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Is Anyone Else Completely Done? Why January Is Hard for Parents

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If December is powered by adrenaline and joy, January is powered by… well, nothing. The holidays end. The lights come down, and the house looks blah.  And suddenly, parents everywhere are asking the same quiet question: Why does this feel harder than before? You’re not imagining it. January parenting is uniquely brutal. The joy is gone, the demands are back, the weather is relentless, and the mental load returns with zero warning and no buffer. If you’re exhausted, unmotivated, snappy, or just done, this isn’t a failure. It’s a season. And you’re not alone, we’re all feeling it. The Post-Holiday Parenting Crash December runs on momentum.Deadlines, traditions, parties, concerts, countdowns. Even when it’s chaotic, there’s a sense of purpose, and it’s outside of our routines, and fun! January strips all of that away overnight. There’s nothing much to look forward to. No payoff. No sparkle. Just routines, high expectations, and…

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In Parenting

“Sharenting” For You or For Them? Trading Kids’ Privacy for Likes

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There was a time when sharing photos of our kids meant pulling out a phone at a family dinner and saying, “You have to see this.” Now it means tapping post and instantly sharing that same moment with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people. That’s sharenting. If you’ve never heard the term, don’t worry. You’ve probably done it. We all have. That first newborn photo. The missing-tooth grin. The back-to-school pic with the adorable, too-big backpack. Sharing our kids online feels joyful, normal, and honestly… kind of expected. But lately, parents are starting to ask a bigger question: Just because we can share, should we? What Is Sharenting? Sharenting is the act of parents or caregivers sharing photos, videos, stories, or personal details about their children online. Sometimes it’s sweet or it’s funny, and it’s often deeply relatable. While our intentions are almost always good, our kids don’t get a say.…

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In Mom Moments

New Year, New Parenting Goals: Resets You Can Actually Keep

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Ah, January. The air smells like fresh Plum Paper day planners, glittering calendars, and hope. As parents, we often use the new year to rethink our own lives: health, finances, careers. But what about our parenting? What if instead of lofty, guilt-laden resolutions, we tried a few realistic, actionable resets that make life with kids smoother, more joyful, and less chaotic? Here are some practical parenting “resets” to kick off the year: 1. Reconnect With Your Child Even for 10 Minutes a Day It’s easy to get buried in schedules, chores, and endless school runs. This year, commit to one meaningful 10-minute connection daily. It could be: Sitting together at breakfast with zero phones. Asking about the “best and hardest part of their day” before bed. A spontaneous dance party in the living room. Consistency matters more than duration. Ten focused minutes can reset your bond in ways hours of…

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In Mom Moments

I’m Proud to Be a One-and-Done Mom; Why the Stereotypes Need to Go

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Only-child families aren’t an accident, a compromise, or a failure. They’re a modern, intentional family structure backed by strong research and lived experiences. Studies consistently show that only children often match or outperform peers academically, build deep bonds with parents, and develop rich social lives through chosen friendships. As the world shifts, economically, professionally, and socially, more families are choosing one child because it aligns with their values, bandwidth, and mental health. This is the story of why my one-and-done family works beautifully, and why only-child stereotypes need to go. The Landscape: Single-Child Families Are Now Mainstream In Canada, roughly 45% of families with children have just one. In the U.S., the percentage of mothers with only one child reached 22%, nearly doubling in recent decades. A global meta-analysis places the prevalence at 41%. In other words, the “only child” label isn’t an outlier anymore, it’s a cultural shift. Why…

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In School

What Happens After the IEP Is Signed? What Parents Need to Know Next

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So you finally got the IEP signed—after weeks (maybe months) of evaluations, meetings, and hard conversations. You were told, “Now the support begins.” But what if the services don’t show up? What if the accommodations are forgotten, or your child is still struggling just as much? This is the part no one prepares you for: what happens after the paperwork is signed.  An IEP is just a starting line, not a finish line. You need to know how to implement the IEP after it’s signed. While it’s a powerful legal document, it’s not a magic wand. Signing the paperwork doesn’t guarantee that every support will be delivered as written or that your child’s school experience will immediately improve. The real work often begins after that last signature. Table of Contents Your IEP Is a Legal Document—But Implementation Varies Common Gaps Between Plan and Practice How to Monitor IEP Implementation Without…

