The Blog
Our best advice when it’s tough with kids:breathe, laugh, dance, sing, hug, call a friend. Be gentle with yourself, you’re not done growing up yet. This won’t last and you are not alone.
How Teens Can Create a Life They Love – Julie Lythcott-Haims
Do you ever wish that your teen could have a mentor, auntie, or trusted guide? Someone that would sit down with them and patiently explain how the world works, how to find meaningful employment, and how to be independent? A person who genuinely loves and cares for...
When to talk to kids about drugs – Jessica Lahey
I didn’t think we needed to talk to our kids about drugs and alcohol until they were in high school or college. I was wrong. I also mistakenly believed that parents don’t have that much influence over whether their kids struggle with substances or not. I didn’t know...
What to do about Mommy Overwhelm – Gemma Hartley
Gemma Hartley is a writer, reporter, mom of 3, and she is the author of Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward. We sat down with her to talk about emotional labor–the largely invisible but demanding, time-consuming, and exhausting "worry work" that often...
How to transform a trigger – Dr. Lynyetta Willis
Do you get triggered when... you see your child on a screen for the Nth hour?your child has a meltdown or shouts, “I hate you mommy!”?your kids fight with each other?you see that your child’s homework is still unfinished?your partner is sitting on the couch while you...
When parents disagree on parenting styles – Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart
We often hear from parents that disagree about how to parent. The questions we get asked often sound like this... a mom wants to be understanding and empathic when a child is struggling, but the dad thinks the child needs to “toughen up” or “get over it”. How do you...
7 ways to get kids to talk about their feelings
In our culture, we so often ask each other, “How are you?” And we so often give surface-level answers like, “I’m good” / “I’m fine” / “I’m busy”. As parents, we want to know how our kids are doing and feeling. Their feelings are a window into their soul, their deepest...
Solution for Sadness. Look for Moments.
A few years ago after a tough day in middle school, our daughter boarded the noisy school bus that would take her home. She flopped down in the seat. I imagine she had the facial expression that she so often wore in those days… a thin veneer of teenage nonchalance...
How to tell kids the truth about Santa – 3 Scripts
A few years ago I wrote a blog post that got a bit of attention about WHY to tell kids the truth about Santa. Since then, every year around this time, people continue to find that post on the internet. How we deal with Santa in our family goes against popular opinion...
3 Steps to Find the Good in Any Situation
I’m writing this at 5 in the morning, the house is quiet. I’m sitting on the couch with the cat on my lap… balancing the laptop awkwardly on a pillow next to me. Can I get real with you? I’ve been feeling sad lately. I sometimes tell myself that I don’t "deserve” to...