Motherlode

Feeding Teenagers: The Days of Control Are Gone

I went from getting toddlers to sit still for a 15-minute dinner to texting teenagers to make sure they joined us at the table, and from encouraging them to try new foods to taming their newfound food freedom. Read More...

Published Wed, Apr 02 2014 7:10 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Food, Teenagers and Adolescence, Diet and Nutrition, Highlights

Federal Funding for Maternal and Infant Visits Extended — Briefly

The Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs enjoy bipartisan support. Locally run programs successfully reduce infant mortality and increase longer term family success. So Congress has extended the funding for the federal-state partnership...

Published Tue, Apr 01 2014 10:35 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Highlights, Federal Aid (US), Infant Mortality

If Ivy League Is the Endgame, I’m Not Sure I Want to Play

"Exmissions" is the opposite of "admissions," and the other parents working to get their offspring into preschool in Manhattan all seemed to have the kind of clear long-term plans that make a school's "top tier hit rate"...

Published Tue, Apr 01 2014 8:21 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Children and Childhood, Education (Pre-School), Ivy League, Manhattan (NYC), Preschool Admissions Diary

How to Talk to Your Teenager About Pornography

Even researchers who can't point to definitive evidence that pornography harms teenagers say parents should talk to their children about what they might see online. What should that conversation look like? Read More...

Published Mon, Mar 31 2014 9:24 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Sex, parenting, pornography, Teenagers and Adolescence, Computers and the Internet, Highlights

A Sperm Donor, Uncertain of What It Is to Be ‘Bio-Dad’

After a request from friends, a 29-year-old gay man explored the possibility of becoming a sperm donor. Read More...

Published Sun, Mar 30 2014 5:34 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Friendship, Surrogate Motherhood, Highlights, Sperm, Homosexuality and Bisexuality

The Elaborate Replacement Teddy Bear Hoax

After my toddler's bear toppled out of the stroller, I found a replacement and staged the great Rainbow Home for Christmas Spectacular. My daughter wasn't fooled for a minute. Read More...

Published Fri, Mar 28 2014 6:38 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Christmas, toys, Highlights

3 Things Parents Wish Teachers Knew: We Can Handle the Truth

Teachers wish parents knew that our children can do more than we let them, while parents wish teachers wold be more honest — and understand that homework has real costs. Read More...

Published Thu, Mar 27 2014 6:45 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Homework, parenting, Education (K-12), Teachers and School Employees, Highlights

‘In Hindsight, Is Stay-at-Home Parenting Something You’d Recommend?’

Into a field of parents looking to return to the workforce after taking time off for family reasons, a future mother lobs a tough question. Is stay-at-home parenting something you'd recommend? Read More...

Published Wed, Mar 26 2014 12:15 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Part-Time Employment, Careers and Professions, Highlights, Sabbaticals and Career Breaks

Apple Invites Parents to Review In-App Purchases

If your children have been making in-app purchases on iTunes without your permission, Apple is offering a refund. Read More...

Published Tue, Mar 25 2014 1:50 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, iTunes, Highlights, Apple Inc, Software

Rejected From a Preschool, a Toddler Is Fine. Her Mother Is Getting There.

I know the New York City preschool application process we're going through is preposterous. That doesn't mean it's meaningless, or that rejection—of my child—doesn't hurt. Read More...

Published Tue, Mar 25 2014 7:54 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Children and Childhood, Education (Pre-School), Highlights, Preschool Admissions Diary

Baby M Grew Up, But Surrogacy Remains Controversial

Nearly 30 years after a United States court first considered it, many questions surrounding surrogacy, legal and otherwise, remain unanswered. Read More...

Published Mon, Mar 24 2014 8:22 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Highlights

I Didn’t Want My Son to Have Dwarfism. Not Really.

I have rare form of dwarfism, and I never expected to be able to have a child—but once I was pregnant, part of me expected my son to share my condition. I wasn't sure I'd know how to raise a "normal" child. Read More...

Published Sun, Mar 23 2014 5:09 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Highlights

Your Turn: A Weekend Thread, Open for Comments

Welcome to Motherlode's second official weekly open thread. Do you have thoughts about the news this week, and how it affects families? A question to ask? A rant to share? This is your place. Go. Read More...

Published Fri, Mar 21 2014 2:05 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Highlights

Reader Questions, Answered: Returning to Work After a Career Break

Times readers ask career development experts for guidance on returning to the workforce after a break to care for children or aging parents. Read More...

Published Fri, Mar 21 2014 12:30 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Careers and Professions, Highlights

Casual Remarks That Hurt: Microaggression and Adoptive Families

Adoptive families, and children who were adopted into them, often talk among ourselves about the "dumb things people say" to and about us. Those comments have a name — microaggressions — but there's no consensus about the best way to handle...

Published Fri, Mar 21 2014 10:16 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, discrimination, Race and Ethnicity, Adoptions, Highlights

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Feeding Teenagers: The Days of Control Are Gone

Federal Funding for Maternal and Infant Visits Extended — Briefly

If Ivy League Is the Endgame, I’m Not Sure I Want to Play

How to Talk to Your Teenager About Pornography

A Sperm Donor, Uncertain of What It Is to Be ‘Bio-Dad’

The Elaborate Replacement Teddy Bear Hoax

3 Things Parents Wish Teachers Knew: We Can Handle the Truth

‘In Hindsight, Is Stay-at-Home Parenting Something You’d Recommend?’

Apple Invites Parents to Review In-App Purchases

Rejected From a Preschool, a Toddler Is Fine. Her Mother Is Getting There.

Baby M Grew Up, But Surrogacy Remains Controversial

I Didn’t Want My Son to Have Dwarfism. Not Really.

Your Turn: A Weekend Thread, Open for Comments

Reader Questions, Answered: Returning to Work After a Career Break

Casual Remarks That Hurt: Microaggression and Adoptive Families