Learn About Sexting
About a year ago, a friend came over to our house with an iPad, and our daughter found a new obsession. She oohed and aahed at the African safari photos; she furrowed her brow in concentration while playing the ABC…
Separation Talk and Dining with Kids
Q: Sadly, my husband and i have decided to separate. We are struggling with how to tell our 9- and 12-year-old kids about this change. Advice? A: Separation and divorce are major stressors. We can try to ease the pain…
A Tradition for Each Month
Family traditions, whether predictable or peculiar, have the power to make memories. Kids set their watches (or their calendars) by them and wear them like badges of pride. Try neglecting a family tradition. Protests will ensue: “Where’s the birthday cake…
Overstuffed
Several years back, I caught The Story of Stuff online and vowed to make some changes. Have you seen it? It’s a twenty-minute film that basically reams out the “materials economy” of which we’re all a living, breathing, hyper-consuming part.…
All Hail Halloween Dad
So here I am again, standing at the end of the walk with the flashlight in my hand. Up at the front door, past the jack o’ lanterns on the stoop, the monsters, superheroes, and fairy princesses crowd around the…
Insurance Questions?
On the third night after Hurricane Irene, I went to bed feeling a little bit dramatic. We still had no power, and the neighbor with the really, really loud generator prevented sound sleep. Our 3-year-old had reverted to waking two…
Attention Deficit and Thumb Sucking
Q: We have gotten a lot of input through the years about our 11-year-old son’s behavior from his teachers and this year’s teacher has commented as well. We’ve heard everything: focus issues, high-energy, etc. I want to know if he…
8 Ways to Keep it Healthy
Sugar is a double-edged sword of childhood. It brings so much pleasure to our little ones. Their sweet, angelic faces light up at the prospect of an ice cream cone or cupcake, and then the devil inside them emerges as…
Lesson Number One
“You can do one all by yourself, Mommy.” It was our first trip to All Fired Up, the paint-your-own ceramic shop in Carytown. Mistake number one was assuming I could get away with purchasing a single item to paint that…
Dad Checks Out
Once upon a time, back-to-school was strictly interpreted to refer to school-aged children. When children went back to school, parents went straight to happy hour. But, in yet another sign that our country is declining into a sad twilight of…
