Ages + Stages

To kindergarten or not to kindergarten? That is a question for many parents with children who have birthdays on the months immediately preceding the cutoff date. In a time when expectations of young children are increasing, and kindergarten in Oregon is now...

My son decided in 3rd grade he was done with soccer and wanted to play youth football. His friends were all sticking to soccer and he still loved to play, but a poster of boys in full pads and...

I remember when I was a kid, the air was warm and electric as I got off the bus on that last day of school. I remember sliding barefoot through the grass as the sprinkler sprayed ice cold water on me....

The days of quarantine will hopefully be over soon, the sun will be shining and all of our favorite mountain biking trails will be open again.  There are few feelings in the world as rewarding as sharing an activity that...

Halloween has a tendency to create some conflicted feelings in us as parents. Our child self so deeply remembers the joy of having the opportunity to gather vast amounts of candy, swapping and enjoying to our hearts content.  Our adult self...

It only happens once in a child’s life. The great first birthday. There’s something about ‘one’ that gets us parents in a fervor. Turning one isn’t just the first real birthday we can celebrate with a party, it’s also...

My sister mentioned to me she has started to teach her daughter to “check in.” She learned this strategy from the way I parent my kids. It got me thinking about why I taught them to check in when...

"I can't believe you failed me! I worked hard in this class and I deserve a passing grade." My student emailed me this message recently after she discovered her final grade at the end of the term. This student had...

Raising kids is hard. They reveal areas needing growth, challenge us to the very core, trigger past trauma, and threaten our sanity every day.  Then when you have a high needs child, it adds another layer of intensity. And yet, most...

Will this mom thing ever get easier? Nope. Not easier. Just different. I've cracked the code, friends. Basically through each stage, your problems just move to a different area of your house. Trouble has somehow gotten ahold of your...