The Science of Giving and How It Can Help Your Kids
Want to really make your kids happy? Teach them the importance of giving to others. Even science suggests giving enhances our children’s lives.
How to Tell If Your Child Is Addicted to Video Games – and How to Help
If you’ve determined that your child likely has a video game addiction, there are a number of ways you can help.
Killer Laundry Pods and the Problem of Newsworthy Numbers
The current available data about laundry pod poisonings paints a much different picture than the stories we see reported every few months.
Making It Count, Not Counting Down
The most precious commodity we're given is time. Wishing ordinary moments, days, and months away waiting for the "special" ones misses the point.
11 All-Natural Weapons You Need in Your Immunity Arsenal
It's hard to stay healthy with germ laden kids in your house. But there are simple, chemical-free strategies you can employ to keep the bugs at bay.
Marriage is Hard, Sex Makes It Easier
Despite all the requisite challenges of being married with children and jobs and mortgages and debilitating health issues (etc.), we need sex.
The Value of Late-Night Solitude: A Former Insomniac's Lament
My insomnia is cured. I take my medication, turn off the lights, and fall straight to sleep. Waking up rested, having energy all day, productivity, and better moods – I am not ungrateful for these...
We’d All Be Healthier If We Acted More Like Babies
When it comes to living a healthier lifestyle, we could all take a page out of a baby’s playbook.
White Mother, Brown Son: Seeking Justice in a Racist Nation
Becoming the mother of a sweet boy, with skin much darker than mine, opened my eyes to the fact that fighting for racial justice is the responsibility of all.
Dear Corporate America: SAHMs Are a Great Untapped Resource
Corporate policies and expectations that put a company first, above all, often push mothers out of the workforce. It doesn't have to be that way.
Debate Club: Are Professional Photos Worth the Fuss (and Expense)?
We Don’t Do Professional Photos by Laura Richards It started when my husband and I got engaged. Back in 1998, everyone did a couple’s photo for their local newspaper engagement announcement page. ...
Are You Good at Accepting a Compliment?
For women in particular, it's difficult to recognize that accepting a compliment is all about being confident and gracious, not cocky or arrogant.
By focusing on the stress of modern parenting, we fail to notice a whole lot of joy that we could otherwise be experiencing. Enter mindfulness and mediation.
You're not depressed, but you're not happy, either. Some days motherhood has a way of bringing you down. Thankfully, kindness can pull you back up again.
The Myth of the Poisonous Poinsettia
Despite the myth being debunked, poinsettias have continued to be incorrectly identified as poisons.
5 Simple, Science-Backed Ways to Treat Mom Brain
The likelihood of ever thinking clearly again after having kids is pretty low. You're going to need to give your brain all the help it can get.
Why Corporal Punishment Doesn’t Work, According to Science
I was stunned last week when I read an NPR article reporting that about half of American states—mostly in the South—still allow corporal punishment in schools, including the state where I am raisin...
The Pain of Miscarriage and the Crisis of Faith That Follows
It's hard to believe there is a plan for your life when the path you so desperately want is just out of reach. And finding a new path after miscarriage feels impossible.
Are There Benefits to Bullying?
The bully/victim narrative and the typical separate and punish way of dealing with bullying doesn't take advantage of the lessons each kid could learn.
What It Means to Say Yes to Adventure, and Motherhood
My biggest fear in becoming a mother was that I'd lose my identity and sense of adventure. So I'm saying yes to the things that make me feel like me.
An Imperfect Love: Reflections on 49 Years of Marriage
Learning from the legacy of my parent's marriage, and growing because of it, I can both honor and further fortify their love- and perhaps make one of my own.
How to Discuss Climate Change With Your Kids
The realities of climate change can be overwhelming for kids. But there are ways to educate our kids without stressing them out.
Our Kids Need to Know That Love Is Stronger Than Hate
I woke up at 4 a.m. on the morning of the U.S. election. I was in my four-year-old’s bed (he’d woken up during the night) and checked my phone to see the latest news. It was almost exactly the same...
7 Science-Backed Ways to Be a Better, Happier Parent
These simple skills can be adapted into daily life and make it easier to raise happier, healthier, and more cooperative kids.