Mom's Shining Light

By Michael S. Gisondi

An acquaintance from church called, wound up about what her children see on TV and in the media in general. Her anxiety was catchy. What kind of twisted values come from Brittany and Madonna kissing? Or the violence of Freddie versus Jason? What are kids to think of the dark magic of Harry Potter? As parents and church-goers, shouldn't we band together and do something about it?
Read on...

---

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, but Motherhood Is Even Tougher

By Linda Leary

To my knowledge there is no degree for mothering--no degree called M.O.M. (Masters of Mothering). If there were, there might even be specialty degrees, such as, B.O.M.B. (Bachelors of Mothering Badly). And although these degrees don't really exist, most of us might have thought at times that we had probably earned and deserved a B.O.M.B. degree in raising our future "saviors of the world." How did we manage to do that when we tried to be so careful NOT to make the same mistakes with our own children that our parents had made with us? Read on...

---

Balanced Meals for Busy Families

By Marlena Long, MD, and Marcia Wollerman, Nutritionist

Five Element nutrition originated centuries ago in ancient China. Through careful experimentation and observation, the effects of herbs and foods on humans were categorized and carefully recorded. Each of the Five Elements was associated with a direction, season, organs within the body, color, taste, cooking method as well as with specific foods and food herbs. As we gratefully greet the Spring season, we create meals of new beginnings. The menu tonight features sautéed chicken breasts with mushrooms, sliced steamed yams, steamed asparagus, and a mixed green salad - a beautifully balanced Five Element meal. Read on...

---

Mother Arts: To Go or Not to Go - Attending Our Kids' Sports Activities

By Anna Stewart

In an old Sally Forth comic strip, Hilary's parents talked about the pressures of attending her activities. At first, the mother, wearing a "soccer mom" sweatshirt, felt that she shouldn't attend all of Hilary's activities, "I don't think it's necessarily a good trend for parents to be expected to attend everything their kid is involved in," she said in one panel. "Is it right to make children constantly perform in front of an adult audience? Think of the pressure on the kids," she tells her husband.

Read on...

---

Mother Nurture: What Mom Can Do for Dad

By Rick and Jan Hanson

Q: I've been thinking more about my husband's needs lately, and wondering what I might be able to do for him, even while swamped with kids, laundry, and all the rest. Any suggestions?

When kids come along, a mom and dad have to work harder than ever. Naturally, they each get stressed and depleted. And that means they need more from each than ever! Read on...