Advice Your Mom Would Give if She Thought You Were Listening

Launching is a Team Sport

on Dec 13, 2019

We’ve turned “launch” into a powerful, multi-use word in the English language. It’s the word we use when we send a boat into the water, a rocket into the air, and a newly minted adult into the world. All big, scary things. Sending a little boat from firm dry land...

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The Best Financial Advice Your Kids Will Never Ask For

The Best Financial Advice Your Kids Will Never Ask For

on May 24, 2017

    When my away-at-college daughter “accidentally” charges a Lyft to the family credit card, my husband sends her a payment request on Venmo. He gets an apology and immediate payment. Do you know about Venmo?! How can you have a kid in high school without Venmo? I’m just kidding....

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3 Ways to Make Your Mother’s Day

3 Ways to Make Your Mother’s Day

on May 5, 2017

We forget that moms are usually easy to please. No matter how old we get, most moms are thrilled just to go to the bathroom in private or to hear someone say the words “I’ll wash the dishes.” Your mom will act like she loves whatever you wrap up in...

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Did My Kid Send You a Thank-You Note?

Did My Kid Send You a Thank-You Note?

on Apr 17, 2017

With graduation well behind us, I feel the need to apologize: If you are one of the generous friends who gave my daughters a graduation gift, you can stop holding your breath for that thank-you note. It’s probably not coming. I’m sorry. I have moved my daughters in and out...

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Why The Easter Bunny is My Spirit Animal

Why The Easter Bunny is My Spirit Animal

on Apr 13, 2017

  My most painful parenting moment, bar none, was the night I accidentally told my eight-year-old that there was no Santa Claus. The day after Christmas, she had seen some toy boxes in the garage, which matched the gifts so perfectly assembled under the tree the previous morning. As I tucked...

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I Miss My Kids When They’re Home For the Holidays

I Miss My Kids When They’re Home For the Holidays

on Nov 21, 2016

. By Becky Blades No mother should be surprised to see very little of her grown children when they come home for summer college breaks and holidays. We learn this quickly the hard way. Our budding adults want to see friends and to try out their new independence on their...

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The Nest the Universe Sent Me

The Nest the Universe Sent Me

on Nov 18, 2016

By Becky Blades … For seven years now, a family of robins has chosen the eave over our front door to build its summer nest. When my two daughters were little, we used to spy on the birds through the transom window, watching the mother’s spring nest-building through the weeks...

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Enough Already

Enough Already

on Jun 27, 2016

I have two daughters, and by external, American, first-world standards, they are both plenty successful. I always encouraged them to set high goals, to go for the gold, and to excel at a few select things. I also encouraged them to try lots of things, to collect experiences and...

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7 Mother/Daughter Dates for Summer

7 Mother/Daughter Dates for Summer

on Jun 17, 2016

When my two almost-flown daughters land at my house for the summer, it is a new era in mother/daughter coexistence. They have their lives, I have mine. (I also have my own favorite yoga pants, which I’m determined to keep track of. I’m watching you, girls.) We romanticize about how...

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Making Peace With my DIY Mom

Making Peace With my DIY Mom

on May 8, 2016

This Mother’s Day, my daughter surprised me with this special gift: an article to post on my blog. Thank you, sweetie. by Taylor Kay Phillips It was a broken record, as only a mom can perform. So predictable and repetitive that even though I heard it coming, I was still...

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