Free to Be, You and Me! by Wendy Sue Noah


It’s been almost a full year since the pandemic started. No one, especially us parents, could have imagined what life would be like once our kids were sent home, with a “wait and see” message from the schools. All of a sudden, getting toilet paper became a significant challenge, some ...

Interview with Dr. Harvey Karp, author, The Happiest Toddler on the Block – by Melissa Couch Salim


Dr. Harvey Karp is one of America's most-trusted pediatricians and child development experts. He is also the founder and CEO of Happiest Baby, a smart-tech company, creator of SNOO and other parenting solutions.  Dr. Karp practiced pediatrics in Los Angeles for over 25 years. He is on the faculty of ...

How to Beat Stress: The Scientific Guide to Being Happy by Alyssa Shaffer (Book Excerpt)


Excerpted from How to Beat Stress: The Scientific Guide to Being Happy by Alyssa Shaffer, published March 2020 by Centennial Books.    When I was 15, I’m pretty sure my biggest source of stress was whether my parents would finally allow me to get my own (landline) phone in my bedroom. My twins ...

How Parents Make Teenage Behavior Worse, by Carl Pickhardt, Ph.D., author, Who Stole My Child? (Book Excerpt)


Most parents with teenagers are familiar with the things they “should” do with their emotionally sensitive (and sometimes abrasive) adolescents. They give them more space than they used to, allow them to have ample time with friends, and let them sleep in on weekends. But, while knowing what to do ...

The Monster That Isn’t In the Closet by Peggy Bogaard-Lapp


This week a monster has been sentenced to serve the rest of his life in prison for the horrific murder last year of a 10 year-old girl in my town. He himself is a teenager, and that is another sad, sad part of the story.  The teenager, who completely admitted ...

Another Teenager in the House by Sharon O’Donnell


Today my 'baby' turns 13. For so long, he has played the role of my 'little boy', younger brother to Billy and David who are 9 and 6 years older than he is, respectively. As the older ones grew up, started shaving, driving, dating, and going to college -- I ...