…For they shall not break in half when they are faced with unexpected change and challenges.

I found a report today about the connection between marriage and childhood poverty. As you might expect, the report highlighted facts and commentary about how married families experience less poverty.

How soon should your child start wearing deodorant?  How often do your kids floss?  And will they ever remember to do this stuff themselves??

Personal hygiene is an important collection of habits.  It can take time to develop routines to the point where things seem more automatic.  (I hope I’m not still reminding my 7-year old to brush her teeth when she’s a senior in high school.)

Certainly, every kid may need a different amount of support for these tasks.  But by mid to late elementary school, you should be able to stay at least somewhat hands-off.

Today I stared at my blank word processor page for several minutes. No words, no particular bent, no juicy news event on my mind. Just thinking about the many topics I could write about.

‘Tis the season for graduations and last days of school. It’s a time of mixed emotions – anticipation (happy and sad), separation, accomplishment, relief, fear, stress, and more. Where are you on the scale?

When a special day like an anniversary or birthday rolls around, a little fantasy comes along with it. Maybe your love will do something unexpected and romantic. Perhaps your family will have supper and a nice relaxing evening together all planned out. The same kind of thinking can apply to a day like Mother’s Day.

Parenting has become an industry. So many books, videos, experts, (ahem) bloggers, and talk shows tell parents what they should and shouldn’t while raising their kids.

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.