Why I Don’t Homeschool, And You Shouldn’t Either

Last updated on: January 27, 2012 at 4:32 pm By Tara Edelschick

People throw around a lot of silly reasons for homeschooling. I bet you’ve heard them too. Homeschooled kids win all of the spelling bees. The Ivy League schools are overrun with homeschoolers. Homeschooled kids are self-confident, and un-bowed by peer pressure. They knit with old ladies, take care of babies, and never bully anyone. This line of reasoning falls into two categories: Homeschooled kids are smarter. Homeschooled kids have better character. Here’s the problem with category one: There is nothing... Read more

Are You Enjoying Every Single Moment?

Last updated on: January 19, 2012 at 4:51 pm By Jean Yih Kingston

If you’re a parent, how many well-intentioned people have come up to you (usually when you’re frantically trying to pay for your groceries before you and/or your children explode) and said, “I hope you’re enjoying every second, it goes by so fast.” Every second? Really?? Glennon Melton writes in Don’t Carpe Diem in The Huffington Post: But last week, a woman approached me in the Target line and said the following: “Sugar, I hope you are enjoying this. I loved... Read more

Midterms and Catastrophic Thinking

Last updated on: January 19, 2012 at 11:26 am By Kathy Tuan-Maclean

A couple days ago, I read a great blog by Adele Calhoun, An Invitation from God: Healing from Catastrophic Thinking. It came at the perfect time, because it’s high school midterm week and my daughter’s living my recurring nightmare. The one where I forgot to attend math class all term and have to take the final. Or the history nightmare where, I also forgot to read all the books. In the seconds I’m capable of reason, I know her situation isn’t... Read more

Twiggy Female Action Stars: Are They too Frail to Believe?

Last updated on: January 18, 2012 at 12:26 pm By Rebecca Cusey

We’ve all read lots of posts about body image and the impossible ideals in women’s magazines and movie screens. Over at my movie blog, Tinsel, I share some good news. In the upcoming action flick “Haywire,” the female lead, Gina Carano, has some muscles on her bones and some pep in her kick. Read more

What to do When People Throw Poo on You

Last updated on: January 17, 2012 at 2:23 pm By Amy Henry

In our last house, each of the children had his or her favorite tree in the yard. Yesterday, the boys confessed to one of their sisters that, whenever they had to poop scoop the yard, they would dump the poo under her tree. “Why did you do this?” I asked. “We wanted to punish her,” said one brother, sheepishly. “Punish her for what?” I asked. “I have no idea,” said brother. It got me thinking: Does anyone ever dump poo... Read more

New New Year’s Resolution and It’s NOT Stop Procrastinating

Last updated on: January 17, 2012 at 11:23 am By Rebecca Cusey

I’ve finally come up with my New Year’s Resolution. Seeing as how it is currently, technically, January 17, it should probably be “stop procrastinating.” But it’s not. It’s Pay Attention. Pay attention to my email and my calendar. Pay attention to the dust under the couch and the dog’s walking. To the book I’ve always wanted to write and the web site I’m building. Pay attention to my kids, to their rumbling tummies and missing shoes. To their essays and... Read more

Justin Bieber’s Biggest Fan

Last updated on: January 16, 2012 at 9:45 am By Jean Yih Kingston

Like many victims, she didn’t tell anybody about her years of sexual abuse. When she was a teenager, she resorted to drugs and alcohol to numb her pain. Read more

Father Does Not Know Best. (But neither does Mother.)

Last updated on: January 14, 2012 at 12:24 am By Tara Edelschick

When Zach was first born and I was unsure of how to keep him alive, let alone help him grow up to be kind and generous and able to fix a toaster, Jeff and I would fight. Jeff thought that Zach was gaining weight just fine; I thought we should take him in to the office to put him on the postal scale. He thought giving Zach a pacifier was fine; I thought it would doom him to a life... Read more

Am I my Greatest Love of All?

Last updated on: January 12, 2012 at 12:37 pm By Kathy Tuan-Maclean

Last night, along with the parents of 400 other students, we attended the middle school Choral Concert–not because we have a child who sings in a chorus, but because my 6th grade son was picked to accompany the chorales on some sort of percussive gourd thing. For one song. The second to last song no less. Earlier in the day, my 8th grade daughter told me she wanted to go because she had listened to her friends practice. She had... Read more

iPad Meets Coke Dispenser

Last updated on: January 12, 2012 at 11:16 am By Nancy French

Okay, I know that Steve is encouraging us to take care of the homeless, Paul is telling us that we don’t have soul mates, and Rebecca is talking about Margaret Thatcher. However, I had to interrupt these important message to tell you about the most awesome fast food development since McDonald’s started taking credit cards and Chick-Fil-A started using those enormous ketchup packets. Last night at Wendy’s, I saw this new type of drink dispenser. (Is this what people in... Read more