Pamela Paul’s new parenting tell-all, Parenting Inc., promises to answer How We are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper Wipe Warmers – and What It Means for Our Children. The book makes for provocative, insightful reading. But we don’t need 271 pages to tell us why parents today do such nutty things. It’s actually pretty simple. more

Usually, adults consider bullying a childhood phenomenon. A normal part of growing up and parenting. We focus on solutions for our children: how do we teach them not to bully others? What productive, effective ways to stand up for themselves can we pass on? more

A younger working mom I met at a recent conference told me she and her
husband were contemplating having a third child. She  looked like I
remember looking when I had only two children – hair well coiffed, pink
lipstick carefully applied on her actual lips, minimal bags under her
eyes, a flat stomach. She looked so happy, dreaming of another baby.
Then she asked me if it’s harder juggling work and family with three
kids versus two.  Like I always do when a woman asks me this question, I more

I’ve always hated to say good-bye – to boyfriends, summer vacations, apartments, worn-out jeans, dead flowers.   Lila Leff, the founder of a Chicago-based nonprofit youth organization called Umoja, puts goodbyes in better perspective in her Mommy Wars essay: "I see [fill in the blank] as one of the greatest chapters in my life. But all chapters lead to the next chapter, and there is nothing worse than hanging around in a chapter after it has already ended." more

Last week, The Wall Street Journal published an article that’s got me gnashing my teeth. Work & Family columnist Sue Shellenbarger reported the disturbing news that on average, over the past decade U.S. businesses have dramatically shortened childbirth leave for new parents: more

CNN and CareerBuilder.com recently published the results of their Mother’s Day survey, titled “What working moms miss and wish for.” The data was interesting although not terribly surprising. Most working moms want more time with our kids. We’d trade good money for it. Over 50% of moms in dual-career households would stay home if we could afford to financially. This is news? more

A woman I know, a lawyer with an Ivy League degree and partner-track experience at a large corporate firm, took five years off to stay home with her two children. When she decided it was time to go back, she interviewed for an in-house counsel job at a mid-sized public company. During interviews she faced skepticism from the other in-house lawyers, executives who had never taken more than a two-week vacation from work. Most voted against hiring her. One lone executive in human resources insisted the company should not hold a few years at home against this candidate in light of her excellent education and work credentials. The woman got the job and flourished in the position. more

My entry into the competitive world of daycare and preschools came 10 years ago. It was during my second maternity leave. I was working fulltime for Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey and living in Manhattan . My first child, 20 months old, went to daycare 45 minutes away from my New York apartment, next to J&J’s headquarters in
New Brunswick. more

I recently stopped by my husband’s company for the first time in about two years. To my endless dismay, in his industry the majority of the women are secretaries and HR personnel, most executives have stay-at-home wives, and visits by children and spouses are not exactly encouraged. The men work long hours in quiet, wood-paneled rooms. Contrast that to my workspace -- in the corner of our noisy kitchen, where children, welcome or not, are seldom more than six feet away. more

One of the things we write about pretty frequently is encouraging pregnant women to realize that it's ok to accept help - before and after the baby is born. more