At the Diner with Azalea by Bethany Saltman We sit in our booth. She is 3 and I am 40, so that’s the kind of conversation we have: simple. A little contrived. Across from us are two women, of the same age, both a little rough, sad even, probably lovers, for a long time. They open their menus

First time back in yoga class in five months. The shoulder tear I incurred had me in pain and out for the count for quite some time. I settled into a seated position as we chanted a Sanskrit sentence that translates to "Birth is our teacher, Life is our teacher, Death is our teacher." Guru, the word for teacher in the chant, really means the removal of darkness to see… Read More

This post from Straight Talk On Relationships reminds us that our tone and general attitude toward our partner influences the relationship greatly. Often times what we think is 'all in good fun', really puts a rift in the communication. THE STING OF SARCASM DOESN’T BELONG IN RELATIONSHIPS By Lisa Merlo Booth Lately I’ve been seeing the effects of sarcasm everywhere.  Whether it’s watching my own family, my friends’ families or… Read More

Motherhood can be an oddly lonely time of life.  It is ironic that in some ways you may have never felt so connected to another human being and so alone at the same time.  Surrounded by a sea of other mothers you can still feel isolated.  Even if you have a partner who is invested  in the details of your children's lives, the nature of our society and the division… Read More

Judith Warner, author and columnist on parenting issues, has just published We've Got Issues: Children and Parents In The Age of Medication. She began her project with the commonly held mindset that children are over-medicated through a collusion between parents, who want their childrens' behavior to change, and psychiatrists, who are more than happy to whip out the prescription pad.  What Warner discovered, and what our experience at Soho… Read More

The New York Times article, For Some Parents Shouting is the New Spanking, by Hillary Stout,  bravely shines the light on a slightly taboo topic. In many parenting circles, spanking is a discipline tool of the past.Whether or not parents actually resort to spanking is another story. When it comes to screaming, however, it often seems accepted as a matter of course. Everyone  has a reflexive, knee jerk stance based on family… Read More

This is fabulous way to talk to your teens or even tweens about the rules of healthy relationships. The Relationship Bill of Rights by Annie Fox, M.Ed 1.    It’s your right to have feelings for anyone you choose. Your friends may have opinions worth listening to, but who you’re friends with or who you love is your choice. 2.    You have the right to express your feelings or to keep them to yourself. Just… Read More

There has been so much controversy and worry in the last ten years about vaccinating babies.  Much of the reason for this began with a 1998 paper in the reputable medical journal Lancet. The paper, by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, linked autism to the MMR vaccine. That hypothesis, the rise in autism and the media's amplification of both spread the link between vaccines and autism like wild fire. Cynicism about the pharmaceutical… Read More

by Bethany Saltman Ok, so it wasn't daycare—it was a governess. And yes, I know Anna threw herself beneath a train and died, so it's probably not going to help my cause to be comparing myself to her. But wait: Tolstoy, the original family man, believed that Anna loved her son so much that she was afraid to divorce her dull, mean husband for the fabulous (-ish) Vronsky because the kid's life would… Read More

A recent article on the effects of switching the order of recess and lunch by Tara Parker Pope makes great sense. Moving recess earlier and lunch afterwards affected both kids well being at school and also resulted in the waste of food. At a time when some schools decrease recess time to fit in more academics, it is another reminder of how important play time is for children. Pediatrics reports… Read More