Standing at the brink of thirteen
There’s an endearing, exasperating naivete to this age. She wears eyeliner but doesn’t wash her hair without reminders. Sometimes she leaves the house looking like a million bucks. Other times I turn her around before she hits the breakfast table because I cannot stand to look at the same sloppy gym shorts for even one meal more.
So you just found out your teen is gay? Rule one: don’t freak out
My parents “discovered” that I might be gay when I was 14. I left a Yahoo! chat conversation with my first mutual crush open, and my mother (being the vigilant snoop that she is) happened upon it. Now, don’t get me wrong — I absolutely think monitoring your children’s online activities is an ok thing to do. However, based on my own experience with my parents, I recommend calmly discussing any “questionable” behavior instead of attacking your child when he or she is expressing their inherent sexuality.
Using Harry Potter to teach your little wizards
My realistic dream job would be to edit a collection of “Teaching with Harry Potter” schoolbooks in France. The world created by J.K. Rowling can be used to teach almost every subject to almost any age.
You’re Doing it Right: what 18 years of weird parenting looks like
My good friend Alexander and his wife Nicole just celebrated the graduation of their oldest daughter from high school. I wanted to know what their tricks and tools for raising such stellar kids were, and what I can learn from their experiences. The following is an interview with Alexander.
Recommendations for your kid’s first camera
When thinking about purchasing a camera for a child, there’s a few options to first consider — including budget. I’m going to break down a few different affordable (all under $100) and kid-friendly camera options for all budgets and design tastes.
Respectful parenting begets respectful teens
There seems to be the almost universal belief among North American parents. I’m sure this is a phenomena found elsewhere as well, but I’m just talking about what I’ve personally seen. Kids, whether these are theoretical future children or actual kids, will hate, or, at the very least, dislike their parents. Teenagers hate their parents: everyone knows that.
Stop letting your kid’s freedom of speech be taken away
As parents, I think we should teach our kids all due caution, but there should be outrage here, too. Outrage that their childhoods — their ability to make bad choices and act stupid and be young — is actively being taken from them. Our kids have to live in constant fear and under a constant scrutiny that no other generation has suffered beneath (and no generation should) to the point that, even in their youth they must act with either the constant maturity of adults, or at least under a constant curtain of paranoia.
How I’m preparing myself for my daughter’s future sex life
I am painfully aware that M is quickly approaching the age where she won’t be able to resist the primal urge of her loins, and she will either pursue a sexual relationship or will give into pressure from a boy that she likes. I know this is normal and we all go through it but I want to try and make sure she is prepared to do it safely, and on her terms.