• Last updated 11/19/12 by Hoyamum

By Lisa Hassan Scott         “Well, when you come to visit, I can try to see if I can get a portable crib.” My husband and I were planning our first visit to his parents’ house, and my in-laws were really excited.  “That won’t be necessary,” I said, “the baby will just sleep with us.”  A silence.  “With you?  But won’t you roll on top of her?”  And so began a conversation about parenting that has been going on for ten years.  At first, I felt uncomfortable and defensive of our choices.  Everything we were doing was so, well, different from the choices our... read more

• Last updated 10/11/12 by Mothering Editorial

The Question of Routine Swaddling By Gussie Fauntleroy Nov 09, 2011 Please see the Special Report: Swaddling Reconsidered for more information and resources on routine swaddling.  Remember the bumper sticker, “What Would Jesus Do?” Here’s a variation on that query: What would Jesus’ mommy do? We are told his mother wrapped her newborn in swaddling clothes. So if it’s good enough for baby Jesus…? Yet simply because a practice has been widespread in various cultures and time periods doesn’t mean it is best for babies. Likewise, even though routine swaddling may have... read more

• Last updated 3/21/13 by Marcy Axness

Yes, I spanked my son. It was almost twenty years ago but I still remember it vividly. Ian was six or seven and was stubbornly, defiantly ignoring me right to my face. (About what? Now that I cannot recall!) Something primitive inside me uncoiled and I was suddenly spanking him. I regretted it immediately and ever since -- not just for the obvious reason of having been violent with him, but also for the sliver of his respect I lost in that moment.   We lose the admiration of our children when we “lose it.” It’s a mammalian thing: all animal behaviorists know... read more

• Last updated 4/30/13 by Sheryl Paul

  By Sheryl Paul   Just as I’m about the pour a splash of vanilla into the shake I’m making for my son, I hear two blood-curdling screams followed by the sight of my older son, Everest, tearing around the corner with his 3 1/2 year old brother, who has transformed into the Tazmanian devil, close behind. Everest dashes behind my back to create a blockade between him and Asher. Asher runs full-force toward his brother, but finds himself in my arms instead.   I carry him to the couch and hold him tightly. Contained in my arms and against the warmth of my... read more

• Last updated 2/4/13 by Marcy Axness

A common misconception is that teens need us to drop the reins. But neurodevelopmentally, they are as tender as infants, so teens still need us very much. One of the most important books I’ve encountered about parenting during early adolescence is poignantly and aptly titled Our Last Best Shot. Author Laura Sessions Stepp spent two years finding out what teens need for future psychosocial wellbeing and success. She admits in the book that she “wanted to minimize the significance of parents and emphasize the importance of other adults.”   While she discovered the... read more

• Last updated 12/9/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Terri Goodwell Web Exclusive We’ve all known sensitive, shy kids. These are the introverted ones who hang on the fringes of the group. They are the ones we often call “slow to warm up” because they look very carefully before accepting new people, places, or things. They are the children who avert their eyes when spoken to by a stranger and shrink away from being the center of attention. Because they typically act quiet, clingy or anxious in unfamiliar social settings, the general consensus is that these kids are fearful and lack confidence. Unfortunately, by... read more

• Last updated 1/18/13 by Cynthia Mosher

We all need connections with other parents. This article shares the story of one mom who found a special way to connect and create a mini-community all her own. If you are looking for ways to connect with moms in your local area check out our Finding a Tribe section in the forums--where you will discover subforums for areas across the US, Canada and the world.    If you're pregnant you may also like to join one of our popular Due Date Clubs for lots of support and fun. Or join the conversation in one of our other helpful forums: such as Talk Amongst Ourselves,... read more

• Last updated 5/16/13 by momofnatasha

  By Suzanne Leigh   I am standing in line in one of our state’s legal pot clubs, which sells marijuana to anyone with a doctor’s letter of recommendation. The “patients” look similar to the customers in a middle-market liquor store. There are a preponderance of frat boys and surfer dude-types, women with tattooed shoulders and piercings and a few older folks, who might be military vets fallen on hard times. Most of us look like we are shopping for something to put the spark into Saturday night, but I am here in the hope that marijuana will help my 11-year-old... read more

• Last updated 12/6/12 by Beth Berry

By Beth Berry     I wrote this piece a few years ago in the thick of stay-home parenting of four young children. I wanted to share it with you now along with a bit of reflection... While I remember what it was like to feel wholly overwhelmed by the balancing act of maintaining a household and making time for play, that period is quite suddenly behind me. No one is asking me to play ponies. Our days are filled with school and homework, chores and pep talks, argument mediation and hormonal meltdowns. There are other things, too -- lovely things like watching... read more

• Last updated 11/21/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Lauren Lindsey Porter Issue 119, July/August 2003 Turn on your television. Walk the aisles of a toy store. Peruse the shelves in the baby department. What do you find? Toys to enchant and stimulate. Products to soothe and calm. Videos to enhance intelligence. Games to teach. There is a myriad of merchandise out there, all designed to connect with our babies, magnify their intelligence, and help them negotiate the world. There is also a vast library of advice to go along with the merchandise. Grandparents, pediatricians, friends, obstetricians, and daycare providers,... read more