By Cara Johnson-Bader Reading – and a love of reading – begins at home. It is important to incorporate daily reading into your child’s schedule. Whether you read together during breakfast, while waiting for an appointment, when you get home from a program or event, or at bedtime, designate a time every day to read…
By Roxanne Drury The beginning of the year is a great time to begin preparing your young child for preschool. As a teacher, I always loved it when a child came to their first day of preschool ready to sit, and ready to learn. There are things parents can do early on to help their…
By Sandy McDaniel In my private Parent Coaching sessions of late, almost every parent has expressed their concern about screaming at their children too much. A parent screams at a child out of frustration and fear. The frustration idea is obvious; the fear concept is less obvious. Afraid that the child has more power in…
By Luke Erickson It’s 2024! We’re here. We made it. Whew! The year 2023 was quite a year for many of us. It was a year of growth, of introspection, of hard decisions, and what is with all this dang traffic, yo?! Our own personal finances are something we all dealt with last year: The…
By Dennis Lopez A tick of the clock By the time this edition of our magazine hits the street, the greatest of all holidays will be over. I write, of course, about New Year’s Day. It’s a bit awe-inspiring. Think about it…in one solitary tick of the clock, each of the majority of the world’s…
Curtis loves football, baseball and math The following information is provided by Wednesday’s Child, an organization that helps Idaho foster children find permanent homes. Twelve-year-old Curtis is an active boy who will do well with a Forever Family who loves adventures. He is a big Los Angeles Rams football fan and dreams of one day…
By Kathy Collard Miller Finally! Mark is asleep. Rising from the rocking chair, I carefully carried my new baby over to his crib, afraid to breath and wake him up. I felt exhausted and couldn’t wait to take a nap. “I hope Darcy is asleep,” I thought. Just as Mark’s sleeping body relaxed onto the…
By Sarah Lyons My children began their Christmas lists in October. Curious to see what made the list this year, I read over my daughter’s shoulder and was shocked to see that she had asked for a doll that spits up and wets itself, an expensive Lego set, and a live donkey. These items were…
By Cara Johnson-Bader Research tells us that practicing gratitude has a powerful impact on a child’s brain and is linked to improved sleep, lower anxiety, improved relationships, empathy, and greater happiness. And naturally, parents want to teach that important skill to their children, so here are a few simple ways, you can teach gratitude at…