February 2011

You’re in the stands, watching the child kick at the dirt and stare into space. He’s not very interested in the game going on around him. He spends more time on the bench or sidelines than on the playing field, and might even be happier there. Hey, maybe he’s your…

Preschoolers are world-famous for frequent and urgent bathroom trips. So in 2003, Bridget Gutzmer was only mildly concerned when her daughter Logan, then three years old, was making several bathroom trips each night. When a visit to the doctor ruled out a urinary tract infection, there didn’t seem to be…

Alex Slusher knew her son Stuart was struggling with something back in 2009, when he was a junior in high school but she never imagined those inner conflicts would lead to suicide. Stuart took his life on May 10, 2009, Mother’s Day. “I knew he was having a tough time,”…

  Every once in a while, we’ll find a local Richmonder we’d all like to know a bit more about. Same questions each time, from the Prying Publisher, and the answers are just for you. This month, we talked to Shaka Smart, VCU men’s basketball head coach. At 33, Shaka…

It is the day after a beautiful snowfall. The skies are clearing. The wind in the high pines unspools snow like tulle. I am supervising the outfitting of my two sons as they prepare to hit the sledding hill. “Have you got your under-layers on?” I ask Sam, the 9-year-old.…

My husband once accused me of lying in bed and dreaming up ways to injure our children. “How about a zip line?” I suggested to Scott one morning over coffee. That very afternoon our medium-sized daughter bounded off the bus and recounted the tale of how one of her dear…

What a difference a generation makes in the expectations and realities of grand-parenting. When my brother and I were growing up on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, our maternal grandparents took care of us often because we lived on farms only eight miles apart. The arrangement was a convenience for our parents…

Whether it’s brown and leathery, black and shiny, or white and dimpled, by the time we reach adulthood, most of us have formed some kind of relationship with a ball – and the game it’s used in. At The First Tee of Richmond & Chesterfield, the mission is clear: impact…

Q: My 3-year-old is the exact opposite of his older sister. I thought I had a system for discipline based on reinforcing positive behaviors, but nothing is working. Can you recommend some discipline techniques? A: Our children often have different temperaments and personalities, so we have to tweak our approaches.…

New guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have brought attention to a tiny nuisance we all dread – head lice. Nothing can make a rational adult crazier than the mere mention of these pests. Just the thought makes your scalp crawl. Thus, AAP recommendations that schools abandon…

1. Roasted Winter Vegetable Quesadillas Peel and cube 2 sweet potatoes. Coarsely chop 2 red bell peppers and 1 yellow onion. Place veggies on rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 tsp cumin and ½ tsp chili powder and season with kosher salt. Roast…

Hundreds of years ago, the Native Americans of the Plains recorded their memories and told stories by painting scenes on the hides of the buffalo – the animal on which they depended. Use this creative technique to chronicle your own tales.   What you need: • Butcher paper or brown…