Rage Against The Minivan

I remember a few years ago, a friend was lamenting about how hard summers were with teenagers. I thought that surely she was insane, because how could it be worse when a child is mature enough to make their own lunch and stop asking you to voice My Little Pony scenes? But alas, she was right. It is really difficult when kids grow out of the age of "playing" and just wander the house complaining about nothing to do. Tweens . .. the boredom is real. I can no longer tell them to go "play with . . .

In a press conference that stunned the nation, two days ago our president made comparisons between self-described neo-nazis and those who protest against white supremacy, saying that there is fault on both sides and implying that there is an alt-left that is just as bad. Since then, his supporters (and Fox News) have worked hard to create a false equivalency between the white supremacist march and the protests and marches of Black Lives Matter. This is a horribly dangerous and irresponsible . . .

Given the events this weekend in Charlottesville, I thought I would share some resources for talking to kids about racism, including both the historical context of our country as well as the present-day issues of prejudice, systemic racism, and white supremacy. I am a firm believer that we should be talking to our kids about racial differences from a very young age. When racial tensions bubble up in our country, parents often want to figure out how to talk to their kids about the specific . . .

Burt's Bee's is now available at Grove Collaborative, my favorite online spot for green and eco-friendly products, and my friend Ginger and I are drinking wine and trying on all of the colors. Here's how the shades look on each of us: My favorite was the Tahitian Sunset (middle bottom row). Ginger's was the Pacific Coast (middle bottom row). And we both agreed that the lip balm in Hibiscus was fantastic for everyday wear. Grove is having a killer gift-with-purchase on Burt's . . .

I'm so excited about this new puberty book for boys, from the folks behind American Girl's Care and Keeping of You book. I've recommended that book for girls so much and people have always asked about a boy version. It just came out this week, and it's appropriately named Guy Stuff. Author Cara Natterson provides some insight as to why she wrote the book, what ages it is appropriate for, and how writing for boys is different than writing for girls.  Why did you want to write Guy . . .