"How was your day?" "Fine."
"Is everything okay?" "Yeah."
These one-word exchanges are all too familiar to parents of kids and teens. While it can be tempting to take those short phrases at face value rather than risk an argument, it’s...
November is National Adoption Month, so there's lots of talk about surrounding giving children homes and families, who otherwise don't have them. But let's be honest: When people talk about adoption, they mean babies. Maybe they mean toddlers or...
The first year I was eligible to vote was 1996. It was the year Bill Clinton defeated Bob Dole (and Ross Perot) in a pretty decisive victory. I'd love to tell you that I remember being a first-time voter...
My daughter and I were out on a girls' shopping trip on Sunday afternoon. The boys were at home doing what they do — watching football and taking a nap. As we were perusing the aisles, we stumbled upon...
They call them “flyers.” The athletes you see during cheer routines doing high-flying twists and flips. Lauren Garrett, a sophomore at her high school, is a flyer. In September 2019, during a stunt she’s done many times before, something...
Thirteen. That's how many first days of school I've experienced as a mother. Some were filled with tears. Some were filled with relief, as I practically pushed those kids out the door and away from our house after a...
Every other week, I carpool a few middle schoolers. I don't turn on the radio, which encourages them to talk with each other — and me. It is some of the most precious time I have with my seventh-grader....
As my daughter gets ready to start her senior year of high school, I am learning real quick that the idea of sending your firstborn out into the world in less than a year is not for the faint...
My children will be entering the 2nd and 4th grades, and we are sending them back to our neighborhood public school. My husband and I have been discussing this decision for months, and it was not something we came...
While your child may know the basics when it comes to spending and (hopefully) saving money, with age comes an increase in responsibility (as we know all too well). As your not-so-little one grows into a teenager, you can...
Children get asked this age-old question all the time, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Oftentimes, they might ambitiously respond with career paths such as a doctor, a firefighter, or a teacher. Others with particularly...
Saturday afternoon in midst of a Netflix binge, my husband suggested we put a sheet over our living room window to get rid of the glare. My immediate thought was, "Maybe." Before COVID-19, we talked about fancy remote control-operated...