May 2012

My mother tried desperately - for my own good - to force me into a teaching career that the very thought of gave me migraines. That experience compelled me to say to my own two sons: Whatever you want, I'll help you get there. You choose the path. In college,…

You may be teaching your kids to stay on the straight and narrow, but you'll be surprised how much fun you'll have traveling together, down the Crooked Road… The musical heritage trail highlights Southwest Virginia's entertaining mountain culture, with old-time, bluegrass, and traditional country music. The trail's exhibits provide background…

We live in a world where our kids get programmed to worry more about what they look like than about character and academic success. According to national statistics, 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat; 42 percent of first- and third-grade girls want to be thinner; and over…

Happy Mother's Day! As my gift to you this year, Dena, I am using this valuable DadZone real estate to publish an open letter of appreciation for the wonderful wife and mother that you are. Don't worry. I'm not going to embarrass you. At least not too much. At least…

Okay, we only get a day, but May has always reminded me of Mother's Day the whole month long, even before I was a mom myself. We've all seen that greeting card before… the one especially meant for your sibling that says, Don't worry, you're not getting older, just more…

Today I am a non-smoker. I will think like a non-smoker, act like a non-smoker, and breathe like a non-smoker. I will chase thoughts of smoking out of my head. I am smart, creative, and hard-working. I am stronger than a habit. I will not let cigarettes kill me. My…

I truly love talking about food. Which foods I like and don't like, why we need different foods to stay healthy, comparing notes with my friends on which new foods we have tried. The list is endless. I mean, we have to have food to live, right? Perhaps it was…

As my children get older, I find it more and more important for us to eat at least one meal a day, together as a family. For most families, that meal is a weekday dinner. I am happy to help spread the word that a great family dinner does not…

Rion Landrum was a teenager, just 19 years old, when his hip started giving him trouble. He was a young man serving in the Navy, playing a seemingly harmless game of football with friends. For the next ten years he would be plagued by pain. Many different doctors diagnosed Rion…

Q: My son, 12, seems to have a lot of anxiety. He’s always worried and has days when he doesn’t want to leave the house. He also worries at night and it interferes with sleep. Any thoughts? A: We are seeing more and more anxiety in kids today and at…

Google top ten reasons for divorce, and every time you'll find issues related to finance. Go deeper and you'll discover that most marital conflicts stem not from lack of money itself, but typically from lack of communication about financial concerns. The primary bread-winner may see business entertainment as necessary for…

About halfway through my freshman year of high school, I took on a babysitting job that was way over my head. A friendly mom asked if I would watch her 15-month-old for a few hours so she and her husband could go out to dinner. Seemed simple enough. Heck, I…

Artist Georgia O’Keeffe immersed herself in nature to create White Iris, just one of her works in a series of big fl ower paintings. Be inspired by the joys and colors of the season! Create spring’s perfect present, the fl ower, for your mom or for any special woman in…

As Richmonders face one of the worst allergy seasons on record due to a mild winter and warmer than usual spring, many individuals are red-eyed and complaining about allergies. In fact, as many as thirty-five million Americans suffer from hay fever, and one of its primary symptoms is red eyes. Eye…