I’ve got an aversion to the term “teachable moment”—usually because I’m rarely prepared when the teachable moment arrives. That’s our job as parents, right? To turn frustrating, hair-yanking moments into opportunities for learning? But here’s the thing: If I’m supposed to be teaching these “teachable moments,” it’d be nice to know more than 37 seconds […]
True Parent
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“An Explosion of Family Homelessness”
The Housing Crisis Created a Boom in First-Time Homeless Families
The math is simple but the results are heartbreaking: The population of the Portland area is increasing far faster than the supply of affordable housing. That’s forcing more and more lower-income families into homelessness for the first time. Portland is facing, according to Human Solutions Executive Director Andy Miller, “an explosion of family homelessness,” with […]
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Ask the Parent!
“Help! My Son’s a Lazy Bum!”
I’m a divorced working mom, and need every little bit of help I can get. But my eight-year-old son has to be told three times to pick his pajamas off the floor, and by then I’m yelling at him and feeling like a real a-hole. Then when I ask for help with household chores, he […]
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The Sexy Sexless Parent
Bedroom Death? Here are Six Tips to Put You Back on the Road to Sexy Town.
If you noticed a distinct drop in libido after your kids were born, you are most certainly not alone. Turning your focus away from each other and to your child is a natural reaction—but the sacrifice is often a healthy sexual relationship. Take heart! There are ways to get your sex life back on track. […]
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You Worry Too Much!
Competitive Sports; Non-Competitive Kids
On any given Saturday, the local parks are teeming with kids playing soccer and parents encouraging them to be more aggressive—with some children being more successful than others. You see it especially in younger players: those “daisy pickers” who hang around in the backfield chatting with teammates or staring off into another dimension as an […]
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Build a Better Parent
Sleep Training… for Parents!
Sleep training… for parents!
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True Book Reviews
Raising Boys and Girls: There Is a Difference
Your teenage son just gave you a cagey response when you asked why he got home last night way past his curfew; your tween daughter isn’t saying where she suddenly acquired a new supply of glossy magazines—when you know they aren’t from the library or purchased with her allowance. So, you’ve caught both of your […]
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The Journey to ’Ohana
How One Grieving Mother Followed Her Vision to Help Other Parents
In 2013, I founded ’Ohana Oasis—a non-profit organization that provides weeklong retreats for parents who have experienced the death of a child. And as you may have already guessed, my child died too. Her name was Alison Belle, and I lost her to a brain tumor at the age of five. I absolutely adored being […]
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Mom, You Are Kind of Weird
Coming Out in Front of Other Parents is One Thing… But What Will the Kids Think?
WHEN I volunteered to facilitate the LGBT parent affinity group at my kids’ elementary school, I didn’t think ahead to the moment when everyone would gather in the gymnasium and each facilitator would report back on behalf of the group. It had been a long time since I’d outed myself from the front of a […]
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Dangerous Parenting
My Kid, the Pantywaist
Everybody knows that raising kids with consciousness is hard. But it is especially tough to raise a woke, patriarchy-smashing son when you grew up with a misogynist father and a mother who was a corporal in the US Marine Corps. I vacillate between wanting to cultivate my son’s sensitive, emotionally in-touch side and telling him […]
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Big Mother Is Watching
Apps to Help You Keep Tabs on Your Kids
Okay, admit it. You’ve been a little curious about your tween’s or teen’s private social life, especially if they have a phone of their own. A lot’s changed since the old spin-the-bottle days, and unfortunately for our selfie-obsessed culture, the internet is forever. That said, kids deserve to have private lives—but should we be in […]
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An Undiminished Life
How I Stopped Being a Disability Super Mom
Late in my second trimester I was hit with the thought, “What if this baby grows up to be someone I don’t like?” At the time, my worst fear was that my child would turn out to be a drug addict, a religious zealot, or a Republican. My partner and I didn’t want to know […]