11 Things in Your Kitchen Right Now That’ll Kill You!
Wheat is one of the deadliest foods that kill. It can give you “wheat belly;” making you bulbous and inflamed …
Category: Parenting
Inspiration From a Teacher With My Daughter When an “Active Shooter” Terrorized UCLA
“As we sat together in silence, I called each of your names, and in the quiet of that room, where the tension was still thick with not knowing, I wanted to say your names over and over again.”
He Answered the Door With a Gun
What happened in the hot tub stays in the hot tub. Let’s just say I did not lose my virginity there, but the Kraken had been unleashed …
How to Handle the “Sex Talk” With Kids
“Mom, how old do I need to be before I can have sex?” Oh, crap. I am suddenly thrust into a very important conversation with the question-asker, my 9-year old daughter, that I WAS NOT expecting.
Advocating for Public Education
I want your child to come to our neighborhood middle school, Emerson Community Charter. So there’s my agenda right out there in the open.
How I Made My Daughter A Better Athlete!
I stalked left field like a panther, my stride sinuous. Predatory.
A Plea to the Overachieving Mothers!
I’m a terrible mother! For all I know the drama kid’s really staying at school till four playing craps against the side of the handball court with a coupla middle schoolers named Vinnie and Jett …
10 Things NOT to do on Your Child’s School Field Trip
When the Bossy Docent yells at a child for pulling a pine cone off a tree, yelling, “Leave this land exactly as you found it,” do not whisper to your child’s teacher …
Zen and the Art of Sailing During A Small Craft Advisory Warning
I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to barf. I didn’t want to get salty. I didn’t want to smell feces. I didn’t
If Corrupting My Child Is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna Be Right
We’re the parents who allowed our 12-year old daughter to watch two R-rated movies. Is it my imagination, or have our phones stopped ringing
What Happened When I Forced my Daughter into the Ocean
Bad Parenting 101 The day was perfect for boogie boarding at the beach. The tubes were hollow, the pits weren’t dropping, there weren’t any bombs
5 Summer Camp Activities My Kids Hated
I did something that totally pissed my kids off. I sent them to summer sports camp so I could work and try to make money
Daughters are from Venus, Daddies are from Mars
The Father Daughter Relationship Daddies value quiet, calm, cool-headedness, solutions to problems and a frothy lager. Daughters value love, acceptance, patience and a safe place
The Exquisite Maternal Martyr
“Alright fine, let’s just go! No one wants to be here anyway, so let’s just go home and all get on our electronic devices in
10 Ways Having Kids Changed My Life
When the nurse placed my first swaddled newborn on my chest right after I gave birth, I believe the first words out of my mouth
Experts Say, “Don’t Tell Your Daughter She’s Pretty!”
There’s a trend in parenting to compliment our children’s abilities rather than their appearance. The lead in a recent Daily Telegraph article states: “Parents should stop
Sex and Drugs “To Don’t” List For Teenagers
My kids don’t do what I say. Especially in the morning before school (TMBS). In TMBS they become spaced-out love children in the Haight
The Post In Which I Fail As A Mother
Me to Bridget (aged 9) when I fail as a mother: Honey, I’m sorry I lost it with daddy in front of you today.
What Makes Me Feel Optimistic In A World Full Of Bad News
If you read my blog you know I’m capable of catastrophic Irish morbidity. Case in point. When my daughters strike an aloof attitude toward me
In Defense of a Commercial Christmas
We Collearys are not a religious people. Henry’s a recovering Catholic. I was raised Mormon and love them dearly, but simply could not commit to
My Name Is Tom
Last week I picked my daughters and a friend of theirs up from school. We made a pitstop at our favorite taco truck in
How I Ended Up Holding A Package of Brains
Why You Should Support Public Education I was a little startled to find myself holding a package containing twelve vacuum-packed brains last Wednesday. “Please tell
The Surprising Thing That Happened When I Parented Someone Else’s Child?
When other people’s children are in my care I treat them like they’re mine. I didn’t used to do this, but I’ve had kids
What Happened When I Said “No” To My Daughter
My daughters’ snuggles are my form of crack. On a biochemical level, my body sinks into a deeper calm when I hold them. And it
When Your Daughter Hits Below The Belt
It seemed like an ordinary night. There were no harbingers of doom — A murder of black crows on the telephone wires outside. A
