Stuff teens want (and won’t pretend they don’t).

We keep saying that we often get our best parenting podcast topic ideas from our readers, and a lot of you have asked for support navigating step-parenting. And that's just what we're talking about, in this dynamic, wonderful chat with Certified Parenting Coach and...

The new Queer Eye LEGO set is not just about building, but building people up.

by Liz Gumbinner

I could not be more excited that LEGO just announced a new LEGO Queer Eye set featuring The Fab 5 Loft that's coming out October 1. - Update: It's here! - (No pun intended. Seriously I just caught that on the re-read.) haven't been this excited since they came out...

9 things we wish we knew when our kids were babies. Oh, do we ever.

There's so much we wish we had known when our kids were babies, and we were stressed, anxious, or just entirely clueless. All normal feelings when you're juggling a new baby or toddler! But hey, maybe we can help you out a little here. So in addition to the hilarious...

The one trick to make sure your child’s face mask fits properly, to comply with the brand new CDC recommendations.

by Liz Gumbinner

After 18 months (sigh) it's now clear that we're past the point of "any mask is better than nothing" for preventing Covid spread, especially with the Delta variant here. In fact, just this weekend, the CDC issued new, specific recommendation about proper masking that...

Fall fashion must-have: Gorgeous pieces from the Alivia clothing line created by adults with autism

by Kate Etue

When I recently spotted the Alivia clothing line on a friend's Instagram, and learned all the clothes were created by adults with autism, I knew I had to share it here. We've always been thrilled to spread the news about big brands creating inclusive clothing and...

Raising resilient kids in a world gone sideways, with Dr. Madeline Levine | Spawned Episode 249

We've had a slew of amazing guests on our Spawned podcast recently, who have offered helpful advice on how to raise our kids. This week, we add another one to the list: Dr. Madeline Levine, a New York Times bestselling author, whose book Ready or Not: Preparing Our...

7 cute rain jackets for little kids…all under $30

This school year, I'm not spending a lot of money on rain jackets for kids. Who's with me? I don't know what it is about rain jackets specifically, but my kids misplace them with abandon. Soccer practice, play dates, the Y...you name it, one of my kids' jackets is...

Cool sneaker makeovers that leave the white shoes behind after Labor Day

If you stand by the old "no white after Labor Day" fashion imperative, we want to point you to this fantastic post with 9 cool DIY sneaker makeover ideas to help you -- or your kids -- turn those plain white shoes into something that looks great all fall long. From...

Tips to resolve sibling conflict from a psychologist and family counselor | Spawned Ep 248

by Liz Gumbinner

With everything going on in the world right now, kids are extra-stressed, they're extra-restless, they're extra-anxious, and, if they have siblings, they're fighting. Yay! So what's a parent to do to help manage it all? After a few listeners asked us to take on this...

If you’re having trouble sleeping, Dream Powder helps naturally.

This is a sponsored message from Beam If there's one thing parents can unify around it's that we could all use a lot more sleep. (Well, we all pretty unanimously like Ted Lasso too. But that's another story.) The one issue: It's hard! Our minds are busy with the...

Mask mandates, the Delta variant, and back to school: Who will protect our children?

I thought this back to school year was going to be different than last year. I think everyone did. Last year, I took all of my kids out of school and placed them in a cyber school. A couple did well. A couple did not. But we all had the hope that with vaccines, we'd...

10 ways to make the most out of the last weekend of summer, most of them free

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

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.

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

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.

by Kate Etue

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.

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

by Kate Etue

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