by smaclaughlin | Nov 4, 2019 | communication, family, fatherhood, gender bias, marriage, motherhood, parenting
What is gatekeeping and what does it have to do with parenting? gate·keep·ingˈɡātˌkēpiNG/: 1. noun the activity of controlling, and usually limiting, general access to something. I first heard about gatekeeping from a mother for whom I worked as a nanny. She used the...
by smaclaughlin | Jun 16, 2019 | advocacy for children, emotional intelligence, family, fatherhood, gender bias, holidays
And moms, too. Raising kids comes with plenty of conflicting information and no real map or guidebook (thought I’m currently working on changing that!). We know so much about how children’s brains grow and develop. The question is no longer the binary: “nurture...
by smaclaughlin | Jun 15, 2017 | books, family, fatherhood, humor
Sometimes you just want to sit back and relax and read a sweet little book about fatherhood. Sleepless Nights and Kisses for Breakfast: Reflections on Fatherhood is the book for this! Mr. Bussola’s lyrical prose is equal parts shiny and sad. It perfectly captures the...
by smaclaughlin | Feb 18, 2017 | developmental expectations, discipline, family, humor, my life, perspective, poop
One of my Facebook friend’s posted this pic from her kids’ Bananagrams game a couple months ago. So great, right? I mean, “penis-poop-they-eat-toot-but” simply can’t be beat. The best part was that the mom was most upset that they spelled...
by smaclaughlin | Jan 23, 2016 | connection parenting, emotional intelligence, family, limits, mindful parenting, modeling, self-care, Uncategorized
When I ask parents about taking good care of themselves, the answer I hear most frequently, especially from moms, is, “Yeah, I definitely don’t get enough ‘me-time.'” Well, no. No one does. I think there’s a better lens through which to...
by smaclaughlin | Jan 3, 2016 | balance, family, food, play
“A place for kids and their grown-ups.” The above statement couldn’t be more true. If you have a child under the age of 6 or so and you haven’t been to Greenlight recently–GO! I’ve written before about the benefits of play for...
