(Hillary Frank is the creator, former host and executive producer of the popular parenting podcast, The Longest Shortest Time. Her new book, “Weird Parenting Wins: Bathtub Dining, Family Screams, and Other Hacks from the Parenting Trenches” was released on Jan. 15.)

A few Lifehacker staff members were talking about nesting the other day. You know, that special burst of somewhat frenetic energy that pregnant moms can experience that propels them to get shit ready.

Feeling a little down? Feeling like you’re surrounded by negativity—on the news, at work, at home, on social media? Wondering if humans have lost their ability to appreciate the little things in life?

If you’ve ever tried to reason with a 3-year-old (or a 4-year-old or an 8-year-old, etc.), you know that it’s often an exercise in frustration.

“We’re a family that celebrates,” my son once said during one of our many celebratory dinners for who-knows-what occasion.

I have a friend who took kindergarten prep very seriously. When her son began getting homework in preschool (“homework” and “preschool” being two words that should never go together) and he couldn’t properly identify on the homework that “car” started with the letter “C,” she freaked out.

We got a question last week from a reader asking us about the best apps for tracking newborn feedings and diaper changes. To which my initial response was, “Apps? I used a yellow legal pad.” But then I remembered that was eight years ago, which might as well be 50 years as far as technology for new parents is…

As parents, we do a lot of hand-wringing over how our children will handle social media as they enter their tween and teen years. This sort of stuff wasn’t around when we were their age, we lament. They aren’t mature enough to handle the responsibility, they can’t yet understand the longterm ramifications of what they…

You know that feeling you get when the teacher waves you over for a quick chat at school pick-up? Or when another parent stops you on your way to the car and says, “Hey, I thought you should know...” Or when a neighbor calls out your name as you head up to the front door with an armful of groceries and says, “I have…

A couple of popular YouTubers, whose subscribers are largely kids, are coming under criticism for partnering with and promoting a site that entices users to gamble by spending money to open a digital “mystery box.”

Every day after school, it’s the same scene in my house: My son asks for a snack, I offer up an idea (usually starting with what he chose yesterday or the day before), which he promptly turns down. He might come back to it a few minutes later, after I’ve exhausted all other possibilities, but he never says yes to the…

New parenthood is equally exciting and overwhelming, joyful and terrifying. There’s no shortage of advice out there: If you search for “parenting books” on Amazon, more than 60,000 results will appear. On one hand, it’s nice to live during a time in which information is so readily available. On the other hand, how…

We’re entering the season of boredom. The holidays are over and many of us are staring ahead into at least a few months of less-than-ideal weather, which means our kids are inside more, which means they’re bored.

“I have an idea; tell me if it’s a bad one,” a parent in our Offspring Facebook group posted a few weeks ago. “I’m seriously thinking about getting a small dog bed for my toddler. He likes to cuddle pillows and seems to like something against his back. I really think he would love having his own ‘couch’ in the living…

I am something of a memoir junkie. I don’t exclusively read parenting memoirs (if you haven’t read The Shepherd’s Life or The Night of the Gun yet, I’m sad for you), but 2018 seems to have been The Year of the Parenting/Family Memoir for me.

If you’ve ever driven a baby around town simply because parking would mean waking her, then you know the power of a car’s ability to knock a kid out.

I know, I know. You don’t even want to make resolutions for yourself let alone with your kids. If you approach it the right way, though, and when your kids are at the best ages (5-12 years old seems to be the sweet spot for starting this), you can set them up for good goal-setting habits in the future.

There is much parental hand-wringing over the phenomenon that is Fortnite. It’s not just a social game of survival that kids can play for free from a slew of devices (computer, mobile phone, PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch). Fortnite: Battle Royale is also getting a reputation for being somewhat addicting (…

We teach our kids to ask for something “nicely,” with a please at the beginning and a thank you at the end. We teach them to be polite to neighbors and cashiers and restaurant servers. To hold open doors and say “excuse me” when they burp.

Sometimes it seems like our kids can already navigate technology better than we can. They have the advantage of growing up with tablets and laptops and smart phones at their disposal, while we remember how you used to have to press the #5 on our flip phones three times to get to the letter “L.” (It was annoying, even…