Wikis related to family-life

Celebrate Earth Day and all that goes with it with these fun books!   My Mama Earth: Watch the wonder experienced by a small child journeying through the world and  taking in the many magnificent aspects of nature. This imaginative and lyrical picture book showcases the love between a mother and child, celebrating the ever-changing beauty of the natural world along the way.         Make a reusable cloth bag with Gabby and Grandma Go Green by Monica Wellington.  This brightly colored picture book follows Gabby and her Grandma as they have a green day by making their own cloth bags...

Talking about adoption honestly supports healthy emotional development for both children and parents. Yet it is not always the easy choice. False cheer and inaccurate platitudes often feel like the less challenging way to go. (As Mitchell discovered in a light-hearted treatment of this issue on a recent Modern Family. He found it easier to tell Lily her mother was a princess--until she became obsessed with princesses!)   The road to adoption is invariably a challenging one for many adoptive parents, marked by many losses—the children they might have had, but for infertility; the children...

For generations, formal adoption in America consisted overwhelmingly of white babies who were born to white, unwed women and were parented by white, married couples. Our laws, policies, practices, attitudes and understanding were based on that reality – and they have not significantly changed. Yet the population of adopted children – and the characteristics of expectant and prospective parents – no longer look anything like the ones for whom the institution was created. We need to examine the historic changes that have taken place, and ask ourselves: Is it time to stop tinkering and...

By: Beth Berry Over the years, I have pinpointed a few behaviors that — though widely accepted and even promoted by popular culture — simply don’t serve me. Changing these behaviors is a process and one that requires both a willingness to take personal responsibility for our choices and a continuous countercultural commitment to creating our lives by a truer, though “less convenient” set of standards. However inconvenient, these subtle shifts sure have made for better living in my experience — that is, once I sorted through the mainstream confussion surrounding what makes for...

  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 skin, the flailing in his body...

"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 drop. Navigating life...

Nancy Verrier is an adoptive mother, therapist and author of the groundbreaking book The Primal Wound: Understanding the Adopted Child.  In a session at today's Adopt Salon conference in Los Angeles, Nancy shared some reflections almost twenty years after publishing one of adoption's landmark works.  In the following interview (that I did some years back), Nancy shares her views on a variety of adoption’s “hot topics,” but all emerge from a basic theme:  adoption creates “different kinds of relationships” and some unique challenges for adoptees.   MA:     I’m reminded of a speech by...

By Beth Berry     Among my favorite things about living abroad are the unexpected encounters and rich relationships we’ve formed with people from all walks of life and corners of the planet. One such experience stands out as particularly interesting... Some months ago, I met a man from England at our favorite hole-in-the-wall wine bar down the street from our house. He, a chatty guy in his late 40s, and I, excited to be out without kids and sharing a table with jovial strangers from six countries, enjoyed a lively conversation on subjects from healthcare reform to child psychology....

                  Dear Marketing Geniuses,   We don’t watch a lot of television in our house, but I guess the little that we do watch is geared towards women of a certain age because all of the commercials are targeted towards moms.     You paint such a lovely picture of motherhood.  The mom is always well-rested.  She’s usually quite attractive and dressed in something that very easily could have come off of the racks at J Crew.  She’s never sick of cleaning.  We can tell because she smiles wistfully at the shine her new cleaning product produces on her suspiciously clutter free...

My husband gave me permission to write about him so to start, I’d like to talk about his genitals. More specifically, his vas deferens. That’s right, the Big V, the ol’ snip-snip. Vasectomy.   We are done reproducing, clocking in with a final score of three children. My baby is five and fiercely independent (unless she needs juice, then she’s as helpless as a newborn koala) meaning I must now focus all of my more intense mothering urges on our twelve-pound chihuahua mix.    I’m not exactly happy about it, though. Not the coddling the dog thing (although, yeah) but no more kids. No...

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, Parenting or Breastfeeding....

