenting advice to my coworker one time. Oh, and did I mention this was years ago, long before I had any children of my own?
Baby
Advice for New Parents: What to Keep, What to Do
Beyond sleeping and diapers, here’s my advice.
Big Kid
My Tips For A Successful School Year
Back to school is here! We have some tips to help you start the school year off right and keep things running smoothly throughout the year.
Big Kid
Your Teen Has a Friend You Don’t Like, 11 Things You Can Do About It
It’s bound to happen. Your kid is going to make a friend that you don’t like. What do you do? How do you know whether to step in or stand back?
Big Kid
Advice for a Lifetime
I have been thinking about the sort of things I want my six kids to know before they head off into the world, to college, and beyond.
Big Kid
Youth Sports, They’ll Make you Crazy If You Let Them
Sharing a few short lessons that I have learned from my children playing youth sports. I hope you will take them to heart before you sign your kid up to play.
Family Fun
Ten Parenting Resolutions for All of Us
I don’t think perfection in parenting exists, but every day I try, not to reach perfection, but to do the best I can and to learn to appreciate the imperfect.