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Parenthood

Winning the Battle, and the War

I never pictured that love would entail holding her body immobile so we could help her by hurting her. It was an act of faith and determination to endure.

Playtime Children sneeking from behind door on halloween

Play This Spooktacular Orchestral Soundtrack for Your Kids This Halloween

There’s a wide selection of symphonic music that is beautiful and powerful as well as spooky for Halloween.

Parenthood mother with baby working too much

A Mother's Proclamation About How This Day is Going to Go

Today, we will get out of the house. This will be no easy feat, but we will get out of the house.

Parenthood Baby sitting on shoulder of father and looking at sun set

Putting the Train Together Again

Perhaps the hardest thing about being a divorced parent are the moments you feel real, powerful grief when your child is with you and you can't show it.

Learning Girl sitting on sofa and eating chips

When School Is No Longer a Reliable Babysitter

This is a submission in our monthly contest. October’s theme is Determination.  After a fraught winter of flirting with freelance writing (chagrin implied), I'd made some gains. They were almost ne...

Goodnight, Sleep Demon

After years of sleeping just fine in her own room, she stopped. At first we thought she must have had a bad dream the night before. But it kept going.

Learning clapping hands

I Coach Five-Year-Olds and We Keep Score

The score does matter. It always has and it always will. Learning how to lose is important, and so is learning how to win.

Parenthood A girl holding her mother

How Parenthood Changed My View of Scary Movies

When people say that “everything in your life will change” once you have a child, I thought I knew what that meant. I wasn’t expecting this.

Parenthood Diagram of a mobile phone

The Parenting Hack That Keeps My Kid in His Room at Bedtime

At the risk of sounding dramatic, bedtime has always been the bane of my existence- until I discovered this.

Learning Delicious Recipe made by kid

Kid Made Recipe: Butternut Fettuccine

This creamy, delicious (and vegetarian!) pasta dish will warm up any weeknight, and it’s ready to go in 45 minutes or less.

Parenthood Depressed man

Somehow: an Ode to Parenthood

You know the days. The ones where you can’t catch a breath, or a second to stop and think. And still something, somehow piles on.

Parenthood From under the box, a girl sneeking with hand inside

To the Cheesy End

This newfound frustration with being able to swallow undesirable foods seemed more than I could fight after such a long toddler day.

Parenthood Family lying down on car's back seat

This Holiday Season, I’m Breaking Tradition

I never want to confine my family to tradition. I want my children to experience it, of course, but I also want to mix it up.

Inspiration A child under water

If Determination Could Grow Gills

This is a submission in our monthly contest. October’s theme is Determination. For the fourth time my five-year-old came up sputtering and coughing. The other people in our community pool were star...

Learning Girl playing violin and jumping

Recent Study Says These 3 Things Can Raise Kids' IQ

Many factors affect kid’s IQ, including their genetics and environment. But a 2017 analysis identified a number of things that can help raise it.

Parenthood milk spilled over table, cookies in bowl and spoon also spilled

Ten Proverbs That Unintentionally Taught Me to Be a Better Parent

I doubt some of the parenting advice I gleaned from these proverbs was exactly what the original authors intended, but it was helpful nonetheless.

Parenthood cousins on the beach , looking off sea shore

Teaching My Son About Sex in the Age of Harvey Weinstein

I ended the conversation by asking for his trust – that I be the person he turns to if he has any questions or concerns about sex, now or in the future.

Learning Childrens studying together

The Most Important Grade on the Kindergarten Report Card

I was so proud of all of the check marks indicating that he met expectations. But one mark caught my eye.

Playtime Designed cup cakes

3 Ways to Make Halloween Fun for Your ASD Kid

Crowds of children, the fear of personal contact, and the idea of approaching strangers for candy can be too much for a kid on the spectrum.

Parenthood Sunday is my funday tshirt wearing a girl

What Story Does Your Closet Tell?

MoMA's new exhibit, “Items: Is Fashion Modern?" got me thinking. What story does the contents of my thirty year old closet tell?

Wellbeing A girl using phone under the blanket

New Healthy Media Habits for Young Kids

Media and tech are and will continue to be huge in their lives. Start now to create a balanced approach that keeps everyone healthy.

Wellbeing Gynecologist in lab uniform

A Sexual Assault Pun is Not a Halloween Costume

I thought maybe we if we all contacted Spirit Halloween, they’d take this costume off their shelves next year:

Inspiration A man looking at clouds

Life’s Curveballs

When people ask me what motivates me in life, the answer is always him. He’s my driving force, the reason I forge on.

Pregnancy Baby in ICU ward

ICU I See Me

I gestured that I wanted a pen and paper. "What happened?" was the first question I asked as I did my best not to bite through the tube.