• Last updated 4/2/13 by AdinaL

It’s summer and in my household this means the kids are home more either telling me they’re having the best time of their lives or so bored not even tickets to a World Cup soccer game could satisfy them (well, maybe my nine-year-old). I’m in the middle of reading Book Five of the Percy Jackson series to my 11-year-old and Book Two of the same series to my 9-year-old, mixing up Gods and demi-gods left and right. And I’m behind on every summer work and personal commitment I’ve made to myself. Sound familiar? I’ve been thinking about this a lot, wondering how... read more

• Last updated 3/20/13 by mamazee

Hi Friends,   I have a story to share with you and it illustrates the L.O.V.E. Parenting tool of “Setting the Stage.”   The back story is my daughter and son are used to doing most things together, excepting a a few special girlfriends that my daughter sees on her own, and one special house filled with three brothers that my son visits on his own. The house-of-boys also features many hot-ticket experiences that my son doesn’t get in our home, such as playing with every lego ever created, video games, unlimited movies and ice-cream for... read more

• Last updated 3/20/13 by mamazee

Hi Friends, Here is a simple L.O.V.E. Parenting tool called “Excuse me, Mom, will you please reconsider?” Have you ever answered, “No,” too quickly, instantly regretted your decision and then been faced with your child’s incessant demand? Have you ever answered, “No,” rather benignly, and then been startled by an overwhelming explosion of dismay from your child? If you can teach your children to say the simple phrase of “Excuse me, Mom, will you please reconsider?” instead of begging, pleading, shouting, demanding, screaming, hitting, pouting, or... read more

• Last updated 5/25/11 by Mothering Editorial

Issue 132, September/October 2005By Aymee Webb My daughter calls it Treasure Time. It's the three hours between 9 a.m. and noon every day when I take my three kids - a baby, a toddler, and a preschooler - and disappear into the woods for a hike. It's the time when I drop everything and become a train conductor, chugging up a hillside chanting "I think I can, I think I can" with the caboose; or a beautiful mermaid dancing along the ocean shore, swaying gently to the sounds of the crashing waves. It's my time, and there's nothing in the world they'd rather do than walk... read more

• Last updated 11/14/10 by Mothering Editorial

Issue 128 - January/February 2005 Five women who brought their children to their jobs—with wonderful results! Workplace policies, practices, and prejudices have tended to separate moms and babies sooner than some moms would like. The US lags behind many other developed nations when it comes to maternity-leave policy. Here, I explore a road a working mother is less likely to take—bringing her baby to the workplace. It’s true that many workplaces are no place for a baby, but that need not be true for all workplaces if the mother’s desire is there and the work culture... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

By Jeremy Adam SmithSo, apparently, on Tuesday I was a guest on The Today Show:5. I liked the clip of Lance and his family that preceded my interview; he and his wife are really the stars of this show, and I'm not sure why Stacy and I were necessary, though I'm happy enough to chat about my book with any national TV audience. (Because I've become a media whore?) The night before, I'd had dinner with Lance and Matt and Patrick of NYC Dads. What a great bunch of guys and what great work they're doing.6. I was dismayed that Willie Geist was filling in for Kathie Lee --... read more

• Last updated 11/28/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Wendy PonteIssue 134, January/February 2006 As infants, most of us learn basic survival and communication skills by observing the details of our environment and how it responds to us. Then, as we grow up, we extend what we have learned to other areas of our lives and into more formal learning situations. For reasons that are still unclear, autistic children are unable to do this. The process of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) replicates this normally inborn ability with a teaching process that seems to train the brains of autistic children to interact with the... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

Origami Mommy (aka Christine Gross-Loh, whom I’ve interviewed on this blog) has a really interesting post today, “Free-range kids,” about how Japanese school children walk to and from school by themselves starting when they are six or seven years old. They usually walk in little groups and they learn safety tips in school. My older brother and I always walked to school by ourselves. When I was in fifth grade I walked about two miles to ballet class after school, to my friends’ houses, and to work for Sally Davis as a mother’s helper. By sixth grade,... read more

• Last updated 3/30/13 by mamazee

How to illustrate a magazine article, in this case: an article titled “Handsome in Pink,” written by a dad, Matthew Rushford, about his little boy’s love of the color pink. 1. Hire Ben Hatke. Email Ben, whom you know from a previous job he did for Mothering, briefly describing the story, budget, and deadline. Ask whether he’s available. Send the story and an excerpt describing the scene which you think might make a good opener: I stood with my two-year-old son, gazing at the wall of shoes at Payless Shoes. In our immediate range of vision... read more

• Last updated 7/19/10 by Mothering Editorial

Hi, What do you think about kids earning money by doing things in and around the house? I read many familys do that like giving 0.10$ to 0.25$ daily to brush theeth, make there beds, clean play room, etc. Some other will pay more to do the laundry, cutting the grass, washing the dishes, clean the car, help on the farm, help to do renovation or construction, help in parent business, etc. Do you think its ok to do this or it leads kids to never want to help and expect money in exchange of doing anything? Can it destroy the natural willingness to help there parents? Is... read more