The Great Flood of 2017
This time last year I wrote a post about how I don’t have the same emotions about kids going back to school that many parents seem to have. I don’t get all weepy about my kids getting all grown up
Homework: Prepare for academic success at home
By Laura Lyles Reagan, MS Back to school preparations go beyond school clothes purchases and new backpacks filled with pencils and spiral notebooks. Creating and supporting the habits of life-long learning is the best investment you can make in your child’s
Skateboard Birthday
My middle son turned 10 this week, so I took him and a pack of his friends to the new skate park in Rockwood, a village not far from our home city. I’m not a birthday party lover, not the way
Lose less learning with epic new app
By Christine Davis ‘Tis the season for summer slide, “the regress in learning children have because they’re not engaged or challenged academically,” says educator Renee Cunningham. According to studies, students can lose up to two months of learning if they don’t
Potty Training On the Go: You Can Do It
When you first make the transition to underwear, you may feel tempted to stay at home for the rest of your life. But at some point, you will have to conquer public bathrooms and toilets. The following tips and ideas
Get the back-to-school ball rolling
By Christine Davis Back to school is just around the corner and most parents and students alike tend to procrastinate on those preparations says Katherine Firestone, founder of Fireborn Institute. “Parents are just as bad as kids,” she admits, waiting until
It’s All About Birth Order Baby
By Laura Lyles Reagan How should birth order data affect parenting? Parenting expert, Dr. Gail Gross summarizes the existing roles and research on birth order by naming the first born as the achiever, the middle child as the peacemaker and the youngest
Naming what you’re feeling
It’s not always easy to communicate to kids in a way they understand. This is true even in the most obvious sense, that they sometimes lack the experience and the knowledge to understand ideas that are more subtle or complex.
TAKING ACTION AND ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY
One of the most rewarding things for me as a parent is seeing my kids grow up and start taking on new roles and responsibilities. I’m not just talking about the new responsibilities that I give them (like doing their
Embracing failure: How mistakes — both yours and theirs — boost motivation and learning
By Malia Jacobson Late-fall light streamed through my minivan windshield as I approached the school pick-up line, eager to hear about my first-grader’s day. But when she climbed into her booster seat, clambering past her two younger siblings in their carseats,
Prepped for Potty Time
By Sara Marchessault When it’s time to potty train many parents learn the hard way that it’s not nearly as cute as when their toddler takes a step, not as endearing as the first time they hear “Mama”, and nowhere near
A break in the routine
Our family went to camp this past weekend. It’s usually a sleepover camp for kids during the summer, but it also has a couple of weeks and a weekend geared toward families. My wife runs the programming for this particular family
Getting a grip on the internet of things
It’s no secret that things are getting smarter. Devices let parents check in on sleeping babies and keep track of children when they are away from home.
Parenting styles for the future
Between helicopter parents afraid to relinquish control and permissive parents afraid to exert authority, there is a respectful middle ground, which is not fear-based.
Gertie the Goose lands on teething toy shelf
Say hello to Gertie. She is about seven inches tall, roughly shaped like a bowling pin with eyes and sports a bright orange beak and feet.
Spring
Thank heavens for spring. I know we’re not yet past the possibility of a late snow storm. I know there will be lots of frosty nights yet before the warm weather really gets here.
Modeling failure
You’ve probably been there. After you’ve told your children that they shouldn’t do something countless times, they catch you doing it.
The Meet: A Lesson in Making a Loss a Win
I sat on the hard bleacher at the gymnastics meet, inhaling the smell of sweat and chalk. Clasping my hands together, I tried to keep from biting my nails.
Lessons learned
I’ve been told often enough that kids need to learn from experience, and I’ve often found this to be true myself, but there are times when I seriously wonder at the lessons they seem to learn.
A Night in Emergency
I want to tell the story of the horrible night I spent waiting in emergency last night.