An easy-to-use, state-by-state resource for pregnancy and parenting laws.Read more…
One Boy, 17 Official Incident Reports and a Better Kind of Discipline
By Louise SloanEveryone wants kids to be safe in school — even us parents of the “bad” kids. But punitive approaches have high costs: Instead of being helped, misbehaving kids are pushed out. Schools need to try something else.Read more…
What to Do When Your Daughter Gets Her Period, Too Young or Right On Time
By KJ Dell'AntoniaIf you’re the parent of a girl, inevitably at some point, she will emerge from the bathroom or come home from school and inform you (not in these words) that her menstrual cycle has begun. Be ready.Read more…
Rare Paralysis in Children Mystifies Doctors |
More than 50 children in 23 states have had mysterious episodes of paralysis to their arms or legs. The cause is not known, although some doctors suspect the cases may be linked to infection with enterovirus 68. Officials said that the cases seemed to be extremely rare. “At the moment, it looks like whatever the chances are of getting this syndrome are less than one in a million,” said the director of the division of viral diseases at the C.D.C. Read more.
How Col. Jeanette McMahon, Retired Military Widow, Does It
By Jeanette McMahon, as told to KJ Dell'AntoniaRight after my husband’s death, we were all struggling. Now, with two of my sons out of high school and only one living at home, I can finally think about what to do next. Read more…
When the Diagnosis Is Rare, Parents May Know More Than Professionals
By David R. WheelerIt’s fine for parents to have more expertise than the pediatrician. In fact, sometimes it’s necessary.Read more…
A Baby Born Exactly According to Plan, a Thousand Miles From Home
By Anna BahneyChances are good that Omaha won’t matter to my new daughter the way it does to me. But no matter what, it will always be a part of her life story.Read more…
Schools With No Playgrounds Teach Kids Not to Play
By Marybeth LimaWhen we provide our children with no time or space to play, first graders play anyway. By third grade, in some places, they think they know better.Read more…
Weekly Quandary: Does the Introverted Preschooler Need ‘Work’?
By KJ Dell'AntoniaShould a reader help her child “work” on taking pleasure in being with others as well as “exploring/playing by himself” or let him be? Read more…
‘Don’t Expect Dinner.’
By Suzanne CopeOn Monday of my third week back at work after our son was born, I came home and found my husband sipping a beer with a frown, a sauce-stained dish in front of him, and no dinner for me.Read more…
Turn Your Princess-Obsessed Toddler Into a Feminist in Eight Easy Steps
By Devorah BlachorImposing a Women’s Studies Curriculum on your Disney Princess. Someday she’ll thank you! Read more…
Eating Chinese Takeout and Dreaming of Brisket
By KJ Dell'AntoniaLast week, dinner did not go as planned. But having the plan still helped. Read more…
Preparing a Child to Own a Mobile Phone — But Not Always Use It
By Barbara SpindelHaving a phone can create a compulsion to do something when doing nothing is so often the better choice.Read more…
Your Turn: A Weekend Thread, Open for Comments
By The New York TimesWelcome to Motherlode’s weekly open thread. Do you have thoughts about the news this week, and how it affects families? A question to ask? A rant to share? This is your place. Go.Read more…
Looking at Soccer’s Concussion Risk, and Asking It to Change
By KJ Dell'AntoniaTalking to kids about personal safety is like talking about retirement planning. We can’t expect them not to play the game to win—so if heading the ball puts kids in danger, then soccer has to change the rules.Read more…