• Last updated 4/20/13 by momofnatasha

By Suzanne Leigh   My local newspaper recently ran pictures of participants in the annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Among them was a picture of two sisters walking in honor of their mother who had succumbed to breast cancer. She was 69.   There’s no doubt that breast cancer is a worthy cause. Who hasn’t known someone who has been afflicted with this disease, which is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. But for those of us whose children have a pediatric cancer, the Avon Walk is another reminder that when it comes to high-profile... read more

• Last updated 4/18/13 by Melanie Mayo

By Leah Lesser   Homework. Swimming. Riding (or insert any other sport or activity). Saxophone. Friends. Family time. Dinner. Homework. Bedtime Story. Sleep. Add in there a bit of laughter, play, riding bikes with siblings, and chores, and you’ve got the makings of a very busy tween.   Does any of this sound familiar?   We’re living it. Our 11-year-old daughter can make my busiest days look fairly tame. And she doesn’t even come close to some of her friends who are taking on four or five after-school activities.   One of the things she has talked... read more

• Last updated 4/17/13 by Melanie Mayo

Helping our children to process the tragedy in Boston.   It is no surprise that one of the most-shared quotes in the wake of the horrific bombing in Boston was wisdom from the ever-reliable Mr. Rogers, who said: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ “   I count myself among the fortunate in that a.) I was not personally affected by the bombings in that I do not know anyone who was hurt or injured and b.) My son is too young for me to have... read more

• Last updated 4/12/13 by momofnatasha

By Suzanne Leigh   Last night we were watching a video of my two daughters rollicking in a hotel swimming pool. It was taken days after a scan had showed evidence of recurrent brain tumor following a hiatus of 31 months of “tumor free-dom" for my 10-year-old elder daughter.   I was struck by two things: the images of Natasha that were wildly out of whack with the results of the scan – she is loud, laughing and ebullient, running around the rim of the pool, long strong limbs flying, stopping only to ham it up for the camera. The only tell-tale sign that... read more

• Last updated 4/15/13 by Melanie Mayo

A website dedicated to supporting and encouraging fellow mothers.   By V.K. Harber   I just discovered a podcast, One Bad Mother. According to their website, One Bad Mother is a place  where they discuss the "thrills and embarrassments of motherhood and strive for less judging and more laughing". Sounds pretty great, right? (A warning: it's a comedy podcast and it is not for delicate or young ears)   One of their recent guests was the founder of a website, TellAnotherMom.com. This particular episode was addressing the so-called "mommy wars" (a phrase I... read more

• Last updated 4/15/13 by Melanie Mayo

By Laura Grace Weldon         Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray isn't just a book, it's a powerful agent of transformation. I'd like to put a copy in the hands of every parent, teacher, and policy maker.   Gray, a research professor in the field of psychology, is an expert on the evolution of play. I discovered his work when he started writing a blog for Psychology Today where he explores topics I'd just finished researching for my book. He... read more

• Last updated 4/11/13 by Marcy Axness

"I had to love her enough to let her hate me." It was a stunning and very wise thing that Carol Burnett said to the ladies on The View. Burnett said she was scared of her daughter -- of saying the wrong thing, making her angry, pushing her away. (She was talking about her late daughter Carrie's three-year struggle with addiction when she was a teen.)   While Burnett's situation was extreme, her experience isn't unusual. Scared, stressed-out parenting has become epidemic: many parents today feel overwhelmed and under-adequate. Always waiting for the other shoe to... read more

• Last updated 4/8/13 by Sheryl Paul

      “Come on, Asher, we need to go!” I say for the fourth time as my three year old crouches down near the bushes in front of our house to examine a creature. “But I found something interesting, Mommy! Come look! It’s yellow with black dots and I think it’s a dragonfly.” He’s right; it’s a dragonfly and it’s quite beautiful, but that doesn’t change the fact that if we don’t get into the car this second we’re going to be late. Still, I bend down with him and am amazed that he can identify a dragonfly, then ask if he’s ready to get into the car. The... read more

• Last updated 4/5/13 by momofnatasha

  By Suzanne Leigh   There’s a video circulating the Internet with a provocative message. A successful, midlife woman tells her audience that five months ago she had a brain tumor and she’s grateful for the experience.   Adversity can do incredible things for you, apparently. “You will feel loved and appreciated like never before.” You will have a “new understanding and trust in your body” and you also get to have an “eight week vacation of doing absolutely nothing.”   Oh, and one other thing: You will “eat countless gourmet meals.”   Now I was... read more

• Last updated 4/11/13 by Marcy Axness

So there you are one afternoon, at the end of your rope with an out-of-control three-year-old. You know you won’t spank him, and you have become mindful of avoiding shame-based measures, so what’s left? Is “Time Out” the answer? At risk of bringing on the wrath of parents everywhere, my answer is no.   Time-outs were conceived as a more humane alternative to spanking, but the problem is, they land a blow to the brain and psyche rather than to the bottom. Right at the moment when the child is overwhelmed by a flood of emotions he cannot manage, and he most needs the... read more