"On a windy fall afternoon, dozens of children ran, shouting and laughing, across the lawn at Westview Elementary School, enjoying an exuberant game of tag. The kids had been separated into groups labeled Jeeps, Cadillacs and Corvettes by physical education teacher and cross country coach…
Moms and dads who spend a few years staying at home full-time to care for their kids sometimes worry about re-entering the workforce. First, there’s a gap in their resume. Second, by staying at home instead of going to an office or participating in conferences…
Lisa Layera Brunkan is a Spokane mom and a co-founder of the Washington Coalition for School Libraries and Information Technology, an organization that advocates for funding of school libraries. When budget cuts threatened to cut librarian hours at local elementary schools two years ago, Brunkan…
Local author and speaker Deanna Davis was having one of those days. Her baby had spiked a fever and had all the symptoms of a nasty ear infection. Then her toddler daughter came into the room crying and holding her nose. “What’s happened?” Davis asked.…
Around our neighborhood, it takes a village to get our children to and from school. Because some parents have to be at work before the school day begins, some kids stay with other families until the school bus picks them up. After school, some children…
I try to mind my own business, but every once in a while, I can’t help but say something on the playground when a kid gets pushy or aggressive – especially with other kids. Even when the child is not my own. Sometimes the parent…
So. It's my son's 10th birthday and he's having his first sleepover.Except. One of his friends has never been allowed to spend the night away from home. That's cool. Not all kids are ready for sleepovers at 10. But he so wanted to stay.Yet this…
HolaWe’re an interracial family but since our kids are so little, we have never had an in-depth conversation about race. And to be honest, I really wouldn’t know where to start. But the topic has come up. While drawing and coloring one day, my son,…
It’s sometimes hard to compete with screen time – whether it’s a TV show, an interactive website or video games. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids under the age of 6 watch an average of about two hours of screen media a day. Kids…
If a child is spanked at 12 months, he or she is more likely to show aggression as a toddler, according to a recent study conducted at the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University. Researchers found that the children who were spanked…
During a trip to Alaska this summer, I became paranoid of bears. Part of it had to do with an incident last summer involving a 15-year-old cyclist who was mauled by a bear during a bike race. It also didn’t help to wake up one…
If your kids enjoy wildlife and being outdoors, you might consider taking part in “Picnic with the Beavers,” a free, educational event at Liberty Lake County Park on Sunday, Sept. 20. Hosted by the Lands Council, the 2 ½ hour-long gathering includes an easy hike…
I’m not really sure what I did before having children. I know I had lots of fun and did a bit of traveling, but looking back, it’s not clear to me anymore what I did with all my free time. I know I read a…
Sleep remains elusive at my house. My kids are 3 and 5 and even though they start off in their own beds each night, they often end up with mom and dad (or with mom, and dad having to move to one of their beds)…
Chicken fajitas. Cuban black beans. Sauteed corn and summer squash. These are just some of the dishes you’ll find at The Lunch Box Project, an online guidebook to help schools serve healthier meals to our children. The website is part of the “School Food Revolution,”…
People in the Inland Northwest love garage sales. If they’re not driving around rown scoping out other people’s stuff, they’re probably throwing a sale of their own. For parents, these sales often mean great deals on used kids’ clothes, toys and nursery furnishings. Throwing a…
More than 70 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds own a cell phone, according to a study published this month by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. As a point of comparison, the survey -- conducted in 2008 -- noted that 77 percent of all…
In Eastpointe, Mich., a new city ordinance can now send parents to jail or force them to pay fines if their kids under 18 commit crimes. "This obviously gives us another tool in dealing with parents that don't want to take responsibility," the city’s police…
My son will be a kindergartener this fall in his neighborhood public school. But for some parents who live nearby, the school isn’t quite what they have in mind for their own children. Some have opted to send their children to private school. Others have…
What would happen to your kids if you and your spouse suddenly died? According to a 2007 survey, nearly 75 percent of parents with children under 18 have no will or estate documents. That means they also haven’t named a guardian for them in the…
If you’re traveling to Canada with your kids but without your spouse or partner, you need to bring a letter of consent. My husband and I learned this the hard way earlier this summer during a family trip without me to British Columbia. I was…
All preschoolers get grumpy and fussy, but if it’s chronic, it may be a sign of depression. A recent study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health found that children as young as 3 can actually suffer from this disorder that affects as many…
Any kid can play in Mike Lanza’s front yard. That’s because the San Francisco father of three boys turned his garden into a “front yard family room,” where all the kids in the neighborhood have received an open invitation to hang out, play on the…
By the time our second and youngest child graduates from high school, my husband will be two years shy of the official retirement age. (I’ll be 51, just for the record.) On one hand, that seems old to me. When I turned 18, my mother…
I am looking for a woman's shelter that could use a dining set. It is from the 1930's and has 6 chairs. Anyone know of a shelter in need?
This blog is intended to provide a forum for parents to share knowledge and resources. It's a place for parents young and old to combine their experiences raising families into a collective whole to help others.
