children

Children: Our most valuable natural resource.

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My dad sent me his first WeChat message last March. It wasn't text. It was a three‑second voice clip. I tapped it. All I heard was breathing, and after two seconds, he said: "Did you get it?" Then nothing.
By Jin2 months ago in Families
My First Metal Gig For 25 Years! But What The Helloween Should I Wear?
Black leather biker jacket covered in scuffs. Studded wrist band that looks suspiciously like a deadly weapon. A huge wad of thick greasy hair reaching all the way down to some deliberately torn jeans. All very acceptable. Don’t you think?
By Simon Aylward2 months ago in Families
A Vacation of a Lifetime
There are a few moments in life when you’ve just got to bite the bullet and go with your gut instinct. Time is something we all run out of eventually.
By Elizabeth Woods2 months ago in Families
My August in January
There are moments in life you know will come, yet you can’t prepare for them. Like seasons at their end, you know they come; you may even be anxious for them, but once they happen, you lament the past. You grieve what has gone by the wayside, even knowing it will return again, new.
By Alexandra Grant2 months ago in Families
Is This Hell?
It’s too hot for this. I’m lying in bed attempting to write while my son bangs his little, big head on my lower back and hip. As he’s ramming into me like a wild bull all I can do is sit with the flames and prevent myself from erupting. I’ve been a volcano lately. It’s been too hot for this. My stepdaughter has been bullying me, saying my breath stinks, when she has 12 cavities and four of them silver plates in her teeth. It’s too dang hot for this. My three-year old, Aje, keeps eating out the trash and it’s driving me freaking insane. My man is so perfect that I expect him to be perfect all of the time. When he doesn’t meet or exceed my expectations, I’m extremely hard on him. And this is driving both of us crazy. When you finally realize you’re a little toxic too. Is it getting hot in here?! When your one-year-old continues to eat off of the floor and it gives you mini heart aches. I think I’m going to pass out. When your three-year-old won’t stop writing on the darn WALLS! When your seven-year-old, stepdaughter, is trying to teach you how to raise YOUR kids that YOU pushed out for HOURS! OH, MY LORD IS THE WALLS CAVING IN?! When your man has such a soft spot for his daughter that he doesn’t realize she’s manipulating him most of the time to get her way. Yeah, I said it… When you don’t express everything, you feel inside your home because you don’t want to hurt someone's feelings, you let it build up inside until it explodes and then you end up hurting someone anyway. Yeah, I can’t breathe. When your son is still learning how to pee in the toilet, you have to clean and blow dry a mattress every day. When your son KEEPS eating out the trash after you’ve consistently punished him for it. When your one-year-old son types on the keyboard with you and he says, “I’m going to be JUUUST like you when I grow up, mommy.” (Okay that was kind of cute)
By Nala2 months ago in Families
My Parents Have One Son to Be Proud Of, and It's Not Me
At this point, I have written many times about how I have screwed up my life over and over, and how I am still now at a point of desperation and trying to climb up hill battles to fix myself and my life. Well, I have an older brother who, of course, has made his fair share of mistakes as well. However, unlike me, he generally does everything he is meant to do and then goes beyond that a little further.
By Timothy A Rowland2 months ago in Families
The Number That Ate the Child: What We Actually Measure When We Measure “Giftedness”
The first time I sensed something was off about “identifying giftedness” was while designing a set of figural reasoning items for a gifted‑child screening. The task asked children to pick, from six options, “the most creative combination of shapes.” We had defined creativity for scoring purposes as the degree to which an option broke the implied symmetry of the item stem while maintaining a sense of visual balance. One child chose the answer we had keyed as the most creative. In the post‑test interview, I asked him why. He said, “Because it looks like my mom’s eyebrows when she’s angry.”
By Jin2 months ago in Families
I Was a Failure As a New Mom
At thirty-eight, I finally carried a baby to term. After three miscarriages, my dream came true. I owe it to some incredible physicians and to prayerful women. I held my baby in my arms the day I delivered via C-section, and I was in awe. It’s an amazing thing to hold a human being in your arms who grew inside you. I still can’t wrap my head around the concept. New Mom.
By Alexandra Grant2 months ago in Families
Quality Time
How are you doing today? I know the heat is bringing out all kinds of emotions, but the sun also brings people outdoors. Yes, we seek shade and water, but when we stop for iced coffees and ice creams, we see people do the same.
By Elizabeth Woods2 months ago in Families
Doing Her Best
She always tried to do her best. The best she could at being a mother. The best she could as a writer. The best she could at work.
By Sandy Gillman2 months ago in Families
The Daily Call
The teenage years with my son were difficult. I knew they would be. It’s just the way life is. As kids get older, they stretch their wings and push their boundaries. My son was a typical teenager.
By Alexandra Grant2 months ago in Families
Reclaiming Childhood: How a "No Screen Time Until" Checklist Can Transform Family Life
In an era where digital devices are ubiquitous, many parents find themselves battling a silent competitor for their children’s attention: the screen. According to recent surveys, more than 70% of parents wish they could reduce their child’s screen time, citing concerns over mental health, physical inactivity, and the loss of imaginative play. For Becky Mansfield, a mother and advocate for intentional parenting, the solution wasn’t just restriction—it was redirection. Her "No Screen Time Until" printable checklist has become a cornerstone of her family’s routine, teaching her children that screens are a last resort, not a default setting.
By Mark Lim 2 months ago in Families