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In Parenting

Weird but Totally Normal: 8 Coping Mechanisms Kids Use During Big Transitions

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New grade. New teacher. New drop-off line. Whether it’s starting Kindergarten or heading into a new school year, transitions can be a rollercoaster for young kids—and let’s be honest, for parents too. Oftentimes, we see this manifest as weird coping mechanisms in kids. If your child is suddenly clinging to an old sock or talking to themselves like they’re the star of a one-kid play, you might be wondering: Is this normal? The short answer? Yes. Totally. These weird coping mechanisms in young children are not only common — they’re developmentally expected. Here’s a closer look at the quirky, surprising ways kids handle big change — and why most of it is nothing to worry about. 1. The Transitional Object: Sacred Stuffy, the Random Rock You might notice your child gripping a random object on the way to school — a tiny stuffy, a beat-up rock from the backyard, or…

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In School

What to Expect From Your Kindergartener in the First Month

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You’ve done the school supply haul. You’ve labeled everything (yay!) You’ve taken the “first day of school” photo (three times because they blinked). And now… you wait. What no one really prepares you for? The emotional, behavioral, and even biological whirlwind your child is about to enter. That first month of kindergarten can feel like your once-sweet kid morphed into a mix of a gremlin, a teenager, and a baby giraffe learning to walk—all rolled into one adorable tornado of a kid. 1. Expect the After-School Meltdown They held it together all day. And now? You’re the safe zone- they unleashed the after-school restraint collapse. Your kindergartener may walk through the door and crumble: tears, attitude, dramatic declarations like, “I’m NEVER going back!” This is normal. School requires them to regulate all day—sitting still, sharing, remembering routines. When they get home, the emotional floodgates open. How to help: Don’t pepper…

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In Parenting

Are We Coddling Our Middle Schoolers? 15 Things They Could Be Doing on Their Own (But Probably Aren’t)

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There’s no shame in being a hands-on parent. But somewhere between preschool pick-up and middle school lockers, a lot of us forgot to put down the metaphorical bubble wrap. Back in the day (sorrym but here comes the nostalgia), 12-year-olds were babysitting their siblings, cooking Kraft Dinner solo, and walking home from school without tracking apps. Today, many middle schoolers can’t find their own soccer cleats without texting mom. So, what gives? It’s Not Just the Parents Let’s be fair: the world has changed. School pressure has ramped up. Extracurriculars are intense. Social media is a minefield. And we’re all parenting in an age of what-if anxiety, where independence sometimes feels like recklessness. But experts say we may be swinging too far in the other direction. In fact, research shows that overparenting can hurt kids’ mental health, leading to lower resilience, less confidence, and even higher levels of anxiety and…

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Homeschooling 2025
In School

Why Does Homeschooling Still Feel Controversial?

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Why is Homeschooling Still a Hot Topic? Back-to-school season comes with sharpened pencils, nervous energy, and, for some families, raised eyebrows. While homeschooling has been steadily growing for years, there’s still an air of “Wait, you do what now?” around it. Why does homeschooling still feel controversial? Even in 2025, when flexible learning options are more accessible than ever, homeschooling can trigger strong opinions. Some people assume it’s a lifestyle only for the ultra-crunchy. Others question whether kids will grow up lacking social skills or basic math. And let’s be honest, there are still folks who picture homeschooled kids churning butter in Little House aprons and bonnets. Spoiler: that’s not the reality for most families. Where the Stigma Comes From Let’s rewind. Historically, homeschooling was often associated with fringe ideologies, mistrust of public education, or families seeking to avoid curriculum they didn’t agree with. In other words—it got typecast. Even…

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In Parenting

“Let Them Rest” vs. “Keep Them Learning”: The Great Summer Slide Debate

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Is summertime the reset kids need—or an academic setback? Parents and teachers are divided, and it’s easy to see both sides.  What Is the Summer Slide? The summer slide—also known as summer learning loss—is the decline in academic skills that can happen when kids take an extended break from structured learning over the summer months. For many students in the early elementary grades, this slide can mean starting the new school year already behind where they left off. Studies show that students can lose up to two months of math and reading skills during summer vacation if they’re not engaged academically. But what happens when those same kids have been burning out under academic pressure all year long? That’s where the debate begins. Some parents argue that summer is a much-needed pause for mental health and development—while many educators see summer learning as essential to keeping kids on track. So…

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