I’m a parent who tries to infuse greater purpose into activities I do with my kid. I don’t mean in an obvious or prissy way—I’m talking about sneaking fun into a job, such as the time I directed him to whack down the bush in our yard after explaining we were planning to remove it. […]
True Parent
Posted inTrue Parent
The Toddlers’ Guide to Successful Parent Management
Or, What to Expect of Your Parents
Congratulations! You are two years old. By now, you will have gotten well acquainted with the people you call “parents”: their charms, their foibles, their many strange and hairy parts. But you may be wondering about the next steps toward raising parents you can be proud to call your own. And if you are reading […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Getting Kids Outdoors
Balancing tech with outdoor play is something I bet you’ve fretted over in your daily fretting routine—but getting your kids into nature doesn’t necessarily mean outfitting them in Patagonia and embarking on miles-long wilderness excursions. A strip of woods at the edge of a park, or even a vacant lot (if you can find one), […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Don’t Be a Butthole Soccer Dad
Butthole soccer dads are the worst—and it’s really tough not to be one. Getting caught up emotionally in a game, especially if your kid is involved, is insanely difficult to avoid, but it’s imperative to your child’s mental health and your sterling reputation within the community. So JUST… CALM… DOWN. Here are some tips to […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Build A Better Parent
Outrunning the Holiday Tsunami
As Yuletide descends like a slow-moving Santa-laden tsunami, you have visions of empty pockets from fruitless shopping, ringing ears from canned jingles, and the trickle of cold sweat down your back as you race toward a new year. As a parent, you want to demonstrate to your kids some moderate enjoyment of the season, while […]
Posted inTrue Parent
The Indoorsy Type
Fun Ways to Endure the Endless Winter Break
Everyone talks about how great it is to get fresh air, and the importance of taking kids outside every day—even in the off-season. But you know what? It’s cold and icky out, and I don’t want to. There, I said it. The problem is, your kid is out of school. Again. So many days off […]
Posted inTrue Parent
A Very Blended Family
When Your Holiday Traditions Get Tossed Out the Window
The holidays are full of fun, excitement, and—oh, right—lots of stress and very personal family traditions. It all adds up to a potential minefield if you’re part of a blended family and dealing with expectations and emotions of ex-spouses, new partners, and kids who may feel caught in the middle. Whether you’re newly married, divorced, […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Embracing the Worst Holiday Ever
Holidays can be complex for a plethora of reasons. You may have built up expectations in your head that would make Clark Griswold jealous. Or maybe you’re already stressed about your holiday budget or the emotional cost that could continue deep into 2016. It’s the time of year when we become acutely aware of recent […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Ask the Parent!
Better Not Pout, Better Not Lie
Got a question too embarrassing to ask anyone else? Send it to asktheparent@trueparent.com, and we’ll find an expert parent to answer it for you! This month we have licensed professional counselor Holly Shumway dishing out the real talk. We’re a “Santa Claus household,” but our 10-year-old son is beginning to express doubts, while our six-year-old […]
Posted inTrue Parent
An iPad to Remember
I got my 10-year old daughter an iPad for Christmas last year. Ordinarily I’m not the type to give my child something extravagant. See, I raise her with the same beliefs my mother taught me: not getting what we want makes us who we are; and no matter where you are in the house, when […]
Posted inTrue Parent
The Secret Weapon
Are Moms Behind the Changing Cannabis Culture in Oregon?
Moms, it turns out, had a lot to do with the legalization of marijuana in Oregon. On October 17, 2014, a group of cheerful-looking Oregon mothers stood holding their toddlers and elementary-aged children in front of a table covered with signs that read “regulate it,” and explained to the world why they were for cannabis […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Parent to Parent
“Stay Frosty”
Snap to attention, soldiers! It’s holiday time again, and you know what that means: building an impenetrable wall around your sanity, because the crap… is about… to hit… the fan. Here’s the briefest sampling of what you can expect over the next two months: Annoying guests flooding in from out of town; schools slamming their […]