Why Your Kid Needs A Summer Job
When I was in college, I spent two long, hot summers wrangling teenagers at a 350-acre organic farm in Pennsylvania. The camp focused not on swim tests or tie-dye, but instead the goal was developing kids’ leadership and communication skills. Like most sleepaway camps, this camp drew children largely from cities, kids whose families could afford…
The Summer Juggle – Tips For Working Parents
Few times of the year are more exhilarating for kids than early summer. No school! Swimming! Camp! Kick the Can! Popsicles! All life’s bounty in a three month period. But for parents, the excitement is often replaced with…dread. And stress. And frustration. Especially for working parents, the summer juggle, with its constantly changing schedules, can…
Vacation For One
Warm weather is on the horizon. This means parents are starting to think about ideas for a fun summer trip with the kids. The beach? Disney? Camping? But are any of you thinking instead: it would be nice to go on vacation…alone? One mom, Lauren Apfel, wrote about this vacation-for-one concept for the Washington Post.…
Something Crazy Happened at the Denver Airport Over The Weekend
Something crazy happened at the Denver airport over the weekend: two young girls were barred from boarding a United Airlines plane. Not because they were potential terrorists. But because they were wearing leggings. With major television networks and newspapers weighing in, this incident became news across our nation. As, in some ways, it should be.…
Pets and Lowering Kids’ Stress
Finally, a parenting topic my own kids will agree I know something about: kids and pets. I live with three children, four cats, and one dog. I’m a lifelong animal lover myself. But the real reason my household includes so many pets: they’re essential to good parenting. There are few moments more validating in the…