Parenting Perspective + Experience

When my oldest son was in the first grade, he went to the writing center in his classroom every single day of school in December. At the writing center, he got to write a letter to Santa with all...

“Merry Christmas!” “Is your baby excited for his first Christmas?” “I can’t wait until your son sits on Santa’s lap!” Above are examples of phrases and questions I’ve heard from strangers, acquaintances and our family medical practitioners regarding the holiday season. I’d...

There are many jokes about East Side vs. West Side in Cincinnati. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard most of them.  The West Side (Bridgetown, Cheviot, Monfort Heights, Delhi, Colerain, Harrison, and Western Hills) is mostly anything west of I-75 and...

I never thought about how I'd raise my kids. All I thought about was having children. But now that I have a daughter and a son, all I seem to be thinking about is what kind of people they are...

There are many different ways to give back during the holidays. Last Christmas, I purchased a Giving Manger for my family, which, according to the website, “helps families shift the focus of Christmas back to giving. A piece of straw...

When you think of Christmas traditions, one usually thinks of making and decorating cookies together, advent calendars, decorating the tree or making salt dough ornaments for the tree. Sure, those are all fun and typical holiday traditions. But how about...

Make your list and check it twice for some new Christmas reads the whole family will enjoy! Reading offers a wonderful way for families to slow down and take a breath during a busy Christmas season. There are some amazing...

Tonight, I went to an end-of-season soccer party for the whole school my daughter attends (the third one I’ve been to), and I left realizing that I had a community around me that I love and brings such joy...

I use the word loathe very seldom because it's such a strong word. But I LOATHE Black Friday. There is nothing else I hate more than people putting shopping before family. I always feel bad for the workers, too, with...

I have a confession. I love personality tests. I think I’ve taken pretty much every single one. I’ve gotten defensive over the extremely accurate negative remarks and celebrated the positive things about myself. It wasn’t until recently that I...