Paula’s last child had just gone off to college and Paula was struggling with a deep inner emptiness. While she knew this day was coming, she was not really prepared for the intense hollowness that welled up within. After all, she had a life of her own. Her work as…
As the parent of a teen, you may long for the days when you could hold your child on your lap and they were eager to talk, laugh, and play with you. Those days may be long gone, but you can still find ways to connect with your teen. Here…
April marks Alcohol Awareness Month. It’s a great opportunity to discuss the topic of alcohol abuse and its consequences with your children. Unfortunately, a child’s first exposure to alcohol – and alcohol abuse – can be at home. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to lead by example. In other…
It’s not fair that guilt became so intertwined with motherhood, but almost every mother suffers from maternal guilt about something she does or does not do. In our culture, motherhood is so loaded with expectations of perfection that it’s impossible to live up to the standard. That doesn’t mean we…
In the 18th and 19th centuries, American pioneer women spent months alone on the prairies raising their children, doing endless backbreaking chores, and protecting the homestead from countless sources of danger. Some of these women would go on to develop lifelong mental illnesses resulting from the continued stress and isolation….
It’s summer, and the buck stops here for many teens. The break is the perfect opportunity for teens to get their feet wet in becoming gainfully employed. In addition to getting workplace experience, the income can also ease the burden on Mom and Dad’s purse. Although summer jobs were a…
If anyone needs some time for pampering and self-reflection, it’s a single mom. Single motherhood demands so much of a woman that it barely gives her time to sit back, breathe, and enjoy the moment. A partnered mom can ask her spouse to keep an eye on the kids while…
Whether it’s an injury, illness or other medical emergency, when your child feels bad, you want her to feel better as soon as possible. But with the array of healthcare professionals available at all hours, you may be confused as to where your child needs to go. Your schedule and…
This is the time of year when many children enroll in school or leave the home for college. And with those enrollments come vaccinations, in many cases. The next few months will see doctors’ offices stocking up on flu shots in anticipation for the winter season. The National Institutes of…
Does your child have the write stuff? When it comes to rearing good writers, the secret lies in journaling. That’s right. Diaries may seem like a thing of the past, but there’s no denying the benefits of having you child keep a journal. For starters, journaling is a great way…