The Children's Courtyard Blog

Now that my boys are in the activity-filled elementary years, I’m flipping the calendar way too fast, often wondering how it can be Friday yet again! As I look to 2012 and ponder what kind of life I’d like to lead, a blend of satisfying professional work and quality family time tops my list. But […]

I don’t surf. But I envy the other moms here in Hawaii who keep surfboards in the back of the minivan, just in case the waves look good. A mom friend says that one good session in the water energizes her for the day, keeps her body in shape and sets her priorities straight. “It […]

In the course of researching my book on modern motherhood, I interviewed hundreds of parents and pored over data reported by nearly a thousand American mothers. But one woman’s observation stopped me in my tracks. When I asked about how she made time for herself, she paused, scratched her head, and studied the floor. A […]

Fall is ordinarily my favorite season. With field trips to the farm, pumpkin spice lattes and a dress-up holiday that’s fair game for adults, what’s not to love? But last October, my seasonal spirits took a nosedive when my older son said: “Why do you love your computer more than me?” That zinger came after […]

The first time someone described me as a work/life balance expert, I couldn’t stop laughing. Me? I said and snorted. The woman who just raised her voice to her darling 6-year-old son for dawdling on his way to bed. The one whose husband got frustrated because she had spent so many nights talking to strangers […]

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the responsibilities of juggling a career and a family? Parenting is a full-time job and can, many times, be harder than your real one. It’s this anxiety of trying to be all things to all people that can make it seem that the work/life balancing act is unending. As […]

I always assumed I’d be a stay-at-home mom. That is — until our first child was born. Although I loved being a mom, I missed my work — and we needed the paycheck. So, back to work I went. We had an amazing caregiver arranged for the baby. But leaving her that first day was […]