Pledge to be a Better Parent

By Caron Goode

While having breakfast with friends at a restaurant one Saturday morning, I noticed a thirty-something father sharing a meal with his son, about three years old. As he waited for his food, the boy became restless and moved around on his side of the booth. Then he slid under the table and sat on the floor. This action seemed to embarrass his father who kept demanding, "Get up. Don't do that. Get up now." When the boy didn't respond to these orders, the father started kicking him to urge him to come out from under the table. The father's large foot struck his son squarely at the base of the spine with considerable force.  Read on...

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Great Stories: The Littlest Wave

It appears a little wave was bouncing along in the sea having a wonderful time. Suddenly the wave notices that he is going to crash into the beach. The wave begins to cry and scream. Another wave bounces up and asks him what is wrong.

"Don't you see that we are going to crash into the beach and die!", he yells.  Read on...

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Book Review - Great Books About Things Kids Love

By Anna Stewart

If you've ever wandered the library looking for good kids' books, come home with a stack, have your kids look at it and cry, "There's nothing good here," don't cut up your card yet. The distinguished children's librarian, Kathleen Odean, has come to the rescue. Her third guide, Great Books About Things Kids Love: More than 750 Recommended Books for Children 3 to 14 has just arrived for a year of good reading.  Read on...

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Mother Arts: The Rage of Motherhood

By Anna Stewart

There is an image we hold of ourselves as mothers--always patient, always loving, always kind. Every mother wants to be a great mother. She wants her children to think of her as the beautiful queen, the good fairy, and the strong lioness. Before our children are born, we think to ourselves, "I will be the perfect mother. I will always have time to listen, to kiss away tears. I will never yell at or hit my kids. I will teach them compassion and good manners. I will feed them only homemade, nutritious foods. My kids will be different."   Read on...

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Inspired Grandparenting: Living with the Unknown

By Elaine K. Williams

Looking back on my trip to India, I had realized that from the first day a serious chunk of the unfamiliar and unpredictable would be on my daily menu of experiences. At first I found the unfamiliar intimidating.

For instance, after checking into my first hotel room, I was tired, 13 hours behind schedule and confronted with trying to figure out how to turn the lights on in my room. I did all the familiar things...nothing worked.  Read on...