This might be one of the dorkiest memory tricks ever, but it works, so hey. Backstory: Every time I would use a curling iron, which was maybe once a month, I’d always have the exact same anxiety session about ten minutes after leaving my house. Did I unplug it?! My brain would begin a frantic quest to try to remember. …
Did you know that car seats have an expiration date? Yep, that vessel carrying your most precious cargo may no longer be the safest option out there, so it’s important to do some inspecting. You can find the expiration date on the seat itself or in the owner’s manual, or you can call the manufacturer. The average…
When it comes to teens getting enough sleep, numerous forces are working against them. Early school start times are wreaking havoc on their circadian rhythms. An overload of after-school activities is turning bedtime into gotta-start-on-homework time. The buzz of texts from friends, the screens shining in their faces…
There are plenty of accounts from dismayed parents about how they’re losing their kids—or as Chicago Tribune writer Thomas Pace describes “these zombies, who used to be our children”—to Fortnite, the wildly popular video game that’s consuming kids’ days, destroying some schools and spawning neighborhood support…
If you are a parent and have been suddenly thrust into the world of kids’ music, I am sorry. Most of the stuff out there is mind-numbingly bad. Nobody wants to hear Alvin & the Chipmunks singing “Hot body, rock the party,” or another rendition of “Finger Family,” or a tune about a kid who brought home a baby bumblebee…
All day, every day, the struggles your kids face are real. And you can bet they’ll let you know about those said struggles. Maybe they can’t figure out a homework problem. Or how to place the correct arm into the correct armhole of a jacket. Or maybe the moat of their Lego palace does not look like the picture, and…
“Please help me find a replacement for a lost ‘best friend,’” a person who goes by piper2010cameron wrote in an online post. “I have searched everywhere.” The description of the missing companion: A tiny stuffed tiger with orange and black stripes, a small triangular nose and a fuzzy white belly. And then there came…
There’s a wistful idea about college visits that the moment you and your kid step onto the perfect campus, you’ll just know: This is home. In reality, it’s not like that. After a few tours, schools end up feeling more similar than different, and you may be more confused than when you first began.
I am not always the most attentive person when it comes to matters of the home. “What do you mean you’re supposed to clean the ceiling fan and the light switches and the oven racks? Who does that?” So you would think having houseplants around would be a disastrous idea.
You may have taken the quiz as a child: What type of learner are you? You’d answer questions like, “When you see the word cat, are you more likely to a) picture a cat in your head, b) say the word ‘cat’ to yourself, or c) imagine yourself physically petting a cat?” Once you made your selections, your so-called…
The University of Florida Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature has a digital archive of 6,000 children’s books from the 19th and early 20th century, all free to read online. A redditor discovered the treasure and shared it it Reddit’s Books community. Fans of history and children’s literature will be…
There’s a lot of advice about giving your kid a credit card. Find one with a low interest rate. Don’t cosign for the card because you might ruin your own credit. Make it extremely clear to them that yes, it’s real money and yes, they must pay it back on time and in full.
I appreciate the many storage bins, baskets and chests that have contained my kid’s avalanche of toys. They’re pretty—we have a few woven ombré ones. They’re huge. And best of all, I’ve been able to toss things things in there at a rapid-fire pace before guests arrive, and have my house instantly look like it’s…
I 100 percent support thank you cards, both in theory and in practice. But also? Life, man. After your kid has a birthday party, you’ve got to get the cards, track down each guest’s mailing address, find stamps, and if you’re extra enough to let the child write the notes herself, oversee the project for days. (“How do…
Flying almost always comes with some anxiety, but for parents traveling with kids with special needs such as autism, the mere thought of navigating the sensory hurricane that is a busy airport can be terrifying. The crowds, the lines, the announcements piping through the loud speakers, the orders to remove your shoes,…
We’re launching “How I Parent,” a new Offspring column inspired by Lifehacker’s “How I Work” series. We’ll be asking moms and dads to share glimpses of their daily lives and their best tricks and routines for getting things done. The column was sprung from an idea by a member of our Facebook group, who’s talking to us…
Hearing your kids fight is a practice in restraint. You want to jump in, bust out Mom or Dad Voice, and remind them that you didn’t give them the gift of a sibling so they could spend their days screaming about whose cheese cracker is cheesier. However, as we know, there are good reasons to let kids engage in some…
You need a nap—but you’re a parent! We’ve got you. While catching some mid-day zzzs may be more challenging once you have kids (okay, that’s an understatement), it’s not impossible. You just have to be stealthy about it. Here are some sneaky ways to sneak in that nap you’re so desperate for.
As that failed group project in Mr. Palazzo’s 10th grade history class taught me, sometimes we do not work best in teams. In addition to class projects, that goes for getting ready to take a family trip, as well. Usually a night or two before our flight, my husband and I will decide it’s “packing time,” and…
