Middle School

It’s Back to School Time I always feel a little anxiety as school begins for the fall. My oldest starts first grade!! He was just a baby. A new teacher, a new grade, and so many hopes and dreams. Will the teacher like my son? Will my son like his teacher? Will he enjoy his classes? Am I prepared for the fall? Is my son ready to go? I always have to sit down and make a checklist. I’ll share my list with you. School Uniforms: How many do I have? Do I have enough for the fall and winter? (There will be spaghetti day.) What’s the jacket situation like? Do we need new shoes and a new book bag?...

I took a snapshot of my kids this morning. I intend to keep it close by, so it can serve as a benchmark. We have reached a turning point in our family. We have finally arrived at the point in life that most parents of small kids look to with anticipation for what feels like forever. Diapers have all been thrown away. Bottoms are being independently wiped. Mouths are being fed by utensils independently held the correct way (Well, mostly). As parents, we spend so many years training our children up to get to this point. Every time my kid runs her own bathwater, ties his own shoes, or fixes his own bowl of cereal, I almost want to run around the house with...

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by Ochsner Baton Rouge and was written by Dr. Sarah Davis who currently practices at Louisiana Women's Healthcare in Baton Rouge. 7 Ways to Prep Your Daughter for Her First Period Puberty is difficult for everyone. The menstrual cycle can be scary and confusing for girls who haven’t been taught about their periods. Here are a few tips for prepping your daughter for her first period. Bring it up early. Most girls get their first period between 10-15 years old, and the average age is 12. It is a good idea to bring up the topic in natural conversations while she’s around 7 years old. For example, as curious kids tend to do, she may notice...

At the start of this school year, we kept all three of our children home and did virtual. It was based on my husband’s and my apprehensiveness about COVID risks in schools. Our kids are all at different levels of school. We have a child in high school, one in middle school, and our youngest in elementary. The school system didn’t seem to have it worked out for any of them or exactly what the protocols would be, so we just felt safer home. We soon realized that our babies just weren’t thriving at home, and each of them for a different reason. Our oldest began to show signs of depression from the isolation. He wouldn’t come out of his room...

My best friend Katelyn and I have been discussing Twilight for a couple months now. Twilight was THE teenage romance series, while we were in middle school and high school. It is also a perfect example of emotional abuse, which, by the way, sets a great stage for physical abuse. Wind Goodfriend Ph.D. does a great job of naming a few of the thousands of examples of abuse Edward displays: He stalks Bella He encourages Bella to have as little interaction as possible from anyone outside his family He preys on her low self esteem He damages her vehicle so she can’t get away Before you go on assuming he was doing this to protect Bella, I just want to point...