WORDS: Christa Hardin, MA
Not taking tech breaks is one surefire way that summer will come and go in the blink of an eye. This isn’t news to you, of course. We all KNOW we need them. Â
We’ve seen the stats as well. Too much screen time poses several potential negative consequences, including vision impairment, sleeplessness, anxiety, and even addiction to the device itself (regiscollege.edu).Â
And yet virtually everyone uses …
WORDS: Christa Hardin, MA
“Mom, did you email my teacher back about the survey?” One of my teens was asking me while another one was simultaneously pulling on me to print something their other teacher wanted them to have before lessons began. The third child was giving me that painstaking look of trying to be patient while I tended to the other two. Â
I loved that they wanted my …
WORDS: www.parents.com
Eating meals together just might be the ultimate parenting hack. What else can you do in an hour that will improve your kids’ academic performance, increase their self-esteem, and reduce their risk of substance abuse, depression, teen pregnancy, and obesity?Â
Over the last two decades, study after study has shown that simply taking a few minutes each day to turn off screens and genuinely connect with each other …
WORDS:Â Amy Treis
PICTURES:Â Whitney Patton
Reading Rainbow is an American educational children’s television series that originally aired on  PBS from July 11, 1983, to November 10, 2006. This valuable show emphasized and encouraged children to dive into the world of reading. The show also educated the viewers on how to use a library to find these cherished books. Â
If there is one constant throughout the decades, it is the …
WORDS: Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, PBS KIDS for Parents
It’s so hard to watch our children struggle, fall, and even fail. However, for learning to take place, struggling and failing are part of the process. As parents, we want to protect our children from hardships, so we may think hovering and plowing through dangers up ahead will somehow help them. Â
However, removing every potential obstacle takes away opportunities for our children …
WORDS: Kristin Louis
Summer is a great time to throw a party. You can have it inside or outside and draw from a wide range of menu possibilities and potential activities, from swimming to outdoor games. And there’s no need to worry about the size of your budget — you can have a great summer get-together without breaking the bank. Fire up the grill, lay out some delicious summer food, …
WORDS: Kristin Louis
The majority of us work hard for our futures, with the overarching attention on survival, followed by happiness. Owning a house, starting a family, and paying off your student debt are all benchmarks that can help set you on the path toward future success. However, life has an unpredictable way of occurring, which is why it’s important to have contingencies in place for when the unexpected arises.…
WORDS: Jenny Miller
Children are young humans, and like adults, they tend to love learning when the subjects are personally meaningful; even if we don’t grasp something right away, our interest makes us want to keep trying to learn more. Typical classroom environments, bound by approved curricula and standardized testing, can’t focus solely on subjects children enjoy.
But when certain fields don’t come easily, the outdoors provides a rich classroom …
WORDS: Jenny Miller
Families are saying hello to a new year, but with the coronavirus pandemic still hanging around, things continue to look way different than we’re used to. Some students are back in the classroom every day, others are still doing modified or virtual schedules, and some are still being home-schooled.
Whatever your family is doing, we’re all left with time on our hands where the kids are stuck …
WORDS: Kristin Louis
The holidays are supposed to be about enjoying time off with the ones you love. But for many parents, holiday cheer gets overshadowed by the financial stress of affording gifts for the whole family. As much as you don’t want to disappoint your children, you also don’t want to be paying off holiday debt well into the new year.
There’s no need to choose between a great …
WORDS: Bre Jones Mulock
Frank DiGiovanni and his daughter joined a long line meandering out the door of Blaze Pizza back in 2017 for a fundraiser benefiting Willis Elementary. Hungry parents and kids halted the mid-week tornado of soccer matches, ballet classes, and math homework to pool together and raise money for their school. While hot pizzas bubbled in ovens and dutiful parents continued to arrive in droves, DiGiovanni – …
WORDS: Christa Hardin, MA
It’s not every day that families get to eat together anymore, but should it be? While some families manage to dine around the table together for everyday grub, so many more are finding the attempts to eat together all but futile. One parent is working late, perhaps both, there are complicated schedules in the week when one child visits another parent, or perhaps there’s a sport …
WORDS: Kris Louis —Â Parentingwithkris.com
Now that COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, schools are slowly gearing up for the start of the new year. Of course, you’ll need supplies — and children’s school supplies can add up fast! From clothing to computers, your budget can really take a beating. Here are some thrifty ideas for moms and dads who want to get everything their kids need without overspending.
Dip Into Online …
First-time parents must quickly learn to adjust to a new schedule and daily routine. Luckily, certain apps and other tools are great for first-time parents, because they can help you to set reminders to enforce the new schedule and build good habits for your child. Here are the best ones to keep in mind:
Apps to Download
There are tons of task-specific apps available for fine-tuning your organization as a …
My seven year old child is good at school but bad at home. What am I doing wrong? (Denise, Bradenton)
Erma Bombeck was a writer and comedian for over forty years. Her titles included, If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, Why am I in the Pits? and, At Wit’s End. Erma claimed she had six children – but we know she actually only has three. She said: “I …
