Finished, But Not Done (Making the Decision to Complete Our Family)
by Ellen Mecholsky on
As parents, we all ask each other similar questions about parenthood: “How is your baby sleeping? How do you handle tantrums? Are you getting your kid a cell phone?” But the question I get most often these days, as a mother of three children who are ... Read full article
The Remembering: Reflections on My Pregnancy Loss
by Ellen Mecholsky on
It starts the first week of December, the remembering. I had felt her move for the first time in the car driving home from a Thanksgiving trip to Florida, which is why I suspect my anniversary grief stress begins so early. I subsequently gave birth t... Read full article
Is it Rough Play or Bullying? How to See the Difference and Intervene
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Sometimes it is difficult to know when rough-and-tumble play is shifting into something more nefarious. As children grow up, they test limits, and we have to trust our judgment. When it comes to bullying, our instant reaction is to cut out any roughh... Read full article
My Tribe: How I Found My Motivation Again
by Kelly Carmena on
“Mommy, I need to go on a diet and I want you to go on one with me,” were the words that escaped my seven-year-old’s mouth when I realized I had fallen off the healthy wagon and re-entered the zone of “fat.” My running had tapered off, I had failed t... Read full article
From Boys to Young Men
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The day will come when they really feel they’ve found their soul mate or more likely, their love of the week. Either way, you have to prepare for mending a broken heart or teaching them how not to break someone’s heart.... Read full article
Full STEM Ahead
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Imagine a middle school student dribbling a basketball while a second student is filming the series of bounces. A third eighth-grader has graph paper, while a fourth is developing an equation on a dry erase board. Welcome to a typical Science, Techno... Read full article
Lessons From the Ballpark
by Cheryl Brodnax on
I’m a baseball mom. I live at the ballpark from February through July. For the last seven years, I’ve sacrificed my weekends (and sometimes sanity) to drag an unearthly amount of stuff to every ballpark imaginable so our boys can do what they love.... Read full article
Your Kids Are Watching Your Marriage
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Often, one of the most neglected parenting lessons throughout a marriage is, in fact, the marriage itself. As couples become increasingly hyper-focused on schedules and extracurricular activities (travel ball, dance, cheer, festivals, events, etc.), ... Read full article
A Pox on Our House: Quarantine Dreaming
by Mari Walker on
I can’t be the only one who, when first hearing about the coronavirus COVID-19 thought a two week quarantine wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. As an overextended mom and introvert, putting pause on my life to stay home for a while is the stuf... Read full article
Raising Readers One Book at a Time
by Mari Walker on
A recent Baby Center email for my seven year old (yes, I still open them to read about her development!) had the headline, “How to Encourage Reading.” I laughed and read along, knowing the advice doesn’t apply to me just now.... Read full article