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Parenthood

Parenting Teenagers: The Wall and the Mason

The "Be a Wall" movement stems from the fact that being a teenaged girl sucks almost as much as trying to figure out how to raise one.

Parenthood finger point at a girl who is not happy

5 Things You Need to Know Before You Can Change Your Kid's Behavior

Before we can hope to change our kid’s behavior, we need to be aware of five things that explain why children act the way they do.

Parenthood wood being shaved in class

How to Help Your Kids Find Their Place in the World

It’s not enough to pick a college major simply because that was your best subject in high school.

Learning boy siting looking into multicolored drawers

5 Ways to Get Your Kids Focusing on Giving Rather Than Getting This Season

This is a submission in our monthly contest. November’s theme is Gratitude. Halloween wasn’t even over when our mailbox was getting stuffed with holiday catalogs. Before I could blink the kids were...

Parenthood mom holing hands of one child the other in a bjorn

An Overprotective Parent Asks, "When Do You Know It's Time to Step in?"

Yep, I am one of those: I am an overprotective parent.

Parenthood family on couch laughing while watching tv

Why I Love TV Time With My Kids

Sometimes there aren’t two hours in the day for a family bike ride. But there are 30 minutes to watch a show and lazily connect with one another.

Parenthood two girls drawing on the floor

5 Rules for Foster Parents From One Who's Been There

Whether you have children of your own, you’re married, single, or you are just wanting to help out, fostering kids is a special kind of parenting.

Parenthood dear santa letter

How to Answer Big Questions About the Big Guy in Red

I have found a few easy answers that should quell your fears and keep the magic of Santa alive and well in your house for a long time.

Parenthood boy with cape in the countryside

Why We Love (and Need) Superheroes

There's no denying superheroes hare firmly rooting their place in American pop culture, and the love of them has never faded – it's only intensified.

Parenthood woman hugging a child

Sending My Firstborn to Pre-K: a Mortality Exercise

If motherhood is total ecstasy and absolute despair felt in every cell of your body, then having a pre-kindergartener has been peak both for me.

Parenthood woman with child and dog on a couch

Why I Won’t Tell My Kids “You’re Okay”

We have to do some guessing with these tiny humans who can’t yet tell us what’s wrong, but let’s not confuse this with telling them nothing is wrong.

Parenthood boy making a mess in the kitchen taking out all pots and pans

Those Three Little Words

Enjoy this time! Wait … THIS time? You mean like, right now?

Parenthood baby with eyes open wide

If You Give a Baby a Loofah

Don’t waste money on overpriced, obnoxious baby toys. What babies really want are random, inanimate objects from around the house.

Parenthood woman holding a baby on a couch

The Rainbow on Our Gratitude Tree

Last November, my little family began what I had hoped would be a new family tradition: a gratitude tree.

Why My Daughters Can Show Their Underwear If They Want To

My experience is the restrictions on girls’ lives don't arrive in the form of dramatic events, but in the accumulation of thousands of everyday interactions.

Parenthood young children wrapping presents

New Traditions Born After Spending Baby’s First Christmas in the Hospital

Something about being in kindred company at a children’s hospital on Christmas both humbled us and made us feel extremely grateful.

Parenthood small feet in big woman shoes

Finding My Shoes and Freeing Cinderella

Leafing through old albums, I am stirred by memories that evidence so many manifestations of myself: the student, musician, wife, writer, Mom.

Parenthood boy with son on a bike

In Defense of the Mapa Bear

Apparently, grizzlies are crap when it comes to the Daddy game. With a range of as much as 1,800 square miles, their biggest issue in this department appears to be absenteeism. Dad is always busy a...

Parenthood close up of woman looking down

Thank You, I'm Not Sorry

This is a submission in our monthly contest. November’s theme is Gratitude.  If you're like me, you overuse the phrase “I’m sorry.” I apologize for everything, at least I used to. I apologized for ...

Parenthood kid looking at a wooden toy

Keeping Guilt in the Family: Why Parents Shouldn’t Toss out the Guilt

What is so good about guilt, and why I am the seemingly lone parent out there that thinks we shouldn’t banish guilt?

Notes From a Slacker Lunch Packer

Sometimes I scan the classroom at lunchtime to see if any other kid has a Ziploc baggie and I feel a pathetic sense of relief when I spot one.

Inspiration Smiling little girl talking with brother at breakfast at home

The Simple Question That Brings Our Family Closer Every Single Night

Whether we find ourselves happy to be at that table, or barely able to look each other in the eye, at some point someone asks this question.

Parenthood young girl looking into the distance

How Playing Favorites Among Your Kids May Play Out

Do you ever play favorites with your kids? Maybe you spend more time with one child, are more affectionate to one over another, give additional privileges to certain children, or discipline your ch...

Parenthood girl sleeping under blanket

10 Reasons I am Grateful for My Teenagers

In honor of Thanksgiving and the season of gratitude, here are 10 reasons I am grateful to be the parent of a teenager.