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Instead of Spanking
I started out hitting my kids. I would lose my temper when their behavior got out of my control, and I would hit. I never felt good about it, but I didn’t know what else to do. I thought it was...
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DIY School Lunch
We all know that the middle meal of the day is important. In my mother’s family it was the most important meal of the day, called dinner not lunch, a common practice among midwestern farmers. Supper...
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Free-Range Play
Someone once told me that mammals learn through play. When children run and play they are also learning. They are using their creativity, developing their self-confidence, building resiliency,...
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Case Against Time-Out
For generations, parents have sought a reliable and dependable way to handle childhood misbehavior. The most recent and popular discipline technique is time-out. Although time-out is better than...
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Moms Tired and Happy?
If there is a mother on the planet who hasn’t felt slammed by fatigue, I haven’t met her. And if a mother says she hasn’t ever been tired, she’s clearly an alien or been drinking society’s Kool-Aid—you...
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The Four-Year-Old
I was on a parenting bulletin board recently and read a post by a mother who was worried that her 4 1/2 year old did not know enough. “What should a four-year-old know?” she asked. Most of the answers...
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Make Today Magical
Here are 10 ways to add some magic to your days with your kiddos and turn an ordinary day into a memory. 1. Make some leaf art, like Color Me Katie. She punched out little hearts from dead leaves...
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Embrace the Teen Years
Twenty-five and a half hours of labor notwithstanding… when I gave birth to my first child sixteen years ago, I was in awe. No. Awe is an understatement. I could not stop looking at my son. I believe...
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Best Board Games
I love board games, always have. We played cards and board games when I was growing up and the tradition has continued with my own family. When my children were teens, I made Sunday a mandatory family...
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My Daughter is My Son
Jey had been living as an out gay woman for ten years prior to her second “big announcement.” She came out to me as a lesbian in her sophomore year of high school. It was Mother’s Day and she said, “I...
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11 DIY Retro Toys
We’re all worried about time and money this holiday season. Here are my top 10 retro toys that you can make yourself for not too much of either. First of all, remember that children’s play is about...
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Corporate Homeschooling
This year marks the thirty-eighth year I’ve been involved with homeschooling. When I look back on the last four decades, it’s been an amazing experience—not only for me personally, but for all of us...
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Mom of Courage
I am the African-American adoptive mom of two sons—one Caucasian and the other African American. I am trying to raise them equally in a world full of inequality. As a foster mother for years, I’ve...
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Your Autistic Child
Many of the parents of autistic children that I have worked with over the years have expressed an urgency they feel in seeing their child develop within a certain time frame—trying to ‘beat the clock’...
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2014 Caldecott Winners
The 2014 American Library Association (ALA) awards were announced this week. Best known of these awards are The Newberry Medal and The Caldecott Medal. The Newberry Award was the first children’s book...
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Tell Them Stories
It is no coincidence that every culture uses stories to communicate its beliefs and creation myths to its youngsters. Research indicates that we organize knowledge by storytelling, and that, in fact,...
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Gun Play
Highly realistic toy guns, computer and video games of mass destruction, and soldier action figures are some of the most popular items in toy stores today. Do these war and weapon toys promote violence...
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How to Spot Child Abuse
Approximately 676,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the CDC says this number likely underestimates the...
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Video Games and Violence
“Active Shooter,” the video game that simulates a school shooting, has been pulled from its June 6, 2018 release date following the outrage of parents, educators and others. The video game allows...
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Your Child In Hospital
Children who are well prepared for hospital visits often feel comfortable and sometimes even excited about their upcoming hospitalization. But, children who aren’t expecting the strange surroundings or...
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