As a resident in aptly named “Tornado Alley”, I’ve been through a few tornadoes and plenty of severe thunderstorms (even a few blizzards and harrowing ice storms). But the tornadic destruction in the South just takes my breath away. The death and destruction is hard to take in, even when I’m a thousand miles away.

As a parent, you want to help your kids. You also need to plan ahead for your own financial needs. You’ll find some great advice in this financial article I found on Yahoo news. But here’s the thought I had running through my mind the entire time I read it – the title of this article is really missing something.

The little family routines in your day may seem predictable and mundane. But these rituals are the glue that keeps your lives connected.

I always thought I would breastfeed my children, even long before they were born. It turns out I had a few unexpected challenges, but nothing that stopped me from doing the best I could. I thought I had seen trends of improved acceptance for what I was doing. My coworkers seemed OK with it. I saw some articles in the newspaper about moms being proud about their breastfeeding. So many friends of mine and moms in my family were breast feeders as well.

This may sound like a broken record that I’ve played many times before, but stress management for parents is something I feel compelled to proclaim.

Everyone in a family may have a unique way of handling tough things. You and your child can benefit from this variety. Let me show you the variety of ways family members can help a child.

A couple of nights ago, one of my daughters asked me a question about the trouble she’d had with her sisters that day. She said quietly, “Mommy, why do we fight so much?” Just another day in the life of a kid with a sibling (or two).