There's no rush to grow up, and a lot of kids want to hold onto their childhoods while they can. We can't and shouldn't shelter kids from everything, but we can and should protect childhood.

Letting Childhood Linger in a World that Rushes Adulthood

My 11-year-old daughter plops down next to me on the couch, curling her legs up into a ball. She says nothing, but her furrowed brow makes it clear something is bothering her. “What the matter?” I ask, praying it’s not something horrible. (I always pray it’s not something horrible.) …

The Brave and Beautiful Act of Asking for Help

A mom friend of mine wrote this in her Facebook status the other day: Dear ones, my family is going through a difficult time while P’s cochlear implants are not working. She feels cut off from the world and very …

I Didn’t Have Children to Make Myself Happy

A new study made waves online this week, describing how having a first child makes parents more unhappy than divorce, unemployment, or even the death of a spouse. My first thought upon reading about the study was, “Huh. Interesting.” My second thought …

Parenting Off Paper

Parenting Off Paper

3:30 a.m. A mother’s voice shakes as she hums, pulling the swaddling blanket tighter around her baby. That’s got to be too tight, she thinks. The Book says swaddling tightly will calm him down. Baby wails and kicks against the blanket. It just …

Five Things Breastfeeding Advocates Need to Stop Doing

I consider myself a breastfeeding advocate. I breastfed all three of my children through toddlerhood. My mom was a La Leche League leader when I was little and recently retired as a professional lactation consultant. I grew up knowing the ins and …