Homework vs. Activities?
The minute the kids step off the bus, do you usher them into your minivan at light-year speed? Is that same van stocked with more pretzels and Gatorade than a 7-Eleven? After soccer practice, you jet over to cello lessons.…
The Gun Question
A few of my friends have said they won’t allow their children to play with toy guns of any kind. My 5-year-old son likes to play with guns, and it results in creative and imaginative play for him and his…
Nanny Mussolini
All right, c’mon, now, hurry up, kids! We need to get cracking – beds made, wastebaskets emptied, fresh towels on the racks. And would someone please find a clean washcloth and set it on the edge of the tub? Your…
Kids’ Issues and the Capitol
You might not think forty-six days would provide enough time to make significant changes in Virginia’s laws that affect children, but think again. The state’s 140 legislators plowed through more than 3,000 bills and made changes to the state’s budget…
Renaissance Sleepover
Dad, I want to go to Diamonds Direct.” “Why?” “Because I need a crystal to make a lightsaber.” The engine of any Jedi’s sword is a special gemstone that bottles The Force and turns it into a beam of lethal…
About Health Insurance for Kids
Are your children among the roughly 600,000 in Virginia who have health insurance through FAMIS or FAMIS Plus?* These are Virginia’s names for the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid, respectively. Or are you among the thousands of…
Homework Help and Bullied Kids
How do I help my kids with homework? They are eight and eleven, and at the same elementary school. They truly don’t have that much homework, but it’s a constant struggle at our house. This is such a good…
Is It Time for Music Lessons?
After dinner, it’s music time in my house. Sometimes we move the furniture and dance crazily, sometimes the hand drums get played, sometimes we sing together, and sometimes we play the piano. And sometimes, let’s be real, we forget. As…
Mom and Dad’s House
As our parents age and begin to worry about losing their homes due to possible future nursing home expenses, they frequently think about deeding their homes to their adult children, feeling that this protects them. However, there are other and…
8 Parenting Tips – Busted!
I used to be a parenting expert. Then I had children. Back when I knew everything, I swore that my children would never touch anything containing Yellow No. 5 or high-fructose corn syrup. They would never slurp their fruit directly…
