Unable to vent on social media, the foster mom of a troubled teen finally understands all the TMI.
I’m from a huge extended family, so I spent most of my formative years changing diapers, cleaning up vomit and chasing after younger cousins. By the time blogs and social media rolled around, I’d already heard enough for a lifetime. I couldn't understand all the public over-sharing by new parents. Then I took in a teen from the foster care system, and everything changed.
Kids notice differences in other people. They are not "colorblind" as some adults like to pretend, and thank God, since all of our many differences are such an important part of our individual and cultural identities. And while it's perfectly natural for kids to notices racial differences, they do not naturally judge one set of characteristics as superior or preferred, until some adult teaches them to prefer certain characteristics.
Three tips to help your son or daughter find the ideal summer employment opportunity.
Have you sufficiently bored your child with tales of your summer jobs past — peeling potatoes, recycling pop bottles for coins, lifeguard drama or walking bean rows uphill both ways? Probably, but it's only because you know from experience that the benefits of a summer job far outweigh the paycheck anyone receives.
She doesn't need a closet full of designer clothes to feel beautiful.
One mom's quest to teach her little girl that self-worth has nothing to do with a price tag.
Mindless consumerism can lead us to believe our value lies in what we wear. I wanted my daughter to have the freedom to divorce her self-worth from her clothing. But how could I teach her that when here I was — 29-years-old, wallowing in a pile of cheap cotton-poly blends and feeling worthless? It was time to go on a clothing fast. I called it "No Pants 2012."
Three pieces of advice I wish I'd known when I was her age.
My daughter is in her first year of high school and navigating the world of girl drama, boyfriends and school dances. As painful as it can be to watch her suffer through some of this, I want her to know a few things that I wish I'd known at her age.
One newborn baby is enough of a handful ... what about raising two?
Expecting twins, we prepared for the worst. Now we're making up the rules as we go.
When I first learned I was having twins, I did what any self-respecting woman would do: I panicked. I also scoured the Internet for advice, war stories -- anything that would help my husband and I survive becoming first-time parents to, not one, but two newborns.
Puppy love can be complicated—for kids and their parents.
For my daughter, who's obsessed with hearts and flowers and the idea of love, Valentines Day is a pretty big deal. As she finds her way through puppy love and first crushes, I find I'm learning right along with her.
Raising children with special needs is incredibly rewarding but can strain a marriage.
Caring for children with special needs can put an extra toll on marriage and love.
Sometimes life doesn't turn out as you had expected. But the truth is, when you are dealt a bad hand, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back in the game. Giving up, feeling sorry for yourself, and crying over the unfairness of it all doesn't cut it. Parents of special needs children know this to be true.
Surprisingly, children understand love better than their parents.
As a mom with a 20-year career in matchmaking, I expected to teach my kids some life lessons. Instead, it's my children who constantly teach me about life and love by showing me the following characteristics.
Raising a child isn't easy, especially on your own!
Which type of partner-less parent are you? Single or solo?
In my opinion, there are two basic types of partner-less parents: single parents and solo parents. I've been both, and I can tell you that there are good things and bad things about each situation.
