Cross-posted on MotherTalkers
by Stacey
Sometimes the timeout is a mom’s only friend. Gone are the days that many of us would feel comfortable giving our naughty one a swat on the behind, a mouth full of soap, or an admonishment to “Wait until your father gets home!” But according to this article in Slate, we may […]

by Stacey
No one’s kid is perfect. Most of us struggle at some point in the day with our kids’ behavior, at times skillfully getting them to do what we want and other times using threats and bludgeons (okay not really). But some parents struggle more than others. This article in the Washington Post looks at […]

by Stacey
Thanks to many of you who pointed me towards this article in last Sunday’s NY Times magazine on gender-based education. I finally got a chance to read it last night. So let’s get to it.
The article showcases the ideas of Leonard Sax, a pediatrician turned single-sex education advocate who claims that boys and […]

by Stacey
Sorry Sascha. Sometimes it can seem like living with a toddler is like living with a wild animal. Unwanted food gets thrown on the floor, magazines you haven’t read yet get ripped to shreds, puzzle pieces get hurled across the room. But according to this article in the NY Times, one of the nation’s […]

by Stacey
Conventional wisdom holds that divorce is bad for kids. But a new study shows that divorced parents do a good job keeping up with praise, consistency and effective discipline. According to this article on MSNBC.com, divorced and married couples scored equally well on measures of child-rearing practices.
Lisa Strohschein, a sociologist at the University of […]

by Stacey
Should states outlaw spanking? Currently lawmakers in Massachusetts are debating the issue. According to this article in the Boston Herald, the proposed bill was prompted by a local nurse who wants parents to be educated on alternative forms of discipline. Thanks to Salon’s Broadsheet for the tip.
The liberal lot of the Massachusetts legislature are […]

by Stacey
Last Sunday the NY Times Magazine ran a series of articles about college. Getting in, paying for it, advice from the recently graduated, that kind of thing. I know I’ve ranted about this before, but why is this whole getting into college thing so freaking insane? Whenever I read about it, I want to […]

by Stacey
Ambitious young athletes are increasingly turning to sports psychologists for help with fears, phobias, and just plain negative thinking according to this NY Times article. This follows a trend in which kids are specializing in one sport with the hopes of winning college scholarships or the chance to play with premier travel clubs. In […]

by Kristin
there is a literal mountain of dirty laundry in our basement (see photo once i get around to taking it). it’s reaching critical mass down there. yet, i would rather wear that ugly, faded stretched-out shirt with the big grease stain across my chest (socks? who needs socks?) than slog […]

by Stacey
Parents of our generation bribe their kids more than in years past, according to this AP story I read yesterday. The gist of the piece was that we all are too chicken to tell our kids to behave a certain way with the explanation “because I said so,” and as a result we beg […]