parenting

  • Montessori at Home

    Growing up I remember hearing about Montessori from an educational stand point. Relooking at it now, as a parent, has become sort of a fascination: the idea of my child being guided by his own independence – gaining self esteem and confidence in his ability do things on his own, but always knowing we are… Continue reading

  • Fed is Best

    I saw an Instagram post recently that said “Baby-led weaning is the next breast is best” — and that got me thinking. We do so much to shame parents for not “doing it right” when we need to support parents and each other. Baby-led weaning is great, if that works for you; homemade purées are… Continue reading

  • Pregnancy During Pandemic

    The pandemic was a very odd time to be pregnant. All the ideas I had about community and gathering and connection was very different, but also in a way I didn’t have to share this time with anyone besides just my husband and I. I had a small bubble I could reach out to, I… Continue reading

  • Go-to read-aloud picture books

    One thing I have learned as a parent is that every family has its own sense of humor. I have also learned that some children’s books you looked forward to reading to your own children aren’t always as awesome as you remembered them. Continue reading

  • Tricky books

    An amazingly wide range of questions come across our library information desks, I’m sure every librarian has their favorites. My current favorite was from an earnest young man of around seven years of age who was interested in “tricky books.” I tried to show him magic books with no satisfaction. Of course there just isn’t… Continue reading

  • Make Learning Fun and Keep the Mind Young

    “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” ~Henry Ford With school in full swing, maybe your child is having difficulty with a subject, or perhaps you want to explore an interesting topic together. The… Continue reading

  • Title Sparring

    I am obsessed with book titles and how some really strange, overlong and obscure misnomers slip through the editing process. I have a bone to pick with these titles I recently found in a few minutes searching for self-help and do-it-yourself books on the library catalog. Great books with ambiguous titles can really put me… Continue reading

  • Books About New Sibs

    If your family is expecting a new addition sometime soon, you may find yourself scrambling to help your first child cope with and understand the huge change coming their way. When I was looking for picture books for my toddler about new babies, I was surprised how hard it was to find books that weren’t… Continue reading

  • Writing and reading with your kids

    These days, I don’t think anyone disputes that reading and writing are critical skills for children to develop in order to succeed in school. But while many parents read daily to their small children, once kids learn to read on their own, reading and writing often become independent pursuits. Recently I’ve become aware of a… Continue reading

  • Book clubs for kids

    Ever since I started the Kids’ Book Club at the Northeast Branch, I’ve been getting requests from families about offering more book clubs for different ages, schedules and so on. I often tell families that they can help their kids start their own book club. “Oh no, that would be so much work!” It sounds… Continue reading

  • Can You Feel the Beat? Picture Books that Boogie!

    There are some books that just compel you tap your toes and snap your fingers. The rhythm of the words inspires you to get up and move, join in the story action, and fall into the musical beat of the rhyme. Pair that magic with dynamic illustrations and you are sure to have a book… Continue reading

  • Potty Poetry

    Spring is here and summer is on the minds of many parents. This triggers a little-known phenomenon in the library… The absence of all potty training materials on our shelves! Warmer weather seems to motivate parents to start the process of teaching bathroom etiquette to their young. Parents all over Seattle suddenly descend upon the… Continue reading

  • NurtureShock: Research that will make you go hmmm …

    I stumbled across Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman’s book NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children after I was gifted a copy of Newsweek with their incendiary cover-story (September 14, 2009 issue) entitled “Is Your Baby Racist?” I should mention that a teenager gave me this particular magazine issue as a tongue-in-cheek gift at my baby shower. In their Newsweek… Continue reading

  • Plant a Seed Day at The Seattle Public Library

    Are you looking for a way to celebrate the joy of spring weather with your child? Are your green thumbs beginning to itch? With the weather getting warmer and spring blossoms popping all around us, it’s time to start planning your vegetable gardens and flower beds.  Gardening with children can be especially rewarding. The Seattle… Continue reading

  • Attention Aliens: You Are Not Alone!

    Have you ever thought that you might be from another planet? Most people, at some point in their lives, experience moments of feeling “different”, however, there are individuals who have such a unique interpretation of the world that it sets them apart. Imaginative, intelligent children learning to navigate the social galaxies around them – particularly… Continue reading

  • Celebrate Black History Month Through Children’s Literature

    Black History Month invites us to explore African American culture and history with children. Consider making a date with your favorite children to attend one of the many literature-based events in the Seattle area, connecting history and the African American experience with children’s literature. Here are a few suggestions: Central Library will host the play… Continue reading

  • An Unfinished Life

    We all start out so damn sure, thinking we’ve got the world on a string. If we ever stopped to think about the infinite number of ways we could be undone,      we’d never leave our bedrooms.   I’ve had a plethora of women in my life expecting children. Some married, some not, some engaged, some first… Continue reading

  • Soup’s On!

    The New Year is already off to a flying start and everyday routines are back in full swing with work, school, homework, sports… You get the picture. As a librarian, I don’t work banker’s hours. I work “public service” hours, which include weekends and evenings, with a schedule that varies from week to week and… Continue reading