Parenting Lessons from Nature’s Creepy Crawlers

boys with cicadas

Are you dreading the coming cicada invasion this spring? Does the thought of bug boiling up from the ground make your skin crawl? You might change your mind when you read this post appearing in today’s Huffington Post about how another cicada invasion taught me some valuable parenting lessons.    Read More »

Protect Your Children this Spring from Tick-Borne Diseases

Ban ticks

Parents are encouraged to read how to prevent the spread of Lyme Disease so that fewer children will have to miss out on spring activities and the joy of playing outdoors.    Read More »

One Little Katydid

one little katydid

When my children were very little, we came home one spring night to find a beautiful, young katydid perched on the light by our front door. Our bedtime story that night had to be about — what else? — a katydid.    Read More »

This Month’s Guest Column: Why Spoiling Your Child Isn’t Always for the Best

This month’s guest column is by Anne Laurie of GoNannies.com, who explores the fine line for parents between wanting the best for their children and spoiling them rotten.    Read More »

Just in Time for Opening Day: A Bedtime Story for Your Kids about Baseball!

baseball

Just in time for opening day of Major League Baseball’s 2013 season, here’s a story for the baseball fans in your family that celebrates the quirkiness and superstitions of our national pastime.

click here to download “The Dirty Underwear that the Pitcher Wore”    Read More »

Angels in White Lab Coats and Green Scrubs

childrens national medical center

Two years ago this month, I experienced every parent’s worst nightmare. I knew there was trouble just by looking at the radiologist’s face. “We have to get your son to Children’s Hospital,” he said.    Read More »

Kids and Team Sports: Should Parents Push Their Children to Play?

little league baseball

Is one of your parental pleasures watching your children play organized sports? If so, what if your son or daughter is less enthused about playing than you are? Should you push them?    Read More »

In Honor of International Mother Language Day: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

Mother Language Day

In honor of International Mother Language Day, Carole Bloch, the Director of The Project for the Study of Alternative Education in Capetown, South Africa, contributed this essay advocating the importance of storytelling in international as well as African languages to promote literacy and cultural understanding.    Read More »

Has Teaching Good Manners to Our Children Become Old-Fashioned?

teaching good manners to children

When I correct my kids’ manners, I sometimes get suspicious looks from other people. As if they’re thinking, “What kind of fuddy duddy are you?” Society is less formal now, so has teaching manners to our children become old-fashioned?    Read More »

Happy New Year to Young and Old!

Happy New YearBeing the youngest member of the family has its advantages and disadvantages, especially on New Year’s Eve.    Read More »