March 2011

Her favorite day of the year is April 13. It’s not her birthday. It’s not the first day of spring. It’s the day Allison Gillman saw her cousin in a live production of Little Shop of Horrors in Baltimore. That day changed her life. “It was awesome. I thought, ‘This…

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 by September 30. While Devitt’s son, whose birthday is in…

For the first few minutes he was onstage, he seemed to have a hard time finding his groove. The audience from Open High School was restive. Richmond's celebrity storyteller stuttered over a few lines. From the back, one student even heckled a little. Difficult as it might be to believe,…

It seemed like a good idea at the time. And how hard could it be, anyway? A sandwich, some cookies, a nice, ripe piece of fruit. A whimsical mix of the bedrock food groups, all prepared by my loving hand each morning. Plus, in the delicate balance of parental household…

When our kids get to a certain age and they seem relatively well-adjusted and we like them, and they like us back, we might look at some of the things we have done along the way and declare that these things we did, somehow worked. It’s a little like reviewing…

Spring is in the air, and not a moment too soon for this warm weather lover! The boys and I pretty much hibernate from the first frost ‘til the first blooms of spring, so we’re anxious to get back out and enjoy all of the big events we have coming…

If you have a toddler or preschooler, chances are good you’ve been in on a play date recently. As a work-from-home mom, I look forward to play dates in which my son and I can both participate. They provide a great opportunity for him to play and socialize with other…

Q: Lately, my 5-year-old has decided it’s funny to run away from me in public places. To him it’s a game. I am not only frustrated and angry, I’m also worried about his safety. How can I help him understand the seriousness of his behavior? A: This is a perfect…

Life just seems to get busier and busier for our kids. The schoolwork, music lessons, and activities get harder and harder to fit into the day, so the bedtime slips later and later into the night. There is an epidemic among children that’s going largely unrecognized: sleep deprivation. The symptoms…

Teen drinking. Not a pleasant thought, especially if you are the parent of a high school student. Your mind jumps to all sorts of possible outcomes: alcohol poisoning, a police arrest, mangled cars, ambulance lights flashing... And the numbers support your parental worries. According to research conducted in 2005 by…

Don't fear the fruit! Avocados provide nearly twenty essential vitamins and nutrients, including potassium and fiber. Plus, anyone who’s ever been to Moe’s knows: Guacamole is just plain fun to say! What you need: • 2 large avocados, halved • ¼ cup tomatoes, diced • 1 tsp lime juice •…

Tammie Lett-Chalmers, a parent of four, says she was surprised when the director of St. Andrew’s School asked to visit with her family in their Richmond home. But as the head of school at the tuition-free private school in Oregon Hill, Cyndy Weldon-Lassiter, Ed.D., recognizes the crucial role the family…