The Newtown parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting last December are gathering online signers to a petition asking Connecticut legislators to block the release of gory crime scene photographs and other evidence. Opponents say transparency will let officials know if police and others did their jobs correctly, among other things. Read… Read more
By Julie Samrick Can you tell what this is? It’s a clay gorilla, created in its entirety by my seven-year-old daughter. The school assignment was to create a rain forest animal at home and to search for facts for their first little research report. It was a great idea. I loved watching her learn… Read more
Learning that your child is the victim of bullying is an experience that’s simultaneously heartbreaking and infuriating. While your first instinct is to step in to stop the torment by any means necessary, it’s not always easy to see the bigger picture and pick up on the lessons that your child could learn from this… Read more
By Lowry Manders This Earth Day, Reconnect with Nature and with Your Family 10 Talking Points and Family Ritual Ideas for Earth Day or any day: Write a “Thank-You” Note to “Mother Earth”, get your whole family involved, and find out what everyone appreciates most about nature. A rainy day? The smell of honeysuckle? The… Read more
By Julie Samrick As parents we all know that feeling when we’re about to lose our tempers. ”Blood boiling” is so cliche, but is indeed how it feels. Deep breaths and walking away are effective with people and with most life situations in general, but I know when I get frustrated with my children… Read more
There are seven concrete ways parents can help their kids not only be physically healthy, but to also help them feel really good about it. Read more
Aubrey Ireland told the court that despite making the dean’s list, her parents would routinely drive 600 miles from Kansas to Ohio to make unannounced visits to her at school. Then they accused her of illegal drug use, promiscuity and mental illness. Her parents allegedly became so overbearing that they installed keylogging software on her… Read more
“When I enlisted, I swore to defend this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic,” he said, adding, “I’d take a bullet for these kids.” Read more What other stories of courage or sacrifice are you seeing in your community?
By Bill Schoeffler Help! An alien has possessed my sweet little boy! Parents are often astonished when their “tweener” grows a foot taller and becomes uncommunicative and sometimes explosive. Welcome to the world of a teenage boy. The first thing parents need to understand is that this is a natural phase boys go… Read more
By Ann Van De Water Over the counter "Swimmer's Ear" drops contain alcohol. The prescription is an antibiotic and does not contain alcohol. I learned this the hard way. My daughter had been complaining of ear pain
By Julie Samrick As a girl I swooned over Christopher Reeve as Superman. I don’t know if it was his strength or that single curl of hair that fell on his forehead. Or maybe it was those goofy glasses he wore as
The first week of summer I wanted to stock up on healthy snacks for our family, but mostly for our four (always hungry) kids. At the time beet chips from Whole Foods seemed like a great new snack idea, that is until I
By Julie Samrick With the exception of homeschooling families, there just isn’t as much time to hang out with kids during the traditional school year like there is during summer vacation. When my older
By Cal Thomas The annual ritual known as the Scripps National Spelling Bee came and went last week with kids spelling words that, I suspect, many with graduate degrees couldn't spell. The winner was Arvind
By Julie Samrick It's no coincidence that Fathers' Day is in June, but could there be a better month for dads to revel in our gratitude? There are barbecues to be had, baseball games to attend, and other fun,
By Julie Samrick My friend made these flower cupcakes for her daughter's birthday party today and I was so impressed I just have to share them with you. This is how she makes them: Bake and frost
By Mario Vittone The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their
By Lowry Manders I recently heard author Bruce Feiler interviewed on NPR about his book The Secrets of Happy Families and as I listened I thought to myself, “I have got to get a book published!” He is echoing so much of the things I preach (and try to live) about how to create happy ... Read more
By Julie Samrick “Christmas will never be as magical until you have children of your own,” my mother told me sadly after I declared there was no such thing as Santa Claus. When another little girl spilled the news to me at school, first putting any doubt in my head, I quickly lumped the ... Read more
By Erin Kurt Throughout the years of being a teacher, mother and parenting coach, I realized that there are some very powerful phrases, that if used consistently, can be extremely effective when parents are trying to get their child to listen or to get them to do something instantly. Here are ... Read more
