Parenting

We've grown up believing that a rising standard of living is an American's birthright. Each new generation, after all, has indeed lived better than the one before. Can our children expect the same? Although it's too soon to predict the outcome, one t...

We've grown up believing that a rising standard of...

"I call them the hovercraft," says Josepha Anders,* the principal of a San Francisco elementary school. "They're the parents who have to know everything that happens at school, have to know how their child feels at each point. They question everythin...

"I call them the hovercraft," says Josepha Anders,...

It may seem like the perfect way to balance job and family. Working from home one or two days a week not only eliminates a commute, but without colleagues popping in to your office, you have uninterrupted blocks of time to get your work done. Product...

It may seem like the perfect way to balance job an...

Does your child have any idea what you do all day after you've said goodbye in the morning? "Being separated while Mom and Dad are at work can be hard on kids," says Phylis Benner, of the Children's Foundation, in Washington, DC, which provides train...

Does your child have any idea what you do all day ...

When Jim and Jill Folstrom flew from their home in Indianapolis last November to pick up the baby they were adopting in Texas, their employer, Eli Lilly and Co., reimbursed $10,000 of their expenses -- about half the adoption's cost. They also each r...

When Jim and Jill Folstrom flew from their home in...

Whether it's a toddler who's deliberately dumped his plate of spaghetti onto the floor or an older child who can't stop whining for one more story before bedtime, it seems our children repeatedly challenge the boundaries we set. No wonder so many par...

Whether it's a toddler who's deliberately dumped h...

Confession #1: Mom Wants to be Left Alone Me time, when you can do whatever you darn well please, becomes practically non-existent once you’re a parent, and our survey found it’s the pre-baby luxury that moms miss most. Out of everything they miss fr...

Confession #1: Mom Wants to be Left Alone Me time,...

Babies are adorable! There's nothing like the love surge of a full-body hug or the amazed pride you feel when your toddler takes his first steps! Enough about the bright side. We do moms a disservice if we only gush about the countless truly terrific...

Babies are adorable! There's nothing like the love...

"Every year, we send a personalized calendar with pictures of our daughter for each month so our relatives can see how much she's grown during the past year." --Connie Lee, Tucson, AZ "Since I'm a military wife and don't live near my hometown, I send...

"Every year, we send a personalized calendar with ...

Parent-teacher conferences. Those three words make many parents nervous. It's understandable: Parents fear hearing the worst about their child's progress and performance, and teachers can sometimes be intimidating. Here are ten strategies to help you...

Parent-teacher conferences. Those three words make...

With my first baby, I discovered that there really is a Land of the Living Dead. It's populated by zombies whose children don't sleep. My son had a voracious appetite, so he (and I) would be up every two hours so he could eat. My daughter was a tough...

With my first baby, I discovered that there really...

Q. Considering the sorry state of our economy, should my kid get a raise in his allowance? Wouldn't it be lovely if we could all get raises, or at least cost-of-living increases, whenever we deserved or needed them? Unfortunately, that's not the way ...

Q. Considering the sorry state of our economy, sho...

If you're looking for a new job, how can you tell whether a supervisor would be supportive of your needs as a parent? You can start with those lists of the "best companies to work for," but just because a manager works for a business with a great rep...

If you're looking for a new job, how can you tell ...

I wasn't one of those women who spend their pregnancy freaking out about whether they'll be a good mother. I mean, I knew that being in charge of someone else's survival would be life-altering and fairly scary, but I didn't worry about sucking at it....

I wasn't one of those women who spend their pregna...

Donna Lynch, who's too embarrassed to use her real name, had potty trained her older boys with very little stress, but after trying for nearly a year with her third son, she met her Waterloo. With two other sons in school and a hectic schedule, Lynch...

Donna Lynch, who's too embarrassed to use her real...

Resolve We've all heard about the terrible twos. But nobody talks about the tantrum-throwing threes or the ferocious fours. So lots of parents are surprised when their preschooler hurls himself on the floor, screaming, after not getting a coloring bo...

Resolve We've all heard about the terrible twos. B...

Q: Recently, I Told My 8-year-old Daughter That I Couldn't Afford Something, and She Said, "But You Work so Much!" What's the Best Way to Explain Where My Paycheck Goes? A: Isn't it great when kids start to want an accounting of your wages? Love that...

Q: Recently, I Told My 8-year-old Daughter That I ...

"It's time to leave, okay?" In yet another futile attempt to make every family member completely happy, I'd tacked "okay?" to the end of my sentence, which had the dreaded effect of turning my statement into a plea. Naturally enough, my 2-year-old tw...

"It's time to leave, okay?" In yet another futile ...

Taking a real vacation around the holidays can be wonderful...or a stress-fest. To make it less aack! and more aah: Let Them Help: "Moms take on the burden of all the planning," says Samantha Brown, host of Great Weekends on the Travel Channel. She s...

Taking a real vacation around the holidays can be ...

1:28 a.m. Every couple of hours, Jack (2 weeks) cries. My wife feeds him, then hands him to me to change his diaper. It's an equitable division of labor, but I wish I could sleep. 2:15 a.m. Jack (1 month) is sleeping between me and my wife because th...

1:28 a.m. Every couple of hours, Jack (2 weeks) cr...

"Don't put her on the coffee table," Lucy barked, "or she'll learn she can climb on it!" "It's no big deal," insisted Todd, hanging onto his newly walking daughter. "She's having fun." My wife, Susan, and I said nothing. We were visiting our friends,...

"Don't put her on the coffee table," Lucy barked, ...