Incredible advice for better parent-child communication: An interview with William Stixrud Ph.D. and Ned Johnson
If you’ve ever struggled to connect with your kids, help them solve problems, open up to you, or just give you more than a one-word answer when you ask how school was today…well, help is here! We have had a lot of favorite Spawned podcast guests over the...
20 unique personalized gifts for kids in 2021, from toddlers to teens | Holiday Gift Guide
If you’re looking for some cool, truly unique personalized gifts for kids, we totally understand. It’s an easy way to make a holiday gift extra special — and it doesn’t have to cost a lot either. That extra personalized touch really makes these...
Can you name the 5 core principles of raising responsible digital citizens?
We’ve talked a long time on Cool Mom Tech about the importance of raising responsible digital citizens. And one thing we know: However old your kids, it’s never too early — or too late — to learn a few new parenting tips to keep our kids safe...
How to be a compassionate parent of LGBTQ kids | Spawned Episode 254
If you have questions about parenting LGBTQ+ kids, wow do we have the answers, thanks to the absolutely delightful Kristin Russo, author of This is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids. If you know her — or her terrific book, or popular podcast about Buffy the Vampire...
Chance Basketballs give every move on the court more style. But that’s not all they do.
Looking for a fabulous gift for an athletic kid this year? I’ve got you! Whether your teen can hit a three-point shot from half court, or your grade schooler is still trying to fling the ball high enough to touch the net, the next Lebron James or Sue Bird will...
Instagram, girls and body image: What parents need to know | Spawned Ep 252
Recently, I wrote about that article, the one about Instagram, teens, body image and self-esteem — and the conversation I had about it with my 14-year-old daughter. It generated so much great conversation on our social feeds, that Kristen and I wanted to chat...
A very clever back to school gift for young women and menstruators
My daughter came home this morning with a sweet little gift from her friend’s mom: an adorable locker kit full of essentials for young women and menstruators. So brilliant, right? I had actually thought about putting together a little bin with some snacks,...
Here’s the one brilliant tip that got my reluctant teen reading more. And, the books that helped.
My kids devoured books when they were little. Now that they’re teens, the stars of YouTube and Discord seem to be a bigger draw than the classic characters of literature I wish they would spend their time with. (Of course, calling them “classic characters...
Mighty Kind: A fun, compassionate, anti-racism, pro-kindness magazine for today’s kids
While a great number of people seem to be flipping out about kids learning “critical race theory” in elementary school [ed note: it’s taught in law schools, not elementary schools], we’re grateful that our readers have always been interested...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.
Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)
We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).
We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.
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