Facing the unexpected? Don't do it alone, talk to a confidential email mentor. It’s been several years now, but I can still clearly picture the day I found out my teenage daughter was pregnant. I remember her standing in the kitchen saying, “Mom, embrace it!” My initial response to Amber’s words were, “Yeah, right, that’s easy for...

The following experiences are almost universal - yet they catch many of us off guard. If you have been judging yourself as a success or a failure at this mommy stuff, based on what you had imagined motherhood would be like, read on. 1. As a new mother, you are likely to be exhausted and under stress, and to experience emotional highs and lows. The...

A mass of multicolored bougainvillea acts as curtain between me and a group of children playing hopscotch on the cemented gray floor. Seeing me, they abandon their game and skip over. I am enveloped by tiny hands wanting to hold mine. Laughing faces gaze up into my face; warm little bodies hug around my knees and I am overwhelmed. I really do...

During the long winter months or on rainy days your child may suffer from cabin fever! You know the symptoms: feeling isolated, restless and easily agitated. You feel like screaming - or maybe you do - and you crave a change of scenery. It's a "fever" every one of us tries to avoid. Here are some easy ideas to keep it from infecting your tot and...

I thought it was going to be like it was in the movies. I'd tell John I was pregnant and he'd waltz me across the room with joy. How we would celebrate! This was the child I knew he wanted. Well, that didn't happen. When I told him the news, his reaction baffled me. He asked me if I was sure I was pregnant. Then, for a couple of days, he didn't...

Did you know that choosing a name for your baby could be a lot easier? Shakespeare wrote, "a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet." If only it were that easy. You might call a rose whatever you like, but the rose's grandmother isn't likely to be offended that you didn't name the new flower after her. Names are a significant part of culture,...

We have flown several times a year since my oldest was three months old. Through trial and error I have learned a few things, 10 to be exact. #1 Arrive early. Two hours might sound like a lot, but with ever-increasing security it's a good idea to allow yourself extra time to get to your gate, especially when toting along a kid or two (or three)....