The 5 Stages Of
Stay-At-Home Fatherhood

Darryle Pollack, 05/16/12

Writer, mosaic artist, cancer activist

With due respect to Dr. Spock, Dr. Brazelton and now Dr. Sears, no one has figured out a fool-proof method of raising perfect children; it's a daily pop quiz that requires learning on the fly.

Beth Jones, 05/15/12

Author, Freelance writer

The only photo I have from this year's Mother's Day is of my son standing between a barrel of swords and a heavy-set Steampunk in a Revolutionary War costume.

Katie Allison Granju, 05/14/12

Blogger, MamaPundit

Without two opposing sides, there is no war. By passively conceding, and then refusing to take up arms, we will effectively suck every bit of possible dramatic tension right out of their planned, profit-driven story arc.

Kristen Howerton, 05/14/12

Blogger, Rage Against the Minivan

Let's stop quibbling about what competent mothers are choosing for their kids, and step it up for the kids that don't have one

Farah L. Miller, 05/13/12

Managing Editor, HuffPost Parents

Over the course of my tenure here, I have spoken (sometimes in person, more often virtually) to all kinds of moms. I often find myself saying something like, "Oh my god, how do you do it?"

Mark Bertin, M.D., 05/15/12

Board-Certified Developmental Behavior Pediatrician; Author, 'The Family ADHD Solution: A Scientific Approach to Maximizing Your Child’s Attention And Minimizing Parental Stress'

If every child with asthma had a 66% chance of having kidney disease, we'd likely screen them for kidney disease. Yet, once ADHD is identified, further educational testing is often put to the side.

Wayne Maines, 05/16/12

Father, storyteller, and advocate for change

I waited for the old man to tell me I was nuts. He looked at me and said, "Maybe I am too old to change. Maybe your son and my grandson will be able to make things better."

Melanie Coffee, 05/15/12

Journalist based in Chicago

In the race to be bigger, faster, stronger, we've lost sight of what makes us better: Time with each other.

Sam Chaltain, 05/16/12

www.samchaltain.com

Buck reminds us that when learning is understood as the effort to empathize with another, it transforms both teacher and student.

Laura Rossi Totten, 05/15/12

Blogger, My So-Called Sensory Life

We may practice attachment parenting (or not), we may chose the bottle over the breast, but we are all bound by the fact that we never, ever feel like we can do enough for our special needs child(ren).

Nina Badzin, 05/15/12

Blogger, Writer

Does it bother you when kids call you Mr. or Mrs.? If so, why? On the flip side, if you're teaching your children to say Mr. and Mrs., how do you handle it when adults tell your children otherwise?

Susan Weissman, 05/15/12

Author, "Feeding Eden: The Trials and Triumphs of a Food Allergy Family"

For my son, Eden, food allergies are about how food makes him feel singled out.

Suzanna de Baca, 05/14/12

Vice President, Wealth Strategies, Ameriprise Financial

While many feel good about helping their kids through tough times, couples do not always see eye to eye on how much support is appropriate and under what circumstances. So what can you do if you and your spouse disagree on if -- or how -- to help your struggling adult child with their finances?

Jim Higley, 05/15/12

Bobblehead Dad; Author; Speaker; Parenting Columnist; Radio Host; Cancer Warrior

How about we talk about kids for a change? How about we toss out some encouragement for what we are all doing? How about we remind each other why parenting matters? The other stuff can wait.

Leslie Lagerstrom, 05/14/12

Proud mom of two children; advocate for families with transgender and gender-variant kids

Society had graciously given us the "tomboy" label to justify our child's behavior, which we gladly used as a wishful excuse. But all too soon it became hard to ignore the earnest pleas for the McDonald's Happy Meal that included the boy's toy, or the innocent requests to wear male clothes.

Barbara Greenberg, 05/15/12

Author, 'Teenage As a Second Language: A Parent's Guide to Becoming Bilingual'

Most of us are doing the best we can, whether or not we are breastfeeding for three months or three years or carrying our little ones on our hips or pushing them in strollers.

Darcie Maranich, 05/14/12

Blogger

Four and a half months after his sudden deployment, Jeff was sent home. The girls and I made T-shirts with catchy slogans: Welcome Home Baghdaddy; Glad You're Back from Iraq.