I duct-taped my 3 year old’s car seat buckle.

Yep, you read that right. 

The year was 2006  and we were on vacation in Cape Cod when Claire’s explosive behaviors began. It truly felt like an out of the blue, 180 degree change in our child. The crying, body flailing, and refusal to wear certa...

"I don't know but I'll figure it out."

This is what my then 18 year old daughter Caroline told me after arriving in Japan only to find that the Aupair job she had lined up had fallen through.

😰I world away I was in a bit of mama panic and did what I counsel parents never to do 🤷🏻‍♀️ peppered her w...

My daughter clung to my leg like it was her life force. I took one awkward step, knowing I had to go, that by staying I was only making it harder for both of us, as the teacher pulled my three year old off my body. 

She was bawling. And by the time I got to the car, so was I. 

15 years ago, ...

Toddlers misbehave: at home, in public, at school.

They are small humans exploring the world and testing to see who will hold boundaries with love, consistency and compassion, regardless of where they are.

As parents, the urge to apologize for their behaviors is strong. But when you consider...

I did not have sporty kids,  And I'm not going to lie, I was relieved.  I watched my sister and brother in law, who have three VERY sporty kids, lose their heads juggling the number of practices, games, and tournaments… per sport, per kid, every season of the year. 

They were stressed. They had ...

“Those pants don't really do you any justice.”

My (then) best friend said this to me as we were getting ready to go out dancing for the night. 

I was 18 years old and had spent adolescence and young adulthood hating my body. I self described as “big-boned” and wondered aloud, so my mom was s...

My three kids were born between 2000 and 2005. Their early years were filled with friends and family wanting to give them digital toys that talked, LeapPads, and hand-me-down Ipods. (remember those?)

And me, politely saying “No thank you. I don’t want them to think of technology as a toy.”

T...

My husband is terrible at sharing.  I am not throwing him under the bus. It's true and he’ll tell you as much.  He doesn't like sharing food off his plate.  He refuses to share his tools. And, although he will eventually hand over a sweatshirt when I ask to borrow it, he sends a pointed ‘you better ...

Toddlers are born salespeople. They refuse to take NO for an answer. 

They show up consistently. 

They exhibit persistence.

They use creativity to pose other potential solutions that get them what they want.

You, to say YES.

The truth is that these skill sets are vital parts of becoming a...

How often do you get caught in the trigger trap reaction cycle? It’s so easy to do and hard to break out of! 

Reactions are live-time, high emotion, frustration point solutions. They're short lived, and you have to repeat them over and over and over. And, they often lead to punitive discipline, ...

Traveling as adults is stressful enough. But traveling with kids is a different beast.

The planning. The packing. How does a tiny little human require so much stuff? And, of course, the changing of routines, food options, and sleep.

The first time I took my kids on a plane they were seven an...

Toddlers cry. A lot. It’s their primary way of communicating, well – everything. 

How they feel. What they are thinking. Their opinions. And their preferences as their tiny-little belief systems develop. 

In fact, crying is a healthy sign of early development. Kids who never cry are likely not pro...