“Americans, I beseech you, it is not as impossible as it seems. We may have an ocean on the east and west, we may have borders on the north and south, but we are not an island; we are in the world. There is no escaping it: we have been born, we are going to…
READ MORE2018 Update: We’re back on the college touring scene once again — 4th time around in our family! Our 11th grade son is starting the college search process. He’s looking at a few of the large, public universities outside of California (where we live). Given this recent article, it appears looking outside of California is…
READ MORE“First and foremost, we need to be the adults we want our children to be.” Brené Brown Books have an amazing way of dropping into my life at exactly the right moment. There’s usually one thing that really stands out to me, even from books that offer more than just one tip. Maybe it’s my…
READ MOREMost of us know the importance of family dinners: Kids who regularly eat dinner with their families are more emotionally stable, are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, get better grades, have fewer depressive symptoms, and are less inclined to obesity or eating disorders. It’s certainly a compelling list. But what can you do if your family dinner isn’t…
READ MOREWhile it’s easy to think of ways to teach our kids to do laundry or solve math problems, finding a way to instill important character traits isn’t so simple. The way we model traits we want our children to exhibit has a powerful influence on them, and some traits (kindness, gratitude, and generosity) they learn…
READ MOREI usually slog through these kinds of non-fiction books over a few months, interspersed with some “fun” reading. With this book, which I pre-ordered and received the day it came out, I finished it in 10 days. I couldn’t wait to pick it up each evening and get ever-closer to figuring out how to reduce…
READ MORENo human on the internet can miss the flood of articles about how bad all of our screen time is for our kids and for us. I’ve added to the “unplugged” conversation myself and am a big proponent of the benefits of unplugging and focusing on real connections with real people. However, I have also…
READ MOREBeing at camp gives me this sense of belonging that I’ve never felt anywhere else. I know that I can be myself and that my cabin mates will love me for who I am, and I’ve brought that to my life outside of camp. -Hannah #1 Improve Interpersonal Skills & Form Close Friendships “In a…
READ MOREWhen I was four years old, I amazed my Pre-K teacher by flawlessly reading aloud Are You my Mother? by P.D. Eastman. Not only did I read every word correctly, but I had appropriate inflection in my voice. Child prodigy? Um…actually, no. My mom had read that book to me so many times that I…
READ MOREAt one time in their lives, many of the parents I know were camp counselors. Those same people have told me that their time spent as counselors was great training ground for parenting. Among other things, they learned to comfort, encourage, set goals, and resolve disputes — all things we experience daily in our lives…
READ MOREDear Sunshine Parenting Reader, Thank you for reading my posts this year! In 2007, I read a book called Writing to the Change the World. I decided that if something I share helps one person, then writing is a worthwhile way to spend my time. I started this blog in January, 2012, and I have tried to…
READ MOREAs a fun, year-end activity (at least for a book nerd like me), I’ve pulled some of my favorite books from the shelf and reflected on how they’ve inspired my parenting – and my life. Enjoy! The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children, Wendy Mogel, Ph.D Like us, our…
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