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Family traditions allow us to transcend time because they invite us to breathe new life into personal memories and family stories. Most of us tag favorite memories with happy associations of celebrations, holidays and vacations. Like dots on a timeline or crumbs on a trail, [...]

Teaching patience requires, first, that we learn it ourselves because the truth is that our children do as we do and not as we say. After becoming impatient while sifting through articles on patience, I realized that I have work to do when it comes [...]

If I had to choose between raising a happy child or a benevolent one, which would it be? Hmmm. The answer might be obvious to some parents but when raising children, it wasn’t to me. I suspect that most parents want kids who are both happy [...]

Build a Fort Play Hopscotch Plan a Picnic Collect Rocks to Paint Chase Butterflies Play Whiffle Ball Ride a Bike Watch Birds Plant a Garden Jump Rope Make Mud Pies Set Up a Lemonade Stand Draw with Sidewalk Chalk Jump in Puddles Find Shapes in [...]

I’ve come to regard the summer games we play as the bells that call our children home. We’re all counting the days until July 4th weekend when our family gathers with cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters and brothers to celebrate one another and our independence – [...]

Find out whether your level of patience measures up when it comes to empowering your children in the kitchen and in life. It’s no secret that it’s easier to do something ourselves than take the time to teach someone else. Nobody knows this better than [...]

It takes patience and creativity to start an honest conversation with your child about her day. It’s best to avoid limiting questions with “Yes” or “No” answers. Instead, ask open-ended questions that invite her to consider how she feels about specific aspects of her day. [...]

When it comes to patience, I’m not likely to win any awards. The only exception is the time I spend in my garden. I thoroughly enjoy the wait for each perennial plant to bloom. It’s like I’m standing at the gate of an amusement park [...]

Take Your Child to Work Day is a great opportunity to teach kids about responsibility, as well as Kindness, Gratitude, Joy, Teamwork, and Hope.

It’s easy to reframe chores as contributions when we invite kids into the conversation and ask them to share some responsibility.

One of the most respectful words in the English language is, “No.” And that’s why we need to teach our children (and, maybe, ourselves) how to say it, with conviction and without explanation. A respectful, “No,” can be liberating for all involved because it’s honest [...]

In our quest for sustainable farms, buildings, and overall living, we don’t talk much about sustainable love. When I’m asked what the key ingredient to a long and happy relationship is, the practicality of my answer – consistent investments – startles some people. As with [...]

When it comes to teaching children responsibility, parents have to do more than model good behavior. As a matter of fact, we need to do less. You know the expression, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man [...]

Jan looks forward to this season and her turn to host her husband’s extended family for a holiday dinner. She sets the menu, selects the wine, orders extra tables and chairs, picks a color scheme for the decor and happily tells everyone she has it [...]

With kids back at school and fall schedules in full swing, I’ve found myself involved in dozens of conversations about college visits. I decided to share a valuable lesson I learned on my first college visit: The 24-Hour Rule.