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Parenthood

5 New Affirmations for Parents

All parents need a little positive thinking and self-empowerment about the excruciating, uh, beautiful job of parenting. Here are some quotes that sum it up.

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The easy guide to explaining truly scary geopolitical events to your kids without freaking them out

We have long debated how much our children should actually know about the world around them, including the unpleasant stuff—Islamic State, Charleston, and so on. It seems time for a broader set of...

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Take This Quick Survey About Screen Time and Kids

We're asking real parents to share their family tech habits in this 60-second survey. We'll publish results on July 17.

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7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Parents

"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" translated into less-than-steller parenting moments that we’re all guilty of.

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See Your Children Leading Healthy Lives? Research Suggests Parents Should Look Harder. - The New York Times

As a parent, it's likely that your number one concern is your child's health. But recent studies suggest that perhaps we're seeing what we want to see when it comes to the lives they're actually l...

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The 9 Circles of Parenting Hell, Illustrated

Limbo. Hoarding. Wrath. Scabies. Just a few of the nine circles of parenting hell, illustrated by Sarah Woodard.

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How to encourage self motivation in your kids

Thoughtful encouragement is a powerful way to rid you and your family or your classroom of sticker charts, bribing, and reminding forever.

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(Questionable) parenting tricks that work like that a charm

Over the years, I've picked up some really effective parenting tricks, that—as a generous fellow parent—I feel obligated to share with you now.

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Talking to Your Kids About Same-Sex Marriage

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling to legalize gay marriage in all 50 states, people celebrated, lamented, cried onto their keyboard, changed the filters on their Facebook profile pictures, ...

100 Percent Is Overrated - The Atlantic

Encouraging kids to face challenges and make mistakes could have greater benefits than praising them for being "smart." According to professor of mathematics education at Stanford University, Jo Bo...

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Ten things I can't wait for my son to experience

There are so many exciting milestones on the road of life. But outside of the monumental moments , I'm looking forward to the less epic, but just as meaningful, experiences for my son.

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Baby Toes

One of the things people don’t really give you enough warning about when you become a parent is the outrageous tendency strangers have to do weird stuff to your baby.

A summer camp lesson for parents from Jessica Lahey

In her essay "Now is the Season of our Malcontents," Jessica Lahey writes thoughtfully on summer camp drop-off, and how it relates to important milestones in childhood development. Lahey writes: "...

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How to Handle Toddler Meltdowns

Question: How do I handle “bad” toddler behaviors- aka toddler meltdowns?

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A huge part of parenting is being excited about life’s possibilities

We're sharing a post from Brigitta Burguess every day this week, as a series about her perspective as a younger, new new mom. Read them all here. It's recently come to my attention that I entere...

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What you're getting for Father's Day depends on her Mother's Day gift.

I haven’t confirmed the history here, but I’m going to go ahead and assume that Father’s Day comes after Mother’s Day because hey, how the hell are we supposed to know how much trouble to go to? Le...

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Dads who joke and play with their kids make them healthier

Several years ago, I visited a friend who I hadn't seen in over a decade. In the years between our visits, he had gotten married and had two kids. Watching him interact with his kids for the first ...

"The conflict of domestic isn't moms versus dads; it's the family against money"

Excerpted from The Atlantic: Home Economics: The Link Between Work-Life Balance and Income Equality Men’s absence from the conversation about work and life is strange, because decisions about who ...

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How to talk about sexting with your tween or teen

Sexting. Some parents have difficulty just saying the word, never mind admitting that their child might – just might – be participating in it.

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Three perks of young parenting

There are tons of reasons why being a young parent is awesome. But three stand out as the foundational perks of the job.

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My family dinner fails, as told by 'Orange is the New Black' GIFs

I want to enjoy feeding my children. I want to be good at it. But it just never seems to work out that way. These GIFs explain what I mean.

37 Difficult Questions From My Mixed-Race Son

Mira Jacob, author of "The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing", has a son who loves Michael Jackson. She turned his perceptive questions and observations regarding race into a fantastic series of panel...

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Getting the Kids Involved Means Letting them Participate 

If you want your kids to follow a daily routine, they have to help create it, and then feel supported as they practice mastering the routine on their own. That sounds super obvious to most parents...

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10 Lifehacks to Become a Better Parent than Anyone Else, Ever

I've learned a number of time-saving, life-affirming, world-changing tips that will both save time and affirm life while simultaneously changing the world.