Take a Hike!
We were awakened that morning by shuffling sounds outside our tent. Nearby noises are common in a campground so we weren’t concerned, but this time we decided to poke our heads out to investigate. Close to the tent, munching on…
Health Check
When Cheryl Ratcliff’s son Tim was seven years old, he was convinced his Superman cape would allow him to fly and leapt off the roof of a building. He also had periods two to three days when he would go…
Stir It Up!
Sally Schmidt knows six words guaranteed to get first-graders to eat asparagus. “It makes your pee smell funny.” The first-graders in question, students in Thomas DeVaughn’s class at Linwood Holton Elementary School, are not particularly inspired by the subject of…
Fostering Hope
Enthusiastic? Yes. Optimistic? Definitely. But naïve, they weren’t. Even after Robert and Page Bethke completed the six-week intensive course they jokingly referred to as “the scared straight for adoptive parents,” the couple was still convinced they wanted to adopt. The…
Disney Done Right
Believe it or not, there’s even more to Disney World than the fantastic fun at theme parks. Our series wrap-up includes resort options and accommodations during your stay. Any parent or grandparent who has tried to please children of different…
Assateague Island Family Adventure
Legend has it that a Spanish galleon went down near Assateague Island over three centuries ago, leaving its horses to swim to Virginia’s shore. While maps of the mid-Atlantic coastline show a remarkable number of shipwrecks, there are no records…
Magic Time!
You can’t effectively plan your Walt Disney World Resort vacation without charting out the parks and the attractions you want to visit. That’s a lesson Richard Conti, director and chief wonder officer of the Science Museum of Virginia, learned years…
Life Lessons at Swim School
“Don’t be fooled,” laughs Kerin Morgan, owner of Richmondbased Morgan Swim School. “Kids can do so much more than you think.” It is the last lesson of the day for Morgan, whose 16-year-old school has helped thousands of kids learn…
Kindergarten Time!
How do you know if your child is ready for kindergarten? Parent Elizabeth Devitt says, “I change my mind every day.” To enter kindergarten, the school systems of Richmond and its surrounding counties require that children be five years old…
Broccoli, Carrots, or Both?
Every parent has surely dealt with the challenge of a picky eater at some point or another. I have a friend with a seven-year-old son and four-yearold twins who, desperate to get some protein into her boys, resorted to telling…
