I had just criticized my fifteen-year-old son for staying on his video game longer than we had agreed. I could hear him laughing, talking, and interacting with a number of his friends from school as they played the game. They used the time to interact with each other. I simultaneously felt frustrated and confused as […]
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COVID Babies Grew Up! Remember somewhere around mid-March of 2020 someone flipped a switch? The museums we visited the day before were closed. Schools with the same friends and teachers as last week were shut. Office meetings were no longer around a staff table but on Zoom. Now after varying degrees of “stop and start”—and
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Play. To many, a simple, daily activity built into a child’s schedule where children are free to use their imaginations, set their own rules, and just be “kids.” But there is more to play than what meets the eye. Play is an essential part of a child’s overall development. As children develop, they pass through
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Stop any parent on the street and ask them what their number one goal is as a parent and I’ll betcha the answer is more or less the same regardless of how old their kids are or where they are on their parenting journey. At our core, most of us just want our kids to
How to Support our LGBTQIA+ Youth in Today’s Challenging World Read More »
It was recently brought to my attention that there is such a thing as National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. And why wouldn’t there be? There are national days to celebrate just about everything under the sun. It only makes sense that there would be a special day for something as delightful as this cookie. Given
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As parents and caregivers, we have a primary instinct to protect our children from psychological and physical harm. When traumatic events arise—from school shootings to natural disasters—we often feel overwhelmed by confusion, anger, grief, numbness, and sadness. As the shock wears off, we want to have the skills to tend to our children with the
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When you ask people to recall their preteen and teen years, a consistent pattern emerges. Alongside positive memories, they remember trying to fit in, exclusion, and friendship changes. They share uncomfortable stories and feelings of insecurity. And this rings true for adolescents today. A UCLA study of 6,000 sixth-graders found that two-thirds changed friendships during
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“Mommy! Look at this!” my youngest shouts, bouncing down the hall.I’d love to look, but I’m too busy picking dried-up fruit snacks out of the living room carpet. “In a minute, sweetie,” I shout over my shoulder.Thirty brief seconds pass. “Mommy!” The voice gets louder . . . and the bouncing gets closer.“Hold on!”I make a mental note
History is full of amazing women to admire, although it may not be easy to find their stories. After all, society has not always valued women’s voices. Women have often been barred from public life. Even if they managed to overcome all obstacles in order to make a difference, their contributions have often been erased
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On Thursday, March 3, 2022, we celebrate World Wildlife Day. This year’s theme is “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration.” Did you know elephants and gorillas are key species? This means they have a critical role in their individual ecosystems. They both distribute seeds through the foods they eat, and elephants use their tusks to
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