I feel like the little girl on the cover this month: silly and playful during these glorious summer days while simultaneously ready to pull my hair out.
Let’s start with the fact that we’re in the most gorgeous phase of summer while the anxiety and stress of the school year is simultaneously blowin’ in the wind. To help, breeze into this month’s feature for your back-to-school survival guide.
Get guidance from three parenting pros on what to do if your child is feeling left out, doesn’t want to do homework or struggling with college.
Personally, I’m freaking out that this fall, my baby, Maya, is entering senior year. She not only absolutely wants to go to college, but plot the farthest distance from Seattle on a map and you’ll likely hit her dream school location.
So here’s how I’m beating the trauma of being an empty nester: I’ve ordered up a grandbaby for a late October delivery from my eldest daughter and son-in-law.
That’s parenting advice we all should remember.
The reality of becoming a Bubbie means I’m closely reading our section for expectant and new parents, Crib Notes. I’m doing my best to guide the parents-to-be in my life.
That includes making sure that they’re not buying an overwhelming amount of baby gear (though it is hard not to get sucked into all the adorableness). Instead, new parents, I recommend that you buy judiciously, love your baby up and save money for great chocolate and even better coffee. You’ll need both.
Finally, a word about our Someone You Should Know: Marlo Mack. She’s the local mom behind the Peabody Award-winning podcast How to Be a Girl.
When her 3-year-old explained that something was “wrong in her tummy that caused her to be born as a boy instead of a girl,” Mack started learning, listening, blogging and podcasting to help people best understand how such a young person knows themselves best and why it’s so important the parents listen. That’s parenting advice we all should remember.
So, with that, I wish you a happy end to summer and a productive, not crazy, start to school.
