B
    Boston Irish

    Boston Irish

  • Parenting Guru: Parents Ruin Easter Egg Hunt for Kids!

    Parents are going overboard by behaving badly in public. To make matters worse, they justify their actions by saying they were doing it "for their kids". Is this the latest example of helicopter parenting?

  • Parenting Guru: It's Not the Bling, It's the Feeling that Matters This Holiday Season

    My mantra is that a gift from the heart is the gift that keeps on giving. So for this holiday season, consider putting away the credit card and put on your thinking cap. I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a simple gift for loved ones.

  • Why Parents Shouldn't Hide Bad News

    Talking about death to young children is an art, not a science. But there are definite do's and don'ts to the conversation, according to experts in the field. Here's what I've learned.

  • In Praise of Homemade (and Cheap) Halloween Costumes

    One of my favorite memories of Halloween as I was growing up was the fun of brainstorming the perfect costume with my friends and siblings. It was less a discussion of "What will I be?" and more about "What's laying around the house that I can use?" In my household, there were no prefab costumes. You either had to be crafty or creative with your materials. I remember cobbling together a gypsy costume from my mom's scarves, jewelry and makeup. Another year I was a football player, thanks to my brother's uniform. (This was before Title IX, so I didn't have my own. ...

  • Parenting Guru: Ode to Summer Travel...being over!

    Our family has a reputation for complex travel stories. Rarely do things go smoothly. If there's any chance of delays, lost luggage or acts of God, we are there. Right smack in the middle of things. Case in point: our latest 3 generation family reunion trip last month.Could we have a stress-free dep

  • Parenting Guru: 5 things I hope my teenage children will do (that I haven’t done)

    Hmm...it's a hot, lazy summer day and I'm feeling a little nostalgic. My kids are growing up WAY too fast, and are now 17. I remember that age so vividly. The world seemed full of possibilities in some ways, yet claustrophobic in others. I was full of my own and others' expectations. In the years si

  • Parenting Guru: Anxious about Camp? Tips you can use.

    Look, camp can be stressful. It's supposed to be great, but it's not always fun for everyone. Sometimes it's the child who's nervous, but other times, if we're honest, it can be our own parental anxiety on display. So if either you or your young child are anxious, an overnight summer camp experience

  • Parenting Guru: To Be Online or Not to Be Online...That's No Longer the Question

    Our family's wireless service has been down for 48 hours. I don't know whether I'm more anxious or relieved. Nope, definitely more anxious. Not because I can't access Facebook, mind you. My concerns stem from how disconnected from school my kids and I are if we're offline. I guess I hadn't realized

  • Parenting Guru: Flying Solo

    Every time someone mentions they are going to Orlando with their young kids, I cringe. Not because I have anything against Disneyworld. No, I shudder at the "O" word because it evokes one of my most stressful parenting travel memories. It's now been so long that I can laugh about it, but at the time

  • Parenting Guru: Can you hear me now, Tooth Fairy?

    In the top drawer of my carved mahogany jewelry box, buried amongst the once-trendy necklaces and the lonely single earrings rests a cheap, green plastic container. Once opened, it reveals an unusual treasure: one of my son's baby teeth. He happened upon it a few years ago, when I was sorting throug

  • Parenting Guru: A Wish List for My Sons

    Dreams, to me, are weightless. Impossible to touch, they seem unfocused and unattainable. So when I imagine my sons' futures, I think in terms of aspirations. Aspirations are within our grasp. When we aspire to something, we can see progress as we bring our goals to life. So, what aspirations do I h

  • Parenting Guru: 10 little things I love about my post-cancer life!

    Having a cancer diagnosis is life-changing. No surprise there. What I didn't anticipate, however, is when the shock of the diagnosis-treatment phase shifts to wait-and-see recovery mode. That's when your appreciation for little things really kicks in. It reminds me of when I first donned a pair of e

  • Parenting Guru: O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree...

    [Editor's note: This month, Shine Parenting Gurus are sharing their tips on how they get through the holiday season without losing their wits and patience. Have a tip to add? Join in!]

  • Parenting Guru: Thanksgiving, grace and cranberries

    "Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live. "--Dwight L. Moody

  • Parenting Guru: Why we've started apologizing with humor

    Most of my rapidly graying hair stems from conflicts with my teenage sons. You see, we have a hard time admitting when we're wrong. My kids are genetically doomed, after all. With an Irish mom and a Cuban dad - we call ourselves Cubish - there's no shortage of temper or stubbornness in our home. I g