In an era when fresh air is favored, it may be an ideal time to nurture your family's interest in the natural world.

Here are five ways to encourage the next generation of outdoor adventurers.

1. Opt for outside fun.

A slew of experts agree that regular, unstructured outside play is critical for a child's healthy development.

To that end, ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Rarely does a mother try to stop her child from drinking a glass of milk. But with schools closed and unemployment spiking during the pandemic, Lissete Frausto, a mother of two in Oakland, finds she has little choice.

Her 4-year-old son normally gulps it down.

"I've been trying to figure out things so that he doesn't want...Read more

Two years ago, our daughter, son-in-law and their three small children moved in with us for seven months while they were between houses. We were feeding seven a day.

Now our son, daughter-in-law and their five children have moved in with us while they are between houses and we are feeding nine a day. I try to look at it as a promotion.

Some ...Read more

It's not often you get a second chance at motherhood.

Adult children leave, and that's that. They may come back for Christmas or a family vacation. But it's unlikely you'll ever again experience a full-bore, one-on-one, in-the-house repeat of intensive motherhood.

Unless you are "gifted" with a pandemic.

When COVID announced itself in March, ...Read more

Once again, we were working on the house our son and daughter-in-law are building and must have ready in two weeks for inspections. We are not skilled construction workers. We are not even semi-skilled. We are below low-skill and just above no-skill but our rates are reasonable. Free.

I looked up from a doorknob I had finished installing ...Read more

The classic road trip is more popular than ever as we seek ways to explore while staying safe and socially distant. Whether you pile into the family SUV or rent a spacious recreational vehicle, here are five places to hit the open road.

1. Colo-Road Trips

The Colorado Tourism Office has made it easy for road-trippers to explore the state's 24 ...Read more

One of my books, "Making the 'Terrible' Twos Terrific!", has recently become a best-seller in China, of all places. Seriously! What sorts of problems are Chinese parents having with their toddlers? The same problems American, French, Russian, Australian, Nigerian, Brazilian, Czech and parents of all other nationalities are having with theirs, ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- The coronavirus has so far caused more than 500,000 deaths, with more than 136,000 of them in the United States. But the impact doesn't end there.

While it's expected that deaths from COVID-19 will impair the health and well-being of surviving family members, the extent of the impact hasn't been quantified.

Now, researchers at ...Read more

Cooped up too long, yearning for a day at the beach or a night on the town -- and enticed by the easing of restrictions just as the warm weather arrived -- many people have bolted from the confines of home. And who can blame them?

But Houston -- and San Antonio and Phoenix and Miami and Los Angeles -- we have a problem.

COVID-19 is spiking in ...Read more

When our two daughters were 10 and 12, they spent hours during the winter in a closet next to the furnace making detailed plans for hosting a summer camp. They invited children for whom they babysat, and the backyard summer camp filled up every year for two weeks a year for the next nine years.

My role was supervising bathroom traffic and being...Read more

When the time is right, escape the bright lights of the city and introduce your family to the spectacular night sky. Here are five places to experience a star-filled landscape:

1. Arizona skies

Expect stellar stargazing as well as the chance to tour the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, which was the first city to be designated a Dark Sky City ...Read more

Q: When my 2-year-old gets angry, he sometimes gets down and bangs his head on the floor. This happens two or three times a week, generally speaking. He's not bruised himself, yet, but I don't know how long that's going to last. To make matters worse, I've made the mistake of reading about various psychological disorders and have started to ...Read more

It has happened again -- another blob of spaghetti stuck to the kitchen wall. Same location-in the corner next to the highchair. Same suspect-round face, great smile, chubby legs, chubby cheeks, 18 months old.

The abstract art on the wall escaped notice for the better part of a week and fossilized. We should probably put a frame around it and ...Read more

ATLANTA -- Alicia Simpson's daughter may be precocious, having skipped a grade, but mom is worried that her 8-year-old is advancing too quickly in an unhealthy way.

Bradley, a rising fourth grader, used to be an early-to-bed kid but has been going to bed later since COVID-19 upended her life. She is now getting nine or 10 hours of sleep when ...Read more

Smile: It's a family photo!

While your backdrop might not be an exotic locale or an international landmark, it's still important to capture your family's current experiences for future reference and enjoyment.

Here are five ideas to consider:

1. People pictures stand the test of time.

Including people, especially your loved ones, in your ...Read more

It's become a weekly COVID-era pacification in our house: Every Friday night, my 30-something son, his 20-something brother and their Joni/Aretha wanna-be mother shut the living room windows so as not to disturb the neighbors.

Some families do crafts and take bike rides to stave off the COVID slumps.

We bring out the amp and microphone I got ...Read more