Family Life

It was a beautiful summer morning, unseasonably cool for August. We didn't have anything on the calendar so I decided to take my girls on a leisurely stroll to pick up a few items at the grocery store, then swing by the dry cleaner for my husband's dress shirts on our way home.

My one-year-old happily chattered in her stroller pointing out birds and squirrels, craning her head upward to smile at me when I pointed out the same to her. My two and four-year-olds merrily skipped along the sidewalk in front of us shouting “die creatures die” every time they stomped on an ant. It was the perfect morning – the kind of morning I dreamed about having when I dreamed about being a stay-at-home Mom.

But by the time we arrived back home I was more anxious than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. That little voice inside my head, you know the one – the one who tells you to do things, like pour bleach on your neighbor's stupid perfect flowers? (No? Just me? Nobody?) Well by the time we walked in our garage that little voice was screaming inside my head, “That took you over two hours. TWO. HOURS. Do you know how much more you could have accomplished today if you would have just driven?” I hurried the kids inside and dusted something.

Internet privacy has been a hot button topic recently. From controversies surrounding the National Security Agency’s surveillance of Internet usage and emails to the monitoring of our shopping habits by retailers (new merchandise return tracking enhancements has this chronic returner hanging her in head in shame), we often feel like we have eyes on us everywhere we go.

While we’re concerned about our own privacy as adults, the thought of someone snooping on our little ones online can bring out the mama bear.

According to eMarketer, 25 percent of kids ages 5 to 7, and 39 percent of kids 6 to 9 have a smart phone or tablet. While limited screen time can offer online learning opportunities for kids (and let’s face it, mind-numbing games when mom and dad need a 10-minute break), it also can expose kids’ information to third party companies.

We're excited to announce that St. Louis Kids Magazine is now STL Parent. We have a new look and a new name, but we're still dedicated to bringing you the latest information you need to know as you raise kids in St. Louis.

I finally understand why my Mom shot off fireworks the night before the first day of school. I also understand why she talked to herself all of the time.

The heat hasn't made you delusional. "Summer" is almost over and it's getting shorter every year. Here are 6 reasons why starting school in the middle of August is all kinds of wrong.

It’s hard for any first grader to fathom – the freedom we had just 30 years ago. It’s been hotly debated between the helicopter mom and the free range parent – how much freedom do we give a child who has demonstrated she can handle herself?

At a time when a child’s day is filled with iPods, the Wii and Netflix, there’s still a moment in the evening, when a parent and child snuggle in bed and crack open a book, that technology goes out the window and one’s imagination runs wild.