How Does Your Garden Grow?
As parents, it's common to worry about what our children are eating. We want them to enjoy a wide range of nutritious foods and to develop a healthy relationship with food, but getting children to try new flavors and eat…
Development
ASK A MOM: Blended families, inflation anxiety, and age-appropriate books
Q: My kid’s stepmom’s birthday is coming up. We’re not BFFs, but we get along really well and she’s been a great SAHM to my kids while I’m at work. We haven’t had much interaction outside of the kids, so…
WEEKENDER: New Bern
If you drive toward the coast, about 4.5 hours east of Charlotte, you’ll find the waterfront town of New Bern, North Carolina. Nestled where the Neuse and Trent rivers converge, this small city is the state’s former colonial capital and…
The Cult of Mom Friends
My husband and I lived in our South Charlotte neighborhood for about a year before we had any meaningful interaction with our neighbors. Then one weekend, I showed up to the pool sporting 38 weeks of pregnancy. Suddenly I was…
GO. PLAY. SEE.: 4 Fun Things to Experience in Charlotte This Month
BUILD A SUMMER CAMPER Bring your little builders to Home Depot on Saturday, August 6 between 9 a.m. and noon for their monthly Kids Workshop. August’s project is a summer camper, and all kids in attendance receive a kid-sized Home…
ASK A MOM: Toddler table manners, camps for kids with developmental disabilities, and boundaries with video games
Q: What do you say and do when the 2-year-old throws food at the dinner table? A: Ask them to pick it up? Not to be basic, but that’s what I do. My son, Hobie, turns 2 this month. Meals…
A DIGITAL DETOX
Because children’s brains are malleable, they can learn and retain new skills, like foreign languages, more rapidly than we can as adults. But bad habits tend to stick, too. In other words, a child who learns to love screens in…
THE MOM’S SPACE: Exhaustion
We often associate summertime with relaxation and fun, but most moms experience the opposite. While we kick off the season with a much-needed relief from the busyness of May, we inevitably succumb to the pressure to create a memorable summer…
15 Kid-Friendly Summer Excursions Under $15
GET OUTSIDE Quest 6345 Sample Road, Huntersville, NC 28078 Located at Latta Nature Preserve, Quest’s brand new 13,000-square foot facility offers endless opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Walk the Carolina Raptor Trail, hike alongside a naturalist, create a nature craft, kayak,…
ASK A MOM: Gun safety, emotional security, and sensory-friendly underwear
Q: The school shooting in Uvalde has left my whole family shaken. I know a lot of our friends and neighbors keep guns in the house, which we never have. Is it appropriate to ask another parent if they own…
PARENT TO KNOW: James Kopecky
James Kopecky recently completed his seventh season with Charlotte Ballet. In honor of Father’s Day this month, we caught up with the dancing dad to 3-year-old daughter, Hazel. James shares how he and wife Kate creatively avoid the word “no,”…
25 Ideas to Kick off the Summer With Kids
Find fun, affordable kid-friendly activities to fill the month of June.
Yes, I Am a Stay-At-Home Dad
Shannon Carpenter has been a stay-at-home dad for 14 years. "Initially, I was joking when I suggested to my wife that I stay home with our then 15-month-old son,” he says. “But the more we talked about it, the more…
ASK A MOM: Girl talk, boy behavior, and superhero moms
Q: My 8-year-old granddaughter lives with us full time, and she seems to be developing early. She has a 19-year-old sister to talk to, but I feel like I should be the one to take to her about puberty. How…
The Terrifying Isolation of Postpartum Depression
A Charlotte Parent contributor and mother of two shares her experience
ASK A MOM: Teenaged boys, summer birthdays, and following through with commands
Q: I have a 15-year-old son. I love him but don’t know how to handle him. He’s moody, and bigger than me. He has never been physical or threatening, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by him. My husband has talked…
The Sensory Side of Autism
The way many children with autism perceive the world around them is often distorted. What may seem like an ordinary smell, sight, sound, touch, taste, or movement to you and me might go unnoticed or seem threatening and noxious to…
Seas The Day: 3 accessible beaches for families with special needs
When our son Ben grew too large to be carried from his wheelchair to the beach, we wondered how we’d manage future trips to the shore. His favorite pastime is splashing at the ocean’s edge, and we didn’t want him…
ASK A MOM: Media literacy, language delays, and overworked school systems
Q: How do I talk with my kids about what’s happening in Ukraine? –Veronica A: When COVID deaths were rampant, parents asked how to explain the sadness to their kids. When 2020 Presidential debates highlighted name-calling, parents asked how…
ASK A MOM: Learning loss, extreme sports, and table manners
Q: Dear Molly, I just got my third grader’s report card and am afraid he’s falling behind in reading and writing this year. Any good learning centers in town where I can supplement what he’s doing in school?—Katie A:…
How to Discuss Puberty with Your Kids
When I was pregnant with my third child, my husband and I couldn't wait to tell our two daughters, ages 8 and 5 at the time. We explained that Mommy had a baby in her belly and both girls…
7 Things to Know About 'MoLi'
A mini-library on wheels named MoLi (pronounced "Molly") took to the open road at the start of the year. Here are 7 cool things to know about the library's newest addition. A New Generation Did you know MoLi isn't the…
PARENT TO KNOW: Dr. Sandy Charles
February is American Heart Month, and we’re thrilled to introduce you to Dr. Sandy Charles, a board-certified cardiologist and medical director of Novant Health Women’s Heart & Vascular Center. The New York native is the daughter of Haitian immigrants and…
ASK A MOM: Swearing, skiing, and cultivating connections
Q: OK, Molly. I found out from another mom that our sons were repeating some swear words they learned from some 4th graders on the school bus. Our boys, of course, think they’re hilarious because they know they’re saying something…
