Almost five years have passed since I became a mother to my daughter, Harper. Four-and-a-half years of parenting hardly makes me an expert, but I can’t help but shake my head at all the things I didn't know when...
When we say we're here for all moms—we mean it. We don't, in the slightest, just mean 'perfect' moms, in ideal marriages, with sparkly lives. We mean the moms who get STDs from their partners, who feel incomplete without...
The topic that often gets me emotional is kindergarten readiness. Should I immediately send my son to kindergarten, or give him one more year to roam the wild frontier of childhood? As a parent of a 4-year-old boy, this...
Childrearing practices run the gamut when it comes to commanding respect from little ones. In order to comply with our elders’ wishes, many of us were raised on the allure of special treats, fear of punishment, and “Because I...
When I analyze the situation I’m in now, I realize it all began when my girlfriends let me down. Not the girlfriends I call for advice, support, and the enjoyable consumption of adult beverages, but "the girls” in my...
Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes...how do you measure—measure a year?
If my kids were to answer this question, I guarantee their answer would be “in pieces of candy.” And if that annual number added up to anything less...
In these weird times, something as frivolous as a birthday party seems like an unnecessary source of worry. And yet, those of us raising babies, toddlers, and beyond also feel the weight of wanting to make life—and childhood—as normal...
Think fast, hot shot.
You need to get your toddler in her car seat and she wants your car keys. Do you:
Refuse to hand over the keys, deal with a tantrum, and struggle to strap the kiddo in while...
If you live with a young human, you know what it’s like to lose your patience. If you haven’t reached your emotional limit while a small child tries to set the high score for new decibel levels, are you...
I have two young children.
It is a phrase that works itself into just about all of my situations these days. It is the explanation and excuse for most of who I am and what my world is like. I'm...
Today I woke up knowing that it is the last day I will take my son to daycare. I have taken my kids to daycare for more than seven years between the two kids, and knowing that I will...
My 2-year-old is a precocious and independent little soul. She has very strong opinions, a fierce sense of self and can be quite demanding.
So, when she decided 3 weeks or so ago that it was time to potty train...
Dear ACM,
How do you handle your kid’s friends having different rules regarding playrooms and toys? My son’s friends come over and absolutely tear apart his playroom. I’ve reminded them of the rules before they begin playing, during play, and...
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MTFBWY – Decoding Star Wars
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…
Well not that long ago, and not really that far away, a youngling watched Star...
