In this often vicious era of social media, body image insecurity in our children is skyrocketing, and at earlier and earlier ages, which makes my heart hurt. We probably all compared ourselves to our peers as we grew up, but we didn’t come of age in this wireless world, which floods us with unrealistic ideas (not ideals) of beauty and masculinity. Everything we see today is filtered to blur…
If someone asked you to guess what choices are on a kids’ menu, at any given restaurant, chances are you’d score better than most tests you took in high school. Almost invariably on offer are pasta, pizza, chicken tenders, mac and cheese, burgers, and quesadillas. Sound about right? Of course there is the occasional, more health-conscious restaurant that may offer an almond butter and banana…
One of the most important things I think we can do for our kids from the time they’re born is surround them with books, books, and more books. If we’re reading to our children from day one, they’ll understand from a really early age how to orient books, how language flows from left to right, intonation, and facial expressions involved in storytelling. And as we read them…
We’ve all faced a lot of really difficult decisions these past few months, including decisions around our kids’ education. When we learned our district was going to be fully virtual for an undetermined period of time, I knew I needed to set up a “school” space for our kids at home. And both of my kiddos have only ever known Montessori-style learning, so I also knew…
In my opinion, the cornerstone of effective, loving, positive parenting is respect. I think we’ve all heard the antiquated view that children should be seen and not heard. But would that ever hold water for adults? No way. As adults, we rightfully feel entitled to have and express opinions and thoughts, important or trivial. Why should it be any different for our children? It shouldn’t, which is why…
One of my absolute favorite things about having kids is hearing the amazing things they say. Completely uninhibited and untethered to boring old reality. And while there is typically no shortage of creativity and imaginary play, these are two fun, easy, and inexpensive ways to add some additional pizazz (and learning!) to the mix. 1. Table Talk – These little conversation-prompting cards are split into six categories…