Kids and teens are on screens more than ever before, connecting to friends both near and far via social media and video games. The recent Common Sense Media report “Social Media, Social Life: Teens Reveal Their Experiences” found that social media use among teens has increased dramatically since 2012. A total of 81% of teens use social media, roughly the same as “ever” used it in 2012. But it is the frequency of social media use that has changed most... Read more
The following is an excerpt from my interview with Angela Breidenbach on my podcast, “You’ve Got This.” When my first was born, my parents were already old hands at being grandparents, as my older siblings had given them two granddaughters and two grandsons. With the first grandbaby on my husband’s side of the family—and the first grandbaby on my side in more than a decade—we weren’t sure what to expect in terms of grandparents. We soon learned how lucky we... Read more
By guest blogger, Deborah Hackett It’s every mom’s reflex—when a child asks for something but forgets “the magic word,” you jump in and prompt them to say “please.” Then when you hand over the item of their heart’s desire, you pause and wait for “thank you.” But, in a world that sees us spending more time with our screens and less working on our social skills, do we teach our children that manners matter? How can we show them that... Read more
The following is an excerpt from my interview with Jacqueline Piccolo on my podcast, You’ve Got This. The statistics don’t lie—more American women are waiting longer to have children. According to a recent USA Today article, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that “births among women ages 40-44 have been rising since the early 1980s and kept rising in 2017, even as the overall U.S. birth rate fell to a record low. .. Births in women older... Read more
We parents are not responsible for our children’s entertainment. All too often, we moms feel like it’s part of our mothering duty to entertain our kids, but it’s not. It’s our job to nurture, love and care for our kids, but entertain them? Nah, that’s their job. Kids, from infants to teens, are perfectly capable of entertaining themselves. But that doesn’t mean they will want to do the hard work of learning how. In this week’s video blog, I explain... Read more
The following is an excerpt from my interview with Christine Stevens on my podcast, “You’ve Got This.” Talk to any new parent, and the topic of sleep will come up—how is the baby sleeping? Are you getting any sleep? Those are the questions that dominate the conversation for a mom of an infant. Attention to sleep wanes as the child grows into a preschooler, as parents are lulled into thinking that their sleep troubles are behind them. “As kids get... Read more
“Why can’t you be more like your sister?” “Look at how quietly your brother is sitting.” One of the hardest things for me as a mom is to avoid comparing one of my kids to another. With four kids—two teenage daughters in ninth and tenth grade and two tween sons in fifth and sixth grade—it’s oh-so-tempting to lob a comparison shot when one misbehaves. Having our kids back-to-back in school makes it even harder to not say things like, “Your... Read more
The following is an excerpt from my interview with Cindi McMenamin on my podcast, “You’ve Got This.” As the mother to two teenage daughters—and having a mom of my own, naturally—I was surprised to hear that many daughters think their moms don’t truly accept them for who they are, according to Cindi McMenamin, who surveyed 100 daughters between the ages of 12 and 42 for her book, When a Mom Inspires Her Daughter. “Most moms in those same relationships had... Read more
By guest blogger Cynthia L. Simmons When my son was about seven, he ate several leftover candles from a birthday cake. That evening I hadn’t started cooking yet because I homeschooled and was checking the last few assignments. My son came into the room where I worked and begged me to fix dinner, explaining what he had done. Guilt for being too busy bothered me, and I quit checking school work to cook. I wasn’t concerned the candles would harm... Read more
The following is an excerpt from my interview with Janet Carter on my podcast, You’ve Got This. Today, kids are more scheduled and have less free time—and that can be a hindrance to their brain development. “I’m a big believer in free play and the power it has in preparing a mind to learn,” said Janet Carter, a speaker, writer and a certified John Rosemond Leadership Parent Coach. “We are very much a parenting culture that’s educational driven and academically... Read more
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