Category Archives: Uncategorized

Calm the Chaos: Parenting Challenging Kids



Powered by RedCircle How do you calm the chaos in your household? Big emotions, power struggles, and challenging behaviors can create (& feed!) chaos, affecting the entire family. And it’s next to impossible for anyone to operate at their best in a constant state of chaos. “I felt like an absolute failure for the first … Continue reading Calm the Chaos: Parenting Challenging Kids


Raising Empowered Athletes w Kirsten Jones



Powered by RedCircle Raising Empowered Athletes, by former D1 athlete Kirsten Jones, is the book parents need to navigate today’s youth sports culture. Kids do not need to begin formal sports instruction in preschool, and they don’t need to specialize in a single sport in order to succeed or excel, Kirsten says. In fact, she … Continue reading Raising Empowered Athletes w Kirsten Jones


Building Boys in a World That Misunderstands Males



Powered by RedCircle Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males is Jen’s second book. Janet says it contains “wise words from a mom who has successfully raised four boys,” “wise words from an author who knows how to weave personal stories with scientific research,” and “wise words from the many experts … Continue reading Building Boys in a World That Misunderstands Males


Kate Mangino on Teaching Boys to be Equal Partners



Kate Mangino is right: “The last thing any working parent needs is to add ‘solve gender inequality’ to their to-do list.”  But if we don’t think about gender inequality in the home, we might end up unintentionally perpetuating it. After all, for most of our lives, females have been assumed to be the primary and … Continue reading Kate Mangino on Teaching Boys to be Equal Partners


Honoring Dads on Father’s Day (& Always)



Father’s Day here in America was first celebrated on June 19, 1910. It wasn’t declared an official holiday until 1972—58 years AFTER  Mother’s Day was made official. Dads have long been assumed to be secondary parents, at best. But popular and persistent stereotypes of fatherhood — though perhaps grounded in some truth — don’t accurately … Continue reading Honoring Dads on Father’s Day (& Always)


Britt Hawthorne on Raising Antiracist Children



Britt Hawthorne, a mom of 2 boys and author Raising Antiracist Children: A Practical Parenting Guide, says that raising antiracist kids requires teaching them to identify unfairness. It includes incorporating an anti-bias lens when doing, well, almost anything. Britt’s oldest son was about 12 years old when his homework required him to imagine he was … Continue reading Britt Hawthorne on Raising Antiracist Children


Raising Next Gen Men



How do we raise next gen men — men who can thrive in the 21st century? “When you’re on a playground, you can’t yell, ‘Hey, Tommy, cut that hegemonic masculinity out!’” says Jake Stika, co-founder of Next Gen Men, a Canadian organization dedicated to changing how the world sees, acts and thinks about masculinity. Parents, … Continue reading Raising Next Gen Men


The Musical Child with Joan Koenig



Is your son musical?  Yes, he is — even if hates singing, doesn’t play an instrument, and acts up in music class. Human beings are inherently musical creatures, according to Joan Koenig, author of The Musical Child: Using the Power of Music to Raise Children Who Are Happy, Healthy, and Whole. In her book, Joan … Continue reading The Musical Child with Joan Koenig


You Can Thrive with Chronic Illness and Special Needs



Yes, you can thrive with chronic illness and special needs. In fact, you can create a Very Happy Story no matter what challenges you’re dealing with on the home front. Liza Blas, a mom of two, created the Very Happy Stories podcast and blog after realizing that her overwhelm was overwhelming her family. She also … Continue reading You Can Thrive with Chronic Illness and Special Needs