When my oldest was in elementary school, I loved volunteering at her school. If my volunteer duties were in the classroom, I could sneak in a hug or two and could listen in on her lessons. If I was in the copy room, I felt pleased to be supporting the teachers and I...

There is nothing that strikes fear in the heart of a parent quite like a long car trip or plane flight with children. You can plan for temperature fluctuations by throwing a favorite hoodie in your bag or attacks of the “hangries” by stashing extra snacks, but you...

Each summer I impose a special kind of cruelty upon my children – a dreaded “no screens” rule for our long car trips. And when I say long, I mean 12+ hours of riding in the car. I had hoped that being screen-free would build their frustration tolerance and...

When I was a kid, learning about finances was limited to doing chores for an allowance and then saving it in a piggy bank. When I was a bit older, I got to open an account at the bank, but that was the big time. My lack of financial wherewithal showed when I went off...

What if you could help your child be more resilient, see failures as opportunities instead of stop signs, have a greater sense of self-confidence, and be a more curious, engaged learner? You can – by helping your child to develop a growth mindset rather than a fixed...

Social-emotional learning, or SEL, is an education practice that aims to teach both social and emotional skills within the school setting. It equips children with lifelong skills, helping them to develop compassion, thoughtfulness and healthy attitudes, as well as to...

This month, school districts in Austin and the surrounding areas will be marking the 100th day of the school year. It’s a big milestone for children, marking 100 days of learning important new concepts, classroom rules and guidelines, as well as making friends and...

 The saying, “Little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems,” may be true in general, but when it comes to making important choices for our little kids, those choices can feel pretty big! Preschool is your child’s first formal learning experience, and it’s...

There is something divine about a good dog. Simple, trustworthy and loyal to the core, it reflects back to us that which makes us our best selves. In its eyes, we do no wrong and we are always worthy of an effusive greeting, whether we’ve been gone five minutes or...

To kids, Thanksgiving can seem like a second-rate holiday. It doesn’t offer the wild costumes, delayed bedtimes and candy-fueled dreams of Halloween, nor does it come with the present overload, cookies and parties of Christmas or Hanukkah. What Thanksgiving does...

As tired parents of poor sleepers and early risers, my husband and I loved a good playground. We could find a bench, settle our weary bones and watch our kids enjoy being out in the fresh air. We might even occasionally rally to push a swing, accept a make-believe...

  I can vividly recall how I felt as a child as the first day of school approached. It was a unique mix of excitement and trepidation. Somehow, I couldn’t wait to go back just as much as I dreaded the actual day. This year, our children’s feelings about school...