Six Things I Will Teach My Kids To Stay Alive When Pulled Over

Let me start by saying I support policemen. There are plenty of police that “get it,” that work hard, that serve and protect in every sense of the word. That said, I’m a 43-year-old black woman and I’ve always had a fear of being pulled over (well before social media).

Did You Feel That Mega-Earthquake?

Today I bit my nails off. I don’t really bite my nails unless something is really bothering me. It’s one of those psychosomatic things. I know I feel heavy, am having trouble concentrating and like many, my heart really hurts. I’m just not as happy, have no pep in my step and I feel like I’m holding back tears whenever I think about these senseless murders that keep happening.

Things You Can Learn From a 4-Year-Old Before Throwing Shade on Social Media

My youngest is at the stage where he’s testing the limits of control. He is using words like booty butt and poopie butt, calling people stupid, proclaiming “dang it” over anything and telling me “I’m not the boss of him.” He thinks it’s hilarious or cute, pointedly looking at me (or the adult in charge) for a reaction with each usage.

#DadsAre… In Demand

A new study on fatherhood published a few days ago by the American Academy of Pediatrics highlights that dads are amazing and extremely important to a child’s growth and development. It references the notion of societal and cultural obstacles and makes specific suggestions for pediatricians to better engage fathers. Obviously this is a great study but it’s not really saying anything new 

#1 Reason Why Your Child Won’t Make It To The Olympics

Last week a mommy friend was bragging, in a subtle way, about the fact that her daughter was just promoted to a gymnastics team. As a member of this team, her 7 year-old daughter had practice three times a week for three hours each practice. I listened and only hoped my expression didn’t reflect what I was thinking (which was WTF?)

Because I Said So…

The other night I watched an episode of For Peete’s Sake on OWN and days later I found myself replaying a part of it over and over in my head. It’s the episode where Holly’s mom Dolores says the kids aren’t behaving and that they need some new parenting called “because I said so.”

Raising Kids: What to Know About Rape Culture

Like most I’m disgusted by the Stanford rape case. I mean thoroughly, no words, disgusted. My hope is that the dialogue about rape culture continues to grow…and that we don’t ever let Brock Turner forget who he is and what he did to that poor girl. Jail or no jail, the American public can sentence him to a lifetime of hell. In the meantime, check out this great article on accidentally teaching kids about rape culture.