As a dietitian and a mom of three young children, I naturally have a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table. You may think that this has always been the case. The truth is that it wasn’t. The practice of having fresh fruit sitting out didn’t occur to me until…
Next to rent or mortgage payments, childcare often ranks as the second-highest expenditure in a household budget. Working couples can pay a whopping 10-20% of their incomes on childcare while their children are small. Seeing the high cost needed to be expensed for their children’s care, some couples decided to…
Young, wild, and free … isn’t that what it’s supposed to feel like to be a teenager? While it’s normal for teens to push and discover their limits, it’s also dangerous. Due in large part to the fact that parenting decisions are only as sound as the information on which…
Living with your husband or partner might seem like you have another child in the house. You nag about dirty laundry left all over, his unkempt appearance and his shoddy parenting skills. It sounds like a sitcom, but many women are not laughing. In fact, a survey done by Parenting…
How many times have you forgotten something in your car? Probably too many to count. While most people can’t imagine forgetting a child in the car, it happens, especially with the hustle and bustle of daily routine. Sadly, the outcome is usually deadly. Between 1998 and 2010, an estimated 496…
Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus — or is there? It’s the question that no parents want to address, especially when it’s coming from an inquisitive little one. Like the birds and the bees conversation, this is likely one of those conversations you want to be prepared for well…
With such scrutiny on childhood obesity, you may be wondering if your child should be lifting weights in order to stay fit. Some kids who are involved in athletics and team sports might feel pressured to start lifting weights in order to improve performance. But it’s important to make the…
When we were children, it felt like we had the weight of the world on our shoulders with those overstocked backpacks. But not anymore. Parents, school officials and medical professionals have wised up to the potential health hazards of packing those backs too much. Hence, the ever-growing popularity of backpacks…
Let’s face it; we live in a pretty competitive world. Because of that, children may not understand the importance of sportsmanship when involved in competition. Winning can easily become the sole focus of a game, so children may not think much about the importance of good sportsmanship. Parents and coaches…
As a parent, it’s your responsibility to teach your child responsibility. You want to raise your children with good values, and instilling in them the importance of being responsible is a strong foundation upon which to build. Realistically, a younger child won’t learn about real responsibilities until that child hits…