An Open Letter to Our New Neighbors
Most people get welcomed to the neighborhood with a delicious casserole or tray of baked goods, but my kids would eat it before I could even get it to you.
By all accounts, I'm very lucky. My nine-year-old son, Jack, is a great kid.
Does Screaming the F-word in Wegmans Make Me a Bad Parent?
I blame my wife for what happened. She makes going out and getting things done with our children seem easy.
When I hear the term “wild” I am automatically transported to the scene in Maurice Sendak’s book "Where the Wild Things Are" in which Max is sent to his room for behaving, well, wild.
Playing the Chess Game of Shorts in Winter
This morning, he emerged from his bedroom wearing a red bandana, a pair of soccer shorts, and a short-sleeved T-shirt that read THIS KID RULES.
What Debra Winger Taught Me About Motherhood
"Terms of Endearment" stayed with me as I grew up. It was one of the few movies I ever saw that portrayed the mother daughter bond as I knew it.
The Wildly Overblown Children's Birthday Party: Can We Be Done?
You know what’s wild? Kids' birthday parties in the new millennium. Their Pinterest perfection, their thematic orchestration.
Ten Things You Can Do Right Now to Make Next Holiday Season That Much Easier
The holidays can be totally exhausting and overwhelming. Take advantage of the tailwind and make next year a little easier.
Why a Consistent Approach to Your Parenting is Important
Being consistent is time-consuming and requires thought and patience but will make your relationship stronger as your child gets older.
For Parents of Babies Who Think They'll Always be Angels
Here is a list of Toddler Truths that you should come to grips with.
This is a submission in our monthly contest. January’s theme is "Wild." Teen angst: a great phrase that uses onomatopoeia. As much as I like how it sounds, I hate the reality. With all those raging...
Guided by the Force, Some Traditions Are Destiny
What Star Wars has become to so many generations of fans is due to the enduring nature of its story.
A magical cradle, a feud between food groups, and a boy with a pet dinosaur – just a small sampling of the stories my daughter had conjured up while staring dreamily into space. It began when I met...
“Don’t Lick the Cat!” and Other Things I Never Thought I’d Have to Say
That was just the beginning of the downward spiral of strange pieces of advice I would be giving my son over the next two years.
How to Have Constructive Conversations With Kids About Mental Health
Not only do we avoid discussing mental health with our kids, but many are ashamed to share these struggles with other adults.
My Daughter's Fears Make Me Feel Helpless Because I Can't "Fix" Them for Her
This is a submission in our monthly contest. December’s theme is Growth. It's over 90 degrees out, the kind of heat that warps your skin. I splash my face and feel a moment of cool, but my daughter...
You've Seen Me at the Park. Let Me Tell You What Kind of Mother I Am
I want to tell this woman I do care, that my aloof exterior belies an infinite reservoir of caring. I want to tell her she has no idea what kind of mother I am.
Confessions of an Off-Duty Mom
Spending time with my family is the greatest joy in my life, but it also feels like the greatest burden for an introvert like me.
Dating Your Wife With Kids Under Five
It can be difficult to make time for yourself and for each other when you have children, but it’s also a great time to grow together in a new way.
I know I will always be a mom, but a new era is opening up now.
Using Your Kid as an Effective Mediator and Email Service
The trick is learning how to maximize your child’s potential as a mediator, facilitator, spreader of a wide range of truths, and email service.
New Parents, Your Life Is over – Embrace It
While I don’t feel remarkably different as a person, my life is astronomically different than it used to be.
This is a submission in our monthly contest. December’s theme is Growth. Change can be hard, especially for parents. A former neighbor (and at the time soon to be mother of five) once explained the...
As we slowly inched closer and closer to the drive-through speaker box, a drip of nervous perspiration rolled down my forehead. “Do you know what you want?” I asked my wife. “I can’t see the menu,”...