Conversations

Get access to our latest news by signing up for our newsletter.

A boy is hodling sea shell and watching them
Parenthood

The Renaissance of Pagan Parenting

Soulful, decentralized, non-hierarchical, intersectional, and green – paganism's infinite incarnations appeal to the earnest and the edgy alike.

Is That Your Child or a Wild Animal?

This is a submission in our monthly contest. January’s theme is "Wild." Recently I took the kids to the local zoo. Yep, all three kiddies and me. We thought it would be a nice way to kick off summe...

Parenthood Kid enjoying gaming moment with hands of Parents

Why Am I Apologizing For My Outgoing Toddler?

My kid scares people. Actually, she tends to terrify them. It happens almost everywhere we go and generally in the same sequence of events.

Parenthood A boy seeing angrily with all toys dismantle

A Totally Employable Strategy for Keeping Your Kid's Room Tidy

Telling them they might suffocate under that pile of dress up clothes isn't as effective as you'd expect.

Parenthood A girl is smiling inside water and a boy is stearing her

Date A Jerk – And Other Tips on Love for My Daughter

You will fall in love, more than once, in the years to come.

Parenthood A Teacher Teaching guitar to student

11 Ideals Great Teachers Employ That Also Work for Parents

There are at least two ways in which teaching and parenting are similar: Teaching styles and parenting styles both affect social, educational, and psychological outcomes. Both teachers and parents ...

Parenthood Sneeking from barrack

The Birds, the Bees, and…Tiger Butts?

When she sleeps she looks exactly like she did when she was a tiny tot in her crib. How can she possibly be standing on the edge of puberty?

Parenthood Husband is playing with kids toy bicycle while wife is looking strange at him

Can Your Myers-Briggs Type Affect How You Parent?

Know your strengths. And your weaknesses.

Parenthood Family on a sofa  mother staring to father

How to Survive Parenting With Your Polar Opposite

When I married my husband, I cherished our differences for what they signaled – compromise. Then we had kids.

Parenthood hair coming out of head of a child

5 Ways to Shield Your Kids From Your Anxiety

The more anxious you are, the more likely your children are to suffer from anxiety-related disorders.

Parenthood A girl wearing earphone and using phone

3 Reasons to Stop Demonizing Our Teens Use of Screens

Parenting teenagers can be hard, especially when they are dealing with stuff that wasn’t even invented in our own teenagehood.

Parenthood A lady's eyes opened , hands on chin

Uh oh. Did I Kill My Son’s Hamster?

“Mom, come quick! There’s something wrong with Champion!” We had just returned home late at night from an overnight visit with out-of-town friends when I heard my 12-year-old son, Tanner, call from...

Parenthood People using phones

Will Technology Make My Kid Fat, Dumb, and Mean?

The truth is more complicated -- and a lot less scary.

Parenthood Baby milk feeding
Parenthood 7 on cup cake

Until He's Eight, Seven is the Best Age

At seven, we realize that we must let them grow up, much sooner than we’d like.

Parenthood Piggy bank wearing spectacle

What You Can Do Now to Pave Your Kids' Path to College

And no, it doesn't involve winning the lottery.

Parenthood Girl eating candy lolipop

Harnessing the Power of Yes (in a Jar)

Think about how many intentionally, or unintentionally, negative things you say to your kids daily. Are you offering six affirmations to counterbalance that?

Parenthood Father reading a novel in bed , child laughing and lying on bed

When Time With Your Kids is Quality Over Quantity, Do This

Whether you're busy, divorced, distracted, or all three, there are still ways to make quality time with your kid.

Parenthood Clouds drawing on a kid

Don't Let My Kid Fool You, She's No Perfect Angel

Have I noticed how well they share with others? I never have any words. I don’t because I can’t even force an answer.

Parenthood Lady doing makeup on a circle mirror

The 20-Second Mascara Trick Every Mom Should Know

Because 20 seconds is generally all you've got.

Parenthood Family sitting on a sofa

Your Kid Probably Knows What "The F-Word" Means (And That's Ok)

The more context kids have for profanity, they better they are able to make informed decisions about whether to use it and, if they do, when and how.

Parenthood Couple on sofa, woman legs on man's lap

When My Son Left the Nest and Took My Favorite Sofa

Just before entering graduate school at our state university, my son abandoned the nest and took our living room sofa. My wife, Shelley, had never liked the sofa — too big, too green, long as a bus...

Parenthood Girls talking, friends

Forget the Mom Tribe – Find Your Advisory Committee

Consult your Rolodex of subject-specific mentors.

Parenthood Child holding hand of a woman