You likely wouldn’t complain if you were to come up with a more efficient way to organize your time and your responsibilities. After all, better organization will help you savor your parenting time even more, and allow you to bond with your kids and your loving partner. So why not rely on tech? Here are a few smart apps any busy parent will love and appreciate to make your life … [Read more...] about Five Great Apps for Busy Parents
Family
You Too Can be a Storyteller
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, human memory is story-based. The oral tradition of storytelling is a rich cultural legacy that we can pass along to our own children. READ THE CLASSICS Read the classic folk and f … [Read more...] about You Too Can be a Storyteller
Getting Out the Door With Baby
Walking out the front door with a baby is an unexpectedly complicated and stressful process. The baby needs to eat before you go. OK, but the baby poops while he eats, so you change the diaper—gotta find the wipes! Now the baby is yelling because he didn't enjoy the change. You’re trying to get the diaper bag together for your trip. OK, now you’re trying to get him into a hat an … [Read more...] about Getting Out the Door With Baby
Trusting Yourself as a Parent
The greatest lesson I have learned from my children is that I am OK the way I am. It's the message I raised them with, and one that they now give back to me. Often we feel the need for a script, a philosophy, a book, a guru and fear to go our own way. In fact, it is easier to be more than who we are than simply who we are. Going our own way requires us not only to examine and … [Read more...] about Trusting Yourself as a Parent
Leave Them Alone
Children need time and space to play, to discover—to simply be. This generation has fewer children and more resources than any previous generation, making us intensely focused on our children. From her observations of South America's Stone Age Indians, Jean Liedloff, author of The Continuum Concept, feels that parenting that is too "child-centered" deprives a child of his a … [Read more...] about Leave Them Alone
Teens Need More Sleep
California has become the first state to mandate later school start times. The new law, effective in 2022, will prohibit middle schools from starting before 8:00 AM and high schools before 8:30 AM. According to a 2014 study by the CDC, 93% of U.S. high schools and 83% of middle schools start before 8:30 AM. Moving the school start time is especially important because many … [Read more...] about Teens Need More Sleep
Attachment Parenting
Attachment parenting is not permissive parenting. It is not about abdicating authority as a parent, but rather, it's about responding to the legitimate biological needs of a baby. It is firmly based in the sciences of anthropology and psychology and specifically on the theory of attachment. THE THEORY OF ATTACHMENT The theory of attachment originated with psychoanalyst John … [Read more...] about Attachment Parenting
Big Breath: Kids Meditation
William Meyer has written a sensitive book that teaches children how to meditate in an easy and accessible way. Many books on mediation—especially those intended for children—often take a pedantic tone, but the tone of Big Breath: A Guided Meditation for Kids is charming and playful: Find a comfy spot, maybe a squishy cushion or soft blanket. All parents want to give their chi … [Read more...] about Big Breath: Kids Meditation
In Defense of Mothering
When my first child was born 45 years ago, I was swept away by my love for her. People had told me about the difficulties of a new baby, but few had whispered of the wonder. I was astounded by the immense love I felt for her, amazed at my utter devotion. It was as if I were in love for the first time; life before her now seemed meaningless and unimportant in retrospect. I feel … [Read more...] about In Defense of Mothering
The Attached Parenting Marriage Postpartum
MODEL KINDNESS, RESPECT AND DIGNITY Nowadays, many families embrace the model of Attachment Parenting (AP), which focuses on forming strong healthy connections and bonds between parents and their children. In honoring our children's emotional and physical needs, parents help build a foundation for a lifetime. Sometimes though, in trying to be devoted parents, the parent to … [Read more...] about The Attached Parenting Marriage Postpartum