Picture this: school starts, the doors close, and mobile phones—those ever-present pocket temptations—are locked away until final bell. And guess what? It’s starting to feel like a secret passcode unlocking better focus, deeper friendships, and even a calmer mind.

If you’ve ever heard the sound of your kids fighting over who gets the blue cup, who gets to sit in the front seat, or who gets to push the elevator button, you know that sibling rivalry is alive and well.

Not long ago, the idea of a man choosing to become a single parent by design would have raised eyebrows. Parenthood was supposed to be something you stumbled into with a partner, not something you pursued solo with intent. But the times are changing, and today an increasing number of men are stepping up.

There is something timeless about curling up with your kid at bedtime and cracking open a book. The routine, the closeness, the shared laughs over silly rhymes or wide-eyed gasps at a cliffhanger—it’s one of those rituals that feels like parenting at its best. And it turns out the science is on our side.

The smell of freshly sharpened pencils. The crinkle of new notebooks. The sound of a backpack zipper being tugged up for the first time in months. All former kids know what this means: Back-to-school season is here.

Every parent has an image of the kind of mom or dad they’ll be. Some of us picture being firm and consistent, others imagine being the fun, laid-back parent who says yes to popsicles before dinner. But real life rarely happens in sync with those mental snapshots.

I’ve come to believe that “I’m bored” is not a problem. It’s an opportunity. That may sound odd in a world where most parents, myself included, are surrounded by a buffet of instant distractions. The second a kid sighs, we can queue up Netflix, hand over a tablet, or suggest a quick craft we saw on Instagram.

If you’re a parent with a preschooler, chances are you’ve already been pulled into the colorful, imaginative world of Bluey. And if you haven’t…well, brace yourself. This Australian kids’ show is more than just something to keep little ones occupied while you fold laundry.

One minute, my kid was happily stacking blocks, and the next, every waking hour was filled with “Did you know the velociraptor had feathers?” and demands that I attempt (and fail) to pronounce “parasaurolophus” without sounding like I was choking on a peanut.

One dad opens up about what he sees his wife and other moms going through—and why parenting culture needs to stop expecting perfection from mothers. Here’s what actually matters most for kids.

Data from the Atlantic says kids don’t actually want to spend all their free time on their phones, but they feel that’s the only way they can hang out with friends. Modern parenting has taken real‑world connection without adult supervision off the table for most of them.

Yes, your kid banging on a saucepan with a wooden spoon is adorable. But what if we gave them an actual instrument and a little instruction? What if we treated music not just as something fun to dabble in, but as a real skill worth developing?

Parenting can feel like trying to juggle eggs on a unicycle during an earthquake. Some days you’re up at sunrise, throwing frozen waffles on plates. Other days you’re quietly questioning if you’re actually doing any of this right—or if you’re just dragging yourself from one chaotic moment to the next..

Between packing lunches, changing diapers, attending school events, and Googling “how to remove slime from carpet,” it’s easy to let your romantic relationship fade into the background. But here’s the truth: If you have a partner in this wild ride, your relationship still matters.

That’s right—summer is almost over. But before we all shift back into morning routines, PTA sign-ups, and lunchbox math, let’s talk about going out with a bang.

We did the soccer thing, but he didn’t take to that and by the end of the season, we weren’t showing up. Up next comes teeball, which is truly exciting. But who knows, maybe sports won’t be his thing. The good news is there are plenty of other hobbies that can instill the same values, skills, and character you earn on the field.

Not long ago, I set my nearly four-year-old son up at the kitchen counter with a sponge, ready to wash dishes with me after lunch. But then he splashed water everywhere, knocked over a number of dishes I shouldn’t have put in front of him, and I ran out of patience.

Raising kids in 2025 feels like trying to build a treehouse during a hurricane. The wind keeps shifting, the boards keep warping, and every now and then someone hands you a hammer made of jelly. But we’re doing it anyway. Because that’s what parents do. We build while everything turns strange.

Kids are always watching. They hear what we say but they really absorb what we do. And the older my child gets, the more I realize that parenting isn’t just about setting rules or giving advice. It is about modeling a life worth living. It is about trying to be the kind of person I hope he will become.

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