parenting

I'll admit, I was a nerdy kid in school, I loved homework. Math homework was like a giant logic puzzle to me, Spanish was a way to learn a language I could speak that my Mother couldn't and Science was a way to look at the world differently than usual. Apparently, though, homework these days is worse than I remember and a mom decided to do something about it.

You may or may not know that Ryan was a foster child. Jenn went through the classes and the process of fostering and when Ryan was just seven weeks old, he entered her life. I will admit that it was a roller coaster ride with very high highs and some low lows.

When you're growing up, you learn from your parents that sharing is caring. Especially being an only child, it was instilled in me to share my toys and not be spoiled but this Mom disagrees.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck were married for 10 years before their Hollywood marriage dissolved within the last year.  Infidelity claims and alcohol abuse by Ben doomed their marriage, but these these things keep the separated couple from being at odds during the most emotional of times.

I just read an article that the average kid ages 4 to 14 get anywhere from 5 to $10 per week. They do have to work for it, however, but mostly kids get paid for cleaning their own rooms. I think this is ridiculous.

I don't have children yet so sometimes when debates regarding children come up, I feel I may be out of my element, except I heard this story from a restaurant in North Carolina and I think they have a point.

One of my old (favorite) teachers posted this video on his Facebook page and at first I thought, "Ugh, I'm tired about hearing about bullying! Nothing will ever change." Kids are mean. Maybe it's because they don't know any better? Maybe it's cause their parents are mean...

Now, I don't have children but I'm definitely at the age where all of my friends (a lot of them, any way) have 'em. I've witnessed what they deal with, how easy it may seem at times and then how incredibly difficult and birth control worthy it can be others.

This morning we focused a lot about the terrible shooting in Orlando that happened over the weekend. It's hard for adults to discuss this sort of thing, let alone children.  They don't know how to process this sort of tragedy, so this morning we shared some tips for parents for talking to kids about big news events like this...

Yesterday, Saratoga native Patrick Pipino wrote a note to his daughter's school asking them to forgive her for being a little late. While we have all written an excuse note or two for our kids Patrick's was a little different and perhaps a bit more honest.

I haven't been this excited for Halloween since I was a little girl. I grew up in Scotia and wish I could say that my costumes were super cool, but I was obsessed with ballet, so I was a perpetual ballerina. So if you remember a little girl showing up for candy at your house, wearing the same costume every year, that was probably me.

Wow- I remember those days.  You try literally EVERYTHING to get your kid to snooze.  In my time we would put him in a pen and read "Goodnite Moon" to him.  That only worked for a short time, like about a week.  Not with THIS kid?  He's got a future on the debate team.