We have 45 BRILLIANT last-minute holiday gift ideas you can ship, make, pick up, or IOU. (Hey, moms are busy!)

With the final unofficial days of summer so close (wah!), we've got one more long weekend to milk the most out of the late sunsets with the family. So we're bringing back this post from a few years back, when our editor Liz offered up 10 wonderful little things that...

A clever back to school gift for young women and menstruators: A DIY locker kit

by Kristen Chase

My daughter came home this morning with a sweet little gift from her friend's mom: An adorable DIY locker kit full of essentials for young women and menstruators. So brilliant, right? I had actually considered putting together a little bin with some snacks, tampons,...

How to raise kids who aren’t assholes (aka kind, empathic, awesome grown-ups) | Spawned Episode 247

We often ask ourselves what it takes to raise strong, wonderful kids who are kind, empathic (aka not assholes), which is why we were so excited to chat with Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of the new book How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes. She's a science journalist...

Parents are broken. Here are 5 things a therapist says we can do right now to manage our stress.

by Kristen Chase

Over the last 24 hours, this pandemic has caught up to me. I'd been doing pretty well, navigating cyber school with my kids last year along with work adjustments and managing my mental health through it all. But this back to school season has officially taken its...

Where to find at-home rapid Covid tests, kid-sized KN95s, and other essentials you may need

by Caroline Siegrist

At-home rapid Covid tests isn't the only thing we've been on the hunt for lately. With cold and flu and yes, yet another Covid-19 season upon us, I've been making a list of a few essentials so that my family isn't scrambling if we do come down with something. And...

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 of...

8 cool fidget toys that aren’t spinners, to help kids of all ages get the wiggles out.

by Caroline Siegrist

Move over, fidget spinners! Thanks to all the new fidget toys that our kids are loving, you spinners have just been relegated to the junk drawer. (Say hi to those dead batteries for me.) In fact,I think these are even more fun than their predecessors. By now most of...

Should we send our kids back to school? AKA The deja vu episode | Spawned Episode 246

Just when we thought back to school 2021 would be less stressful than 2020, the Delta variant decided to throw a huge, dangerous wrench into our decision. As so many parents struggle once again with sending their kids back to school, especially as many school...

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 in anti-racism resources...

This list of the best YA books of all time is absolutely awesome

by Caroline Siegrist

Not to brag, but here at CMP, we're kind of kids' books experts. We round up the best of the best lists every year, keep taps on the new releases, and share all kinds of YA book recommendations for parents. Which is why I was so happy when I saw that Time had just...

Your family’s hydration situation just got a whole lot easier.

by Kristen Chase

With school around the corner -- which means sports and activities and all the things that keep us all very busy -- the challenge of keeping our kids (and ourselves) hydrated is top of mind. Actually, if I'm being honest, it's always at the top of my mind. I'm...

For every parent who’s yelled about stepping on a LEGO, this new Adidas collection is for you.

What parent among us has not joked, complained, or (possibly) cried about stepping on a LEGO brick at some point since having kids? Exactly. That's why I'm not sure which I love more -- the Adidas x LEGO sneaker collection, featuring sneakers that look like LEGOs, or...

Does DefenAge 6-week Perfection Neck Tightening Cream really perfect your neck? Here are my before and after photos.

I'm a woman on the other side of 40, and when DefenAge reached out to see if I'd like to try their 6-week Perfection Neck Tightening Cream, I said, "Why the heck not!" Let's see if in just six short weeks, I, too, can have a perfect neck! " Whatever the heck that...

If you’re a woman reentering the workforce, you won’t believe who’s offering free 1:1 mentorships

We all know that re-entering the workforce is particularly hard if you're a woman. Even more so if you're a mom who's taken time off to raise kids. Even more than that, if you're a mom of color. So here's to some incredible mentors who are doing something proactive to...

Barbie honors real-life healthcare heroes and wow, more stories like this please.

If the Barbie #ThankYouHeroes initiative isn't the epitome of our times, in the best possible way, I don't know what is. Barbie has added all kinds of famous role models to their collection in recent years, and now they're honoring some global women that you may not...

12 must-have electronics and small appliances for dorm rooms | Back to School Shopping Guide

It's kind of amazing that we're searching for the best small appliances for dorm rooms these days -- with our own teens in mind! It's like we blinked and our team went from back to school shopping for preschool backpacks to sending some of our oldest kids off to...

Try these must-read books for kids who like video games. Because all genres are good genres!

I've been searching the shelves of my local bookstore to find great books for kids who like video games. And I'm sharing them here, because I know I am not the only parent whose once-avid reader would much rather pick up an Xbox controller than a book these days!...

10 of our most popular summer articles to help get you through the season

This week we're doing something I don't think our team has done in 15+ years -- we are taking a full staff summer break. (Whoo!) Some of us are traveling, some of us are hanging with the kids, some of us are counting the seconds to Ted Lasso season 2, some of us are...

Making a Baby is the diverse, inclusive, very frank children’s picture book about sex and reproduction that we’ve been looking for

When my kids were in early elementary school, every parent I knew seemed to be looking for the perfect children's book about sex and reproduction. I cannot overemphasize how much I wish I'd had the beautifully inclusive and thoughtful Making a Baby by Rachel Greener...

Cerebral has been called the “best online service for mental health” and we can see why.

We are pleased to present this sponsored message on behalf of Cerebral We all know that we've been through a lot this past year. The need for affordable, accessible mental health treatment has grown immensely, and finally someone is doing something about it. Enter...

25+ amazing deals from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale because we’re SO ready to refresh our wardrobes!