by Stacey
Believe it or not I still read parenting books. I know that some people take this to an extreme, reading the advice of far too many so-called experts, but I have found that a few good ones can actually be very helpful. Parenting is hard. I don’t mind asking for input now and then.
The […]

by Stacey
In my new job as a policy analyst, I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about state tax and budget issues. So now that I’m an expert on money matters, I read with interest this article in the NY Times, about the economics of love. “Economics is the study of the allocation […]

by Stacey
This year Father’s Day came and went with little discussion here about the very important role that dads play in their kids’ lives. So I was glad to see this blog post in the NY Times on this essay posted at PsychCentral on responsible fatherhood so I could circle back to it.
In study after […]

by Stacey
Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama used the occasion of Father’s Day last weekend to talk about the role of fathers in the lives of many black children. This article in the NY Times said that in a speech at a 20,000-member Apostolic Church of God on the South Side near Lake Michigan, Obama delivered […]

Cross-posted at MotherTalkers
by Stacey
A new study in the Journal of Family Psychology shows that it isn’t just babies that moms have to nurture. According to this article in Science Daily, researchers at Ohio State University found that fathers were more involved in the day-to-day care of their infants when they received active encouragement from their […]

by Stacey
A fascinating new study in the journal Cognition shows that three and four-year old children attune to those who provide them with reliable information. According to this short piece in the NY Times Science section, preschoolers spontaneously keep track of the trustworthiness of those around them.
“Humans make mistakes,” Susan A. J. Birch of the […]

Cross-posted at MotherTalkers
by Stacey
New software programs enable parents to learn of everything from their child’s daily class attendance and homework completion to test scores and overall grades throughout the semester, according to this article in the NY Times.
Boy am I glad I’m not a kid anymore. What a nightmare. Sorry if you’re one of […]

by Stacey
A researcher from the University of California Berkeley and mother of two, says that moms do their kids a favor when they make time for themselves. Hurray! According to this blog post by Christine Carter executive director of the Greater Good Science Center, happy mothers may make happy children.
Carter says she regularly takes time […]

by Stacey
A few weeks ago I wrote about talking to my four-year old son Sage about sex. According to this recent article in the Washington Post, parents should plan on having “the talk” early and often.
Today, experts urge parents to welcome questions on sexuality by the time their kids can ask why the sky […]

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 […]