Author Archives: Jen Thorpe

About Jen Thorpe

I have a B.S. in Education and am a former teacher and day care worker. I started working as a freelance writer in 2010 and have written for many topics here at Families.com.

Authoritarian Parenting Can Be Harmful To Children

Are you a more strict parent than your friends? Is your refrigerator decorated with chore charts and house rules rather than handprint art? Do you expect your children to obey you, even if you don’t explain your reasoning? If so, you likely have an authoritarian parenting style. You have high expectations of your kids and won’t put up with any of that “kids will be kids” nonsense, according to Parents.com. While authoritarian parenting may seem effective in the short term, parenting experts and pediatricians agree it’s not the best parenting style in the long run. That’s because kids parented in … Continue reading →

How To Help Your Kids Be Ready For School

HealthyChildren.org has plenty of good ideas that can help your child get used to the transition from summer vacation and into the brand new school year. Here are some helpful ways to help your child look forward to going to school. Develop a healthy sleep routine Help your child adjust to earlier bedtimes. Set a consistent bedtime for your child and stick with it every night. Getting enough sleep is critical for kids to stay healthy and be successful in school. Not getting enough sleep is linked with lower academic achievement, as well as higher rates of absenteeism and tardiness. … Continue reading →

Summer Activities For Kids And Parents

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Parents Magazine has put together a list of a variety of summer activities that parents and kids can do together. They highly recommend that everyone involved use sunscreen and bug spray. Nature Related Summer Activities for Kids: Go bird watching. Take photos and keep track of your sightings. Then, use an app or guidebook to identify feathered friends. Look for shapes in the clouds. Put a blanket in the grass and stare up at the sky. Then, take turns talking about what you see in the clouds. Make a bird feeder.  Watch birds visit your years and add to your … Continue reading →

Sun Safety Facts

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Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Protection from UV rays is important all year, the CDC reported. Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV rays are an invisible kind of radiation that comes from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells. Protection from UV rays is important all year, not just during the summer. UV rays can reach you on cloudy and cool days, and they reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand and snow.  In the continental United States, … Continue reading →

Childhood Isn’t Easy – But Parenting Is Hard

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Psychology Today posted an article by Josh Jones LCSW-R titled: “Childhood Isn’t Easy but Parenting Is Hard”. Here are three things he recommends to parents: Differentiate Between Who They Are And What They Do “We judge everyone by what they do, but we judge ourselves by how we feel.” This is why the metrics of our life can look great to everyone, and yet, to ourselves, something can still feel off; no matter what I do, something inside still feels wrong. This is a painful way to live, and often the roots of it can be found in childhood. Being … Continue reading →

APA Issued A Health Advisory On Social Media Use in Adolescents

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American Psychological Association (APA) issued information about the potential risks of content, features, and functions regarding the science of how social media affects youth.  Almost a year after APA issued its health advisory on social media, use in adolescence, society continues to wrestle with ways to maximize the benefits of these platforms while protecting youth from the potential harms associated with them. By early 2024, few meaningful changes to social media platforms had been enacted by industry, and no federal policies had been adopted. There remains a need for social media companies to make fundamental changes to their platforms. According … Continue reading →

Playful Parenting: Learning To Be Playful With Your Kids

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It’s easy to get stuck in a parenting rut, and let’s face it: parenting can sometimes feel a little like “Groundhog Day”— the same routines on repeat day in, day out. While routine and structure are incredibly important for our children (and us!) we can sometimes forget to have fun, according to BabyChick. We feel tired and don’t have the energy to get down on the ground and play with our kids, or we’ve simply forgotten how to let go, be spontaneous and whimsical, and use our imaginations. However, playful parenting can be an important tool or approach when it … Continue reading →

Grandparents Share Brutally Honest Opinions About Modern Parenting

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The practices and norms around raising kids shift over time, with each generation of parents redefining an age-old role. Sometimes, this shifts are based on new research, technologies or cultural trends; other times, they’re a response to how the previous generation did thing, BuzzFeed reported (via Yahoo! News). Millennials and younger Gen-Xers with kids today are generally parenting in a more conscious way than their own parents did. For better or worse, they have a lot more information, advice, and opinions at their fingertips than the parents who came before them. Because each generation has their own perspective on the … Continue reading →

The New Parenting Trend is “Inchstones”

Tracking and celebrating milestones are a big part of the parenting experience. From the first birthday to the first word to the first day of school, there are many opportunities for excitement, HuffPost reported. Recently, parents have been injecting fanfare into the smaller moments as well. Indeed, Pinterest’s latest trend predictions going into 2024 suggest that more caregivers are embracing “inchstones.” What exactly are inchstones? As the name suggests, “inchstones” stand in contrast to milestones. An inchstone could be half a birthday, a lost tooth, or the first time a kid puts on their shoes without help. It’s about the small steps … Continue reading →

New Year – New Resolutions

The start of a brand new year is an excellent time to make some New Year’s resolutions. These don’t have to be difficult or unpleasant. Not sure where to start? Good Housekeeping has some excellent ideas about what you might choose to focus on this year. Start a Gratitude Journal Keeping track of things, people and events that you’re grateful for throughout the year can help to improve your mental and physical wellness. “It literally breathes new life into us. It recharges and it rejuvenates.” Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis and founder … Continue reading →