Child Development & Behavior

Yes, you read that right. This is the story of my son’s third eye. Let me rewind. A few days ago, my son came down with a fever. I was like, “Oh no! Is this COVID?” So I took him...

Note: When this blog post was written, person-first language was the generally preferred convention for speaking about autism. We realize that terminology changes over time and there is current discussion and advocacy for the use of identity-first language. At...

Last school year my son started pre-k. And boy was I super excited that he was going to learn new things everyday. Little did I know, I would be the one learning something new. As a mother, you see your...

Happy World Autism Awareness Day! Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that can impair the ability to communicate and interact. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, difficulties in social interaction and communication and repetitive behaviors. Did you know...

We recognize that there is discussion within the autism community regarding person-first versus identify-first language. It's important to note that there is no consensus on this topic. Some people in the autism community prefer identity-first language while others prefer...

I recently graduated with my master's degree in Clinical Mental Health. During my practicum and internships, I had the privilege of working with teen clients. For several years prior, I was a volunteer mentor for at-risk teens and worked...

One of the most bittersweet aspects of motherhood is when your sweet little babies start to become independent toddlers and preschoolers. Everything becomes "I can do it" or "by myself," which is a nice load off your shoulders, but...

As our children get older, the challenges of parenting shift from lack of sleep and potty training to friend feuds and struggles in school. There are thousands of online resources filled with tips and tricks for the baby and...

My music education begins and ends with 6th grade orchestra. I vividly remember going into the orchestra room on the first day of middle school and sitting down in chairs arranged in a semicircle. I was excited to finally...

My niece made homemade gifts for everyone for the holidays. They were sweet, adorable, and she had clearly thought about each one of us during their selection. They brought both a grin to my face and tears to my...

I love introducing solids to my babies. The looks on their faces as they taste their first "real" foods are priceless. With each of my kids I have loosely followed a baby-led weaning philosophy. My third baby, Zoey, is almost six...

I have two older bonus daughters, currently sixteen and eighteen, whom I met when they were thirteen and fifteen. Given their age when we first connected, I've adopted a somewhat hands-off approach to parenting. I let them know that...

I don't take it for granted that we got very, very lucky. The night after our son David was born, he slept six hours in one stretch. In fact, the nurse had to come in and wake me up...

We were driving north on I-25 on this particular day, headed to some appointment or another after a full day of work/school. I had given the kids snacks: a drink and a bag of something crunchy. Everyone was happy until...