We’ve certainly heard a lot about the presidential and vice presidential candidates’ roles as parents. What we haven’t heard, however, are their views on work life policy, New York Times reporter Lisa Belkin points out in her blog, “Motherlode: Adventures in Parenting.”“Ask people with children…
I would like to tell parents about a local mathematics tutoring program, currently held at Gonzaga University during both semesters of the school year. It’s held on Saturdays, about three times a month, from 10-11:30 a.m.The tutors are handpicked engineering and mathematics students from Gonzaga.…
Youth shouldn’t wait until high school to study a foreign language, according to numerous experts including Mary Lynn Redmond, an associate professor of education at Wake Forest University and a member of the National Network for Early Language Learning.“Children should start learning a foreign language…
I just finished writing a book about public education called “Betrayed.” The book attempts to answer the question of why so many classrooms aren’t effective for the students. My vision of the problems changed completely as I conducted this research. With the November election coming,…
Thought I'd let you know about a fun book Sam and I are reading together, "Could You? Would You?" by Trudy White.It's a very engaging book filled with questions and simple activities for you and your child to answer or do together.For example: "What's the…
The Spokane County Child Passenger Team will be holding a car seat check this Saturday at Dishman Dodge, 7700 E. Sprague from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. A team of nationally certified technicians will be on hand to provide free car seat checks and information.
It seems there was a bit of a dust up during recess at my son's elementary school."Jackson" said he was voting for Obama which didn't go over well with "Harrison," an avid McCain supporter.The fact that eight-year-olds cannot vote didn't deter the harshness of the…
The RSVP thread prompted me to wonder how often the average parent checks their e-mail?I'm no judge because I'm online several hours a day for work and keep my e-mail up and running while I'm at my desk.But how about the rest of you? Would…
With the recent crisis in the financial markets, I couldn’t help but think about money –- what it means, what it buys, managing money and how much money we really need.Several parents on this blog have told me in the past that one of the…
We are implementing a recycling program in our school. Have any tips or resources to help us be successful with this task?
I’ve never been a big fan of party favors. By the time we make it back home from a birthday party, the backseat of our car is often littered with candy wrappers, ripped-up stickers and plastic toys that the kids barely played with. The best…
Just an update - we're still going ahead with renaming the blog, but I'm going to wait until the new website is up and running, which won't be for a few weeks yet (it will really happen, I promise). Last I heard, we were shooting…
In a recent essay titled, “Split Family, Shared Responsibility,” Oregonian columnist S. Renee Mitchell discusses her experience sending her boys off to another city to live with their dad.“When I decided to divorce my children's father and move to Portland when our twins were 2,…
Sorry to keep talking politics, but there have been so many conversations in recent weeks about women in the political arena, the glass ceiling and the juggling act that parents have to maintain in order to take care of their families and contribute to society.Last…
Lately, I've been playing referee around my house.My kids often end up wanting the same toy (even if there’s two of the same thing) or my son gets too rough or one commits some kind of injustice to the other.After getting in the middle of…
While working on a story about mothers of multiples and a local organization called Miracle Bonus, it occurred to me how most parents have no choice but to learn the art of multi-tasking. It doesn’t really matter how many kids we have or whether or…
Some of you indicated that school is high on your list of important parenting topics, so here’s another education-related blog post…A recent story on ABC news indicated that the average family is expected to spend up to $600 this year on back-to-school supplies and clothes.…
Moderator's note: This thread is being re-posted to allow the discussion to continue...Barry Long, a wedding planner for more than three decades, was recently interviewed by the BBC for a story, “Should children be banned from weddings?” He said children are no longer allowed at…
In their upcoming book, “I Hate School: Why American Kids are Turned Off Learning,” authors Ben Agger and Beth Anne Shelton contend that by the time students reach junior high or high school, they hate school.“Our schools are failing because they are warehouses and work…
Moderator's note: This was originally posted in another thread, but I've moved it to start a new discussion topic.How many single parents do we have out there? I mean, truly single - without a boyfriend, girlfriend, or other adult companion to provide that security and…
I have been out of touch for a while with the blog. My thoughts have been mostly with my girlfriend (thank you for your previous comments) who is now dying of cancer. She does not have much time left. I have never had a friend…
I’m really not a bossy person. But by looking at the posts on this blog, you might conclude that I tend to dominate conversations. Although I moderate this blog, please know that I would love it if others started posting threads of their own.Is there…
As a new mother almost five years ago, one of the things I felt very self-conscious about was breastfeeding in public. I remember having to go to the mall when my son was just a few weeks old and needing to nurse. I was really…
More than 40 major food and beverage marketers spent $1.6 billion (yes, billion) in 2006 to promote their products to kids.That’s the recent finding of a Federal Trade Commission study on food marketing to children and adolescents. Released earlier this week, the report titled “Marketing…
Editor's note - this thread is being re-posted to allow the discussion to continue.There's been plenty of discussion about the Coeur d’Alene mom who got a ticket for injury to a child during last week’s Fourth of July parade.Witnesses said Melissa Farrell was "smacking" her…
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