  CC by 2.0 ricardo266 My name is Laura. I have a chronic library habit. Sure, I have other, less socially acceptable habits. We can talk about those another day. Right now I’m eager to turn other people into equally obsessed library fanatics. I’ve already been successful with my kids. The stacks of books my family brings home may be pushing up the state average. Now that my kids are older they are surprised most of their peers never bother with libraries, in person or online. And I’m surprised to see how many of my friends don’t use libraries either. Some haven’t been since...

Mathare is collection of slum areas in Nairobi, Kenya. The population includes hundreds of thousands of children. Although pollution, poverty, disease, and crime are ever-present, hope lives there too. One way out for children is vision and empowerment.  A foundation started by former slum-dweller Julius Mwelu  is giving children the opportunity to express themselves through photos and videos. The Mwelu Foundation  teaches young people about photography, film production, journalism. It also helps them look at themselves and their community through a wider...

Somewhere along the way it became generally assumed that praise builds self-esteem, leading to the daily parental litany of “Nice job!” and “Great throw!” and “Gorgeous painting!” and on and on ad nauseum. Pundits call it “affirmation” and “positive feedback.” B.F. Skinner called it “positive reinforcement.” Does praising children really build their self-esteem, as many people assume it does? Or does it erode their intrinsic motivation, pleasure and self-satisfaction?   The gift-giving holidays are fast approaching and if it doesn’t happen to you this year it will happen to you soon:...

Peggy O'Mara has been inspiring natural families with her writing since 1980 when she became publisher and editor of Mothering magazine. Today her honest words continue to provide support and guidance to parents as they navigate family life. Here are some of Peggy's most loved pieces from 2012. You can read more of Peggy's recent articles on her blog.     Pregnancy & Birth   Am I Pregnant? What are the early signs of pregnancy? Thousands of women come to Mothering.com every day to ask this question. From breast changes to fatigue, Peggy O'Mara breaks down the...

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 them overcoming obstacles,...

I hadn’t told my children about my “Feeding Your Children” theme this week. At 8:22am this morning, my daughter said, “I want to make something. I want to cook mushrooms, tomato, rice and chicken and I want to eat it.” She continued talking aloud as she began to gather her ingredients.“I watched you and Dad and now I know how to do it.” She was moving and talking quickly, perhaps for fear that I might tell her she couldn’t proceed. Instead, I was marveling at her and slightly bemused. I had no intentions of stopping her, rather, I was curious to see it through. Up until today she...

We have a three-year-old at home and recently had another baby. Prior to our new baby, our three-year-old was our everything. He received lots of attention from both of us and I (mommy) was lucky enough to stay home with him on a full-time basis. Since the birth of our second son, our three-year-old has shown incredible jealousy. We expected some of this and understand it's a normal reaction to a new baby in the family. However, it's been five months now, and he continues to struggle with his interactions with his baby brother. I have to watch him like a hawk as I have caught him on...

New York, New York. Two working mothers calling for children at Greenwich House, a neighborhood center, where they have left them early in the morning for day care Photographer: Tillery, Risdon | Date Created/Published: 1944 May | Reproduction Number: LC-USW3-053649-E For full information about this image and more images in this collection visit the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs online catalog. About Melanie Mayo-Laakso is the Content Manager for Mothering.com. Mothering is the birthplace of natural family living and attachment parenting. We celebrate the...

My son, Reeve, was just home from college for the Thanksgiving holidays. He was here for the whole week—nothing else planned—and we managed to pack in a whole lot of “nothing”—leisurely time where he and Tim and I just hung out: laughed a lot, talked a lot, went on long walks, made up games to play, watched YouTube clips of Danny Kaye movies. . . Got me to thinking how fulfilling the simplest things can be (just BEING together, for example) and remembering how simple “simple” used to be, back when the boy was little: • M & M cookie and a glass of milk at the old Furr’s lunch counter....