At first glance, having a baby and going on a honeymoon may appear to have nothing in common. One is a fabulous vacation and the other is a decidedly unglamorous jumble of sleep deprivation, spit-up covered clothing, and never-ending laundry. But when it comes down to it, both mark a major transition in life that... Continue Reading →

Living in Central Texas, getting out to water is a necessity for surviving four or five months of heat.  Fortunately, we have a variety of amazing swimming holes here in the Austin area. That also means there is a lot of pressure to learn to swim early. There are baby swim classes for kids as... Continue Reading →

Nothing says summer like snacking on watermelon, strawberries, and popsicles between dips into the water. Our fruit consumption really goes through the roof during the summer months, which I mostly love. The only part I don't love is that fruit isn't very filling, so it will leave kids (and adults) constantly in search of another... Continue Reading →

Last summer a colleague and I were chatting about life with kids. His baby was approaching a year old and he mentioned that his wife was starting to feel pressure to wean, despite not feeling ready. I assured him that my kids were nowhere near ready to wean at that age either. Then came an... Continue Reading →

It may seem like the last thing the world needs is another parenting style. There is attachment parenting and peaceful parenting; helicopter parenting and slow parenting; tiger parenting and elephant parenting; RIE parenting and the CTFD method. I’m going to sweep these aside for a moment and focus on an analogy: Raising kids is like... Continue Reading →

When someone first envisions homeschooling, the first thought is often a family replicating the school environment at home. Lessons start promptly at 8:30am, with children working studiously around the kitchen table until a break for lunch at noon. After the lunch break, lessons continue until 2:30pm. Then the homeschool day is over. But, for a... Continue Reading →

“Mama, will you play on the train with me?” my daughter asked, lining up the dining chairs to form a line of seats. “Sure! Where’s my seat on the train?” I responded, thinking we were about to engage in some good, old-fashioned pretend play together. This is what childhood is supposed to be all about,... Continue Reading →

ARE YOU STILL BREASTFEEDING? Yes, we are still breastfeeding. Many of us continue to nurse until our children outgrow the need. Others choose to employ some gentle weaning strategies. We will probably point out that the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for a minimum of two years, and thereafter as long as the mother and... Continue Reading →

If you’ve been a homeschooling or unschooling parent for a while, you are probably already familiar with people commenting on and questioning your choices, or trying to single-handedly determine your child’s level of knowledge on the spot.  Next time you find yourself in the line of fire, try one of these responses. 1. What about... Continue Reading →

I’ve been in school almost my entire life. I started preschool shortly before turning 3. I started elementary school at age 6. I followed the standard path through middle school and high school and then went directly to college. After college I earned two Master’s degrees and then a PhD. Even after that I didn’t... Continue Reading →