Technically, the 12 Days of Christmas don’t start until Christmas Day. But for parents about to embark on the no-school, altered-schedule, too-much-travel, lots-of-sugar season (a.k.a. Christmas break), the holidays are coming in hot. This year, let’s aim higher than barely scratching through the season with our sanity intact. Let’s purposefully use this time to create…
This is part 2 of a two-part series on the mental wellbeing of college students. Last week my Executive Assistant, Amy Masaschi, wrote about her son’s anxiety and depression at the start of his college career. This week, I’ll offer several steps to help parents navigate the college years in a supportive way. College students…
I’m honored to bring you a guest blog this week from children’s author (and my former senior editor) Katie Kenny Phillips. Katie is “a writer for kids (and their grown-ups!)” and I invited her this week to write a guest blog that my readers have asked for – principles from The Kindness Challenge adapted for…
This is Part 2 of a two-part series for parents who are tempted to do too much for our kids. (Guilty!!) Part 1 covered the importance of recognizing our teens’ desire for freedom and letting them make mistakes. This Part 2 tackles “but what if____” sorts of questions and how to handle the mistakes! When…
his is Part 1 of a two-part series for those of us parents who just love to help our kids – but maybe just a bit too much. When our kids were young, Jeff and I took them to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. One of Jeff’s friends has a cabin in the UP, and…
We’re a full year from the next presidential election, but does anyone else feel like it’s already in full swing? I know. Too soon. As a former public policy analyst who cares deeply about both policy issues and family relationships, I’m going to try to walk the fine line between the two today. In fact,…
