Robert Carnes When my wife and I told people that we were going to have a baby, they often asked what I was most looking forward to about being a new parent. My answer? The tax exemptions. I’m only kidding; my wife is a CPA, so that was always her answer. No, I most looked…
Lauren Terrell “I will never be friends with Will*! He has a funny looking hand, and I will never play with him!” my 4-year-old passionately declared the moment she climbed in the backseat of our car after her first day of pre-k. I froze, eyes wide, mouth open. My eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror…
Carey Nieuwhof There is a moment . . . okay, a series of moments . . . that test the outer limit of every parent’s patience. As much as I used the timeout chair on my kids when they were small, there were moments where truthfully I should have been sat on the time out chair when…
(This is an excerpt from the Phase Guides by Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner) Parenting is hard. Just when you think you understand your child, everything changes. And then you have to get re-acquainted and figure out a new way to parent. It might be helpful to know that every kid at every phase is asking a…
This has been adapted from the Phase Series by Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy Parenting is hard. Just when you think you understand your kid, everything changes. And then you have to get re-acquainted with them and figure out a new way to parent. It might be helpful to know that every kid at every phase is…
Leah Jennings I can count on one hand the amount of things I love more than I love Zumba. Zumba and me go way back: I started taking the fitness class at a point in my life when I was the most downtrodden I’d ever felt—I had been laid off from my first job after…
Jon Acuff How do you NOT embarrass your teen? You can’t. The end. Good article everyone. I’ll be here all week. Make sure to tip your waiters. It’s impossible, right? You’re going to embarrass your teenager on some level in some way. That’s just a fact of life. You take the good, you take the…
Diane Dokko Kim Autism. Diagnosis code 299.00 Our toddler could barely walk when his future ran out on him. The slippery slope from diagnosis to the dissolution of dreams is steep and cruel. Regardless how rare a child’s condition, the heart of every special-needs parent tumbles into a universal pit of despair, “He may never…
Crystal Chiang Helping your child transition from one phase to the next is never easy. You probably remember the first day of kindergarten, the first day of middle school, or the day they got their driver’s license. Chances are, at each phase, you found yourself the same, very important, question: Do they have everything they…
Chajay Wise Summertime is here—and that means more free time for the little people in my home. Between pools, playdates, camps, and finding the right time to just relax, summer can be another full time job. I don’t know about your kiddos, but mine are out of school for exactly 10 weeks which can seem…