ParentFurther Blog

Why Parents Should Encourage Kids to Volunteer and Ideas for Getting Started

By: Susan Ragsdale

Can families volunteer? Can I? What age do you have to be to volunteer here? These are the same questions that pour forth every year from 13 eager girls, ages 9-12, involved in my local YMCA's one-week summer volunteer camp. Read more >>

Other Blog Posts

C.H.A.N.G.E.S. - 6 Tips for Supporting Kids When They Change Schools

By: Michele Timmons

We all want our children to be happy, healthy and resilient--not afraid and uncomfortable. Change can be uncomfortable, but being the “new kid” will happen to everyone at some point. It's important our children learn to cope with those uncomfortable feelings. Read more >>

4 Tips to Help You Erase The Back-to-School Jitters

By: Michele Timmons

Back to school is an exciting time but can also cause anxiety. The best way to erase those jitters is through preparation and communication. By planning ahead, parents and children can get ready for school with a little less stress. By really listening to our kids, we can better understand our children’s feelings and help them address their fears. Read more >>

Tips for Taking Care of Yourself While You’re Taking Care of Everybody Else

By: Vicki Bohling

Self-care is not selfish. Just ask those flight attendants who are always telling us to put the oxygen masks on ourselves first. Whether you are raising tiny tots or young adults, there are some things you can do to claim some self amidst the sacrifice. Read more >>

Back to School Planning: Confessions of a Slacker Mom

By: Jennifer Griffin-Wiesner

If you are looking for back-to-school tips, guides, and suggestions from people who are actually organized, there are lots of other places you should be looking (like here). So what do I have to offer on the topic of going back to school? Perspective.Read more >>

5 Tips for Nervous Parents: Finding the Right Preschool for your Toddler

By: Marie Williams

Finding a preschool for your toddler is no small undertaking, both from a practical and emotional standpoint. Here are some tips to help you navigate this important—and for some, difficult—milestone. Read more >>

Back to School Ideas: Tips for Getting Kids Excited about the Season!

By: Susan Ragsdale

With T-minus X days and counting until school starts, thoughts automatically turn towards getting back in the groove again. Read more >>

Mid-Summer Pop Quiz! 10 Fun Activities to Boost Your Brain

Who wants a test in the summer? Trust us, you do! Because with this quiz, when you find the answer, the fun is only just beginning. Read more >>

My 5 Simple Food Rules for Picky Eaters

By: Tricia Cornell

Chances are, your five-year-old probably isn't clamoring for broccoli. But if your kid surprises you and asks for seconds of zucchini--as long as you’ve got the zucchini on the table in the first place, you’re doing okay in my book.Read more >>

There’s No Place Like (Someone Else’s) Home: 7 Tips to Help You Be a Better Houseguest

By: Tricia Cornell

When my family hits the road — in the summer and during the winter holidays — we often find ourselves staying with extended family. As much as I enjoy the extra together-time, I also find it draining. I spend nearly every minute on high alert: Are we in the way? Are my kids behaving? Are we helping out enough? Too much? Have we overstayed our welcome? I’m sure my anxiety makes me less than pleasant to be around. And I know it causes tension within my nuclear family. Read more >>

Shame on You! Why We Are Failing our Kids by Using Public Humiliation to Teach Important Life Lessons

By: Marie Williams

By now we’ve all seen the stories on television or online, of parents using novel and very public approaches to discipline their teens and teach them important life lessons. Often, it involves exposing a mistake or lapse in judgment in a very humiliating way... it strikes me as mean-spirited, emotion- focused rather than solution-oriented, and harmful on a number of levels. Read more >>