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This month, we have one very special person on our minds -- and that's you, Mom! Whether you're a proud SAHM or a busy workin' mama, we're sure that you'll have plenty to relate to with this month's feature, Opting back in: The pros and cons of returning to work after kids. Also at the top of our list this month are the special ladies in our own lives -- check out our special tribute to see fun family photos and plenty of inspirational words from our own awe-inspiring, incredible moms. Our fabulous city is celebrating the Seattle World's Fair's 50th anniversary -- and there's fun, family-friendly activities abound at Seattle Center that are not-to-be-missed (including King Tut!). Ages & Stages is filled to the brim this month with plenty of tips for parents: understanding your child's temperament, diagnosing and treating autism, how to effectively communicate with your teen, and much more. Happy Mother's Day from our family to yours!
Read the entire issue online, or scroll down for links and cool online-only content. |
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Ages & Stages: Out & About: The Next Fifty and King Tut at Seattle Center Someone you should know: Dale and Leslie Chihuly Mother's Day special: Words of Wisdom from Mom |
Feature: The pros and cons of returning to work after kids Regulars: Check out this month's great giveaways! An interview with John Gottman, Ph.D. Special issue: Don't miss out on this year's BabyMap! |
About this issue
A flippin’ great issue
Tut’s Up?
A lot!
We hope you’ll flip (literally — flip this issue!) over the immense amount of fun and fact that is packed into these 80 pages.
You’ll see why we dubbed this the “UW” issue. Remarkable research from the University of Washington Center for Child and Family Well-Being and the UW Autism Center help us to better understand our little ones and their complex minds.
This knowledge makes us better parents.
“Temperaments: matching yours with your child’s” was riveting for me. My first-born baby, Arielle, turns 26 on May 12. Barely 28 when Ari was born, I thought, “She’s my beautiful baby girl and must be just like me.” Didn’t I have my own beloved mother to instantly see the falsity of that assumption? This article explains how our parenting styles affect our kids’ mental health.
Six months into being precious little Ari’s mom, I felt I needed to work outside the home for my mental health, although I wasn’t desperate enough to return to my full-time legal job (“Opting back in”). Realizing my good fortune — I had the amazing and gainfully employed Mr. Sulkin at my side — I could close that uninspiring career chapter and imagine what greatness was next.
An office job at a struggling parenting magazine soon had me making a “downward career change,” with earnings barely covering childcare. But I was happy — and this position miraculously led to the way I now adore filling my days: publishing ParentMap!
Within these extraordinary pages, cover to flipped cover, from “Crazy cool apps” to learning about “PURPLE crying” nothing seems as impactful as the inspiring “Words of wisdom from Mom,” shared by ParentMap staff.
Lately, I have been missing my beautiful and amazing mom even more. I hear my daughters Maya (10) and Ari (25) say the same. “Bubbie Shu,” as we all called her, died five years ago.
While she lived, we spent great times together, talked meaningfully and often, and did not have the mother/daughter challenges you often hear about. She gave us the greatest gift: unquestioning love planted deep within our earliest memories. Yet increasingly, it haunts me more as I grow older; our time was never enough.
My mother’s day gift to self: more time with my kids if they’ll have me! To you, a virtual toast for being interested and focused on trying to be a good enough parent, which usually means doing a bit less than you are.
Happy Mother’s Day!
—Alayne
