How’d we do? February Meal Planning Run-Down

February went especially well despite some challenging situations. We were required to pony up more money for preschool (summer) program fees. Which I absolutely do NOT mind doing but it was hard after the big property tax hit, increased pre-tax deductions for dependent care from my check, waiting for reimbursement, and then finding out, indeed, […]

Finding male allies in parenthood.

This last week has tested my strength and stress level. I am loving the work I’m doing. It is meaningful, I am appreciated by team members, my graduate students, my boss, and my big client sent a glowing review of my collaboration with his people this week. I’ve been working so hard on this university […]

Dear Paul Ryan, I will have more kids when…

Dear Paul Ryan, So, you’ve stumbled on the crisis of revenues vs. spending that everyone studying basic economics and the Congressional budget process is aware of. Thanks for joining the party. I’m glad you’re concerned about this. I’m glad you’re suddenly worried about elder poverty, paying for Social Security, and taking care of infrastructure. I […]

12 things I want to change for new moms

My baby is now 12 months old. She is a TODDLER. A year ago, I pushed out a baby who has been a joy since day one. Honestly, I feel like I got away with a crime having a baby who eats anything, sleeps through the night, and loves to go out. Today, she got […]

Sorry, kids, we’re those parents

My family is perhaps “stick in the mud” about tech despite being nerdy and internet-dependent. My husband works for a tech company. We’re kind of paranoid as parents because of his job. He sees how the internet works and what can go wrong. My experiences working with a nonprofit that addresses a number of important […]

RIE Parenting IS for Working Parents

So, I have a lot of friends who took on attachment parenting. This doesn’t jive for us, as I’ve said. I don’t believe it is best for our lives or our child but I see why it is good for our friends. AP is one of those things that people seem evangelical about. It’s very […]

It’s All Political: Raising Kids without Indoctrination

As a political scientist, I know about political socialization. People learn first from their families about political values. Kids then talk to their peers in high school and college and learn more. People may have formative experiences occur when we engage with people of different education levels, income brackets, and races/ethnicities. This may also challenge […]

It’s Suicide Awareness Month but we are not helpless.

September is Suicide Awareness month so this post will not be all hearts and flowers. Trigger warning: this post deals with that issue intimately. Today, I will open my heart and share something deeply personal not for my own benefit but for the benefit of other people and families struggling and to raise awareness for […]

How NOT to write about the science in sleep training literature.

As someone who has devoted her life to empirical research, it is really, really hard to read journalistic accounts of “studies” which totally miss the mark. In my younger years as a hungry PhD student, I taught methods labs to aspiring political scientists and double-majors in journalism at a university with a top J-School. My job […]