“I’m bored.” Two little words that strike fear in the hearts of parents everywhere. There is little worse than a super whiny child who’s just soooooo bored. He wants TV! He wants video games! He wants a plan! He wants you to entertain him! I’m not going to lie: I give in…a lot. I certainly […]
How to Talk to Your Kids About Momo and Other Very Real Dangers
Unless you’ve been hiding under a social-media rock for the past 48 hours—in which case, I am so jealous—you’ve been subjected to the waking nightmare of Momo. You know, that horribly creepy female “character” with the bugged-out eyes and gruesome smile that’s been infiltrating kids’ YouTube videos. She is every parent’s worst nightmare, since her […]
The Safety Lessons Your Kids Really Need to Know
It’s the middle of the school year, so the assessments are in full swing. How are your kids doing? Are they on track? Are they learning what they’re supposed to be learning? Oh, sure, you’ve had the requisite parent-teacher conferences, but I’m not talking about academics, social skills or the OMG-pay-attention-kid stuff here. No, I’m […]
17 Things You Can Teach Kids with Leftover Halloween Candy
I don’t know about you, but I have a Halloween-candy problem. As in, it’s here and I’m eating it. And so is my 4-year-old, which—as you know if you’ve ever combined a 4-year-old and an obscene amount of sugar—isn’t a particularly good situation. So, I’m on a mission to do something with all of […]
13 Everyday Lessons That Fight Rape Culture—and Keep Kids Safe
Rape culture exists. It doesn’t matter if you believe that or not (though it would certainly be nice). It’s just a fact. It’s why people laugh at sexist behavior, shrug and say, “Boys will be boys.” It’s why 1 in 5 female college students are sexually assaulted—and why that number is probably a lot […]
Moms: It's Time to Change Our Bad Attitudes
The week before last with my kids was a sh*t show. I say that lovingly, because we had a lot of fun and I love them to pieces…but it was a sh*t show, nonetheless. We had most of the week to ourselves, without many scheduled anythings, so it was our opportunity […]
What My Daughter Can Learn From My Favorite ’80s Movies
One day a few weeks ago, I decided to ditch any pretense of attempting to be productive while the baby was napping on me and snuggled in for the long haul. The Wedding Singer was on, followed by St. Elmo’s Fire. (Whoever did that channel’s programming deserves a raise.) I was in full-on ’80s […]
Essential '80s Music for Kids
Attention, new moms: I know that you think you have to listen to kiddie music with your little ones all the time, but you know what? You don’t! They’re kids, so they have no say. And they’ll be fascinated—or completely uninterested—in whatever you’re doing. Might as well make it fun for you! […]
Why Trump's Misogyny Is So Dangerous for Our Kids
I am sitting on the couch, cuddling with my newborn daughter, drinking in that wonderful baby smell and marveling at just how perfect she is. I just want to stare at her, maybe catch up on some bad TV and have a glass of wine—the really good stuff that I would’ve yelled […]
Mary Kay Letourneau and How the Media Is Failing Our Kids
I have a slew of half-finished posts that are demanding my attention, but I can’t seem to focus on a single one of them right now. Why? Because all I can think of is Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau. I am loath to give this story more attention, but I think that my brain […]