Handwashing without Tears
This post was first published on a recent Global Handwashing Day in 2016—back in those simpler times when hand hygiene helped defend against garden-variety sniffles and barfing bugs, not a deadly pandemic. Sure, kids these days are more attuned to the importance of handwashing, but on our … [Read More...]
Real Snow Slushies and Snowcones
I've found a cure for cabin fever: real snow slushies and snowcones. Typically, when the kids get squirrelly, I bundle them up and send them outside for a good, long while. But in blizzard conditions like the ones we're experiencing outside of Boston today, you need to find some indoor fun, … [Read More...]
Ultimate Sick-Day Survival Kit
I'll admit it: Even with a dozen years, three children, and countless sick days under my parenting belt, I still become a little unhinged when my kids are sick. At the first sign of glazed-over eyes, raspy cough, or the dreaded, telltale, 2 a.m. gag, my heart starts pounding, because I know my child … [Read More...]
Raising Awareness: 4 Great News Sources for Kids
When I was growing up, news came to me in glances, via the Philadelphia Inquirer that took up permanent residence on our kitchen counter. Now that my three boys are 11, 9, and 6, I'd like them to also have exposure to what's going on in our increasingly complex world. But here's the conundrum: Where … [Read More...]
When Parents Show Grit, Kids Follow Suit
You know those days when everything is going wrong—and you just want to throw in the towel? As in, toss the printer that keeps jamming, beg off the work assignment that's not coming together, and trade the running shoes for bath slippers? (Just spitballing, here; this certainly didn't … [Read More...]
How Flipping “Strength Switch” Makes Kids Happier, More Successful
Spelling. Their left kicking foot. Forgetting their assignments at school. If I had a nickel for every time I talk to my kids about something they have to "work on," I'd probably have enough money to fund a private tutor for just about every school subject and extracurricular endeavor I fret they're … [Read More...]
Summer Craft Project that Gives Back: Kindness Rocks
My son, Thomas, loves to collect interesting things he finds on the pathways that we hike on around our neighborhood. We've even made him a box where he stashes his treasures, which currently include three acorns, a few shiny pebbles, a styrofoam bird, and a little stuffed skunk. But now, what … [Read More...]
Keep Kids Safe from Ticks
You may not have appreciated the harsh winter, but there's one species that did: ticks. According to scientists, the snow that covered much of the country acted like a cozy blanket for the critters, allowing them to survive and propagate in unusually high numbers. And they're not just hanging out in … [Read More...]
Cooperative Board Games: A Cure for Summer Squabbles?
Summer is fantastic and all, but there are two problems that always seem to heat up with the weather around our house: boredom and sibling squabbles. School vacation ensures more downtime, together, which is awesome until my three boys decide there's nothing to do but bother one another. It's times … [Read More...]
4 Kids’ Sports Gear Mistakes Parents Make
Anyone who has a child in youth sports knows that athletics are way more intense than they were when we were kids. Even second- and third-grade town teams meet 3, 4, even 5 times a week, and now just about every sport is "year-round" if you want it to be (we know club organizations do, of … [Read More...]
Why (and How) to Plan a National Park Trip Now
My husband and I recently became convinced that when it comes to family tourism, nothing beats a visit to one of America's great national parks. A park trip combines all the things we'd ideally want children to soak up when sight-seeing: nature, adventure, history, and, perhaps best of all with … [Read More...]
A Sweet Surprise in the Woods
After dropping the kids at school yesterday, though I had deadlines to meet and errands to do and really just wanted to get a scone from Starbucks above all else, I decided to take a walk. I pulled into a small wooded lot on the edge of a trail that's conveniently located between the kids' school … [Read More...]
Juice: Not as Bad as We Thought?
When we were kids, fruit juice had a healthy halo around it, and "good" moms and dads gave their kids apple juice rather than Fanta at snack time. But today's parents have absorbed a new message: that even 100% fruit juice is hardly better than soda, and quite possibly, as a pediatrician wrote … [Read More...]
6 Clues to Eye Problems in Kids
I'll admit that in the realm of kids' wellness, eye health has historically been off my radar. Part of this can be chalked up to genetics: Neither my husband nor I have vision problems, and ocular issues don't run in our family. But apparently, American parents, generally, are pretty clueless about … [Read More...]
Best TV for Preschoolers
A couple years back, I wrote a post—one of this site's most popular, ever—about the best TV shows for teens and 'tweens. I had dug into the topic because it seemed that all the great children's television was (and has always been) reserved for little kids. That remains true—almost, dare I say, … [Read More...]