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Often our busy lives seem to be full of many distractions. With the hustle and bustle of everyday, do you feel like you don’t have time to do what you need to do as a parent, or that your skills as a parent could be improved? Here are some thoughts about being a more purposeful […]

All kids have unique natural strengths, or gifts. But there is one common gift among all kids born after 2000: technology skills. Kids today who are born into the digital era are surrounded by technology at the same time they are learning how to speak and acquire language. They innately pick up skills the same […]

Kind Act Ideas for Your Family Join The Children’s Courtyard and Sprout as We Continue to Celebrate Kindness Sprout and The Children’s Courtyard are working together to help make kindness count. Here are 10 fun and simple ideas to get you started. And be sure to share your kind acts with Sprout to help reach […]

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence As parents, we want our children to become caring and responsible citizens, as well as resourceful and resilient adults. So how do we influence our children in […]

In the course of researching my book on modern motherhood, I interviewed hundreds of parents and pored over data reported by nearly a thousand American mothers. But one woman’s observation stopped me in my tracks. When I asked about how she made time for herself, she paused, scratched her head, and studied the floor. A […]

Fall is ordinarily my favorite season. With field trips to the farm, pumpkin spice lattes and a dress-up holiday that’s fair game for adults, what’s not to love? But last October, my seasonal spirits took a nosedive when my older son said: “Why do you love your computer more than me?” That zinger came after […]

“A NINK in da SINK? Too silly, mommy!” Sasha is our youngest. She’s nearly 2, and we’re discovering that she loves Dr. Seuss.  Her current fave is There’s a Wocket in My Pocket! For some reason, that kooky Nink makes her shriek with laughter.  She has the tiny, toddler-sized version of the book, so she […]

My little friend Olivia is 4. She used to be a happy, fun, sociable girl. But since school started, she’s been crabby, whiny, and prone to meltdowns.  At school, she can’t sit still during circle time. And today, she got sent home early for biting her friend Joshua. Is Olivia in the wrong classroom? Does […]

Literacy is an amazing thing. It helps us read the instructions on a shampoo bottle (wet, lather, rinse, repeat) and make sense of the latest e-mail “good luck” chain (send this to 10 people, or else). As I have discussed in previous posts, oral language, reading and writing all come together in this idea of […]

To Plug or Unplug? From our partners at Discovery Kids Puterbugs Thirty minutes? One hour? How much time should your child spend using technology each day? In a world where everything runs on technology, the answer is not just about counting minutes. The answer depends on how it’s being used. Any amount of time a […]

Create Time to Enjoy The Experience of Childhood With Your Child Many of you may have seen the movie The Bucket List. In this movie, two men realize that they have limited time left on this Earth and decide to make the most of it. They make a list of everything they have always wanted […]

There is a word we researchers use to refer to voluntary behavior that aims to help another, like sharing or providing comfort: “prosocial.” Although most parents and teachers would say they value prosocial behavior in children and want to encourage it, it is important to note that not all prosocial behaviors are equal. They can […]