Stay Home or Go Back to Work?
One of the most difficult questions for a new mother to answer is, Do I stay home or go back to work? Many moms don’t have the gift of choice, but for those who do, the decision can feel overwhelming.…
Work-Life
ASK A MOM: The Mother's Day Edition
Q: Hi Molly. Need you to settle this once and for all. Should my husband spend Mother’s Day with me and our children instead of his own mother? He makes the same argument every year, that I’m not his mother, so he…
ASK A MOM: Kids' Clothing, Homeschool Resources, and Answering Tough Questions
Q: My 9-year-old wants to wear ratty gym clothes every day. I don’t need him in a suit and tie, but I think it’s important to look presentable. This discussion usually ends in tears. Where can I get decent looking,…
ROOM WE LOVE: Open Book
Designer Lori Shaw has a reputation for bold, unapologetic use of color, but she made her biggest personal statement earlier this year inside her own 8,000-foot home. She transformed her sitting room into a library for her “household of bookworms.”…
PARENT TO KNOW: Esezele Payne
Esezele Payne has a refreshingly direct style, which might be out of necessity. Like most moms, she is very busy. Esezele is the Vice President of Operational and Environmental Services at Atrium Health and is active in several charitable organizations…
8 Great Places to Donate Kid’s Items in Charlotte
One of the things parents can never truly be prepared for is the constant churn of outgrown clothes, shoes, toys and books. When you muster the energy to purge, here are several places that will benefit from your donations. Assistance…
11 Toddler-Friendly Restaurants in Charlotte
These Charlotte restaurants have the menu options, ambiance and entertainment to keep wiggly kids occupied while parents enjoy a satisfying meal. Cabo Fish Taco Find coastal Mexican cuisine in a laid-back Baja surfer environment. Guy Fieri visited the flagship NoDa…
Kid-Friendly Coffee Shops
Parenting calls for early mornings, late nights, and an endless amount of energy. These local java stops offer zip in a cup and perks to keep kids happy. Coco and the Director With built-in stadium seating, bean bag nests, and…
Rainy Day Activities for Kids in Charlotte
We all want our kids to get out and play in the great outdoors. But when Mother Nature interferes, there are plenty of indoor play options all over town. Sky Zone Trampoline Park Charlotte 7325 Smith Corners Blvd. 704-709-9050 Pineville…
ASK A MOM: Unsupervised bike rides, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and scheduling time to do nothing
Q: Hi, Molly. My 10-year-old son has started asking if he can ride his bike along the greenway by our house without a parent. When I was his age, my parents wouldn’t have blinked. But I just feel like the…
Kid-Friendly Restaurants with Healthy Options
If your 2023 goals include eating healthier, check out these local restaurants with good-for-you options even the littlest family member will love. Many continue to offer curb-side pickup and delivery, so you can eat well no matter how hectic the…
ROOM WE LOVE: A Neurodivergent-Friendly Space
In my book Our Neurodivergent Journey, I write about how important it is for your home to accommodate your child’s needs. Kids need a space that elicits feelings of calmness but also leaves room for rambunctious behaviors. Our library allows…
PARENT TO KNOW: Molly Carroll
Molly Carroll's family has made a festive splash on their Plaza Midwood street during the holiday season for the last several years. And each year their yard on Wilhelmina Avenue draws a bigger crowd. When she’s not spreading inflatable holiday…
ASK A MOM: Holiday stress and how to give back this season
Q: Hi, Molly. I have four kids under age 10, and I feel like I have nothing fun to offer them. All I do is yell at them to pick up their toys or hurry up and get ready for…
ASK A MOM: Fidgety students, healthy eating, and Thanksgiving etiquette
Q: My son's teacher is always sending home a report that he can't sit still and stay focused. I talk to him about being respectful of his teacher and classroom, and have tried to offer him some breathing strategies when…
PARENT TO KNOW: Patrice Gopo
Patrice Gopo is an award-winning essayist and author who often returns to themes of race, immigration, identity, and belonging. Her essay collection, All the Colors We Will See, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Her debut picture book, All…
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…
Ask A Mom: Boundaries, tough conversations, and curbing end-of-summer boredom
Q: My daughter and her boyfriend are going out a lot, but they never tell me where! And they come back so late! I don't know what to do... A: Ask her. You’re her mother, not her friend. You control…
THE MOM’S SPACE: Authentic Friendships
As moms, finding and maintaining authentic friendships can be difficult. How nice would it be if the opposite were true? What if moms felt free to be real and unite through the messy experience of motherhood? Instead, we tend to…
PARENT TO KNOW: Neely Verano
Neely Verano’s lifelong passion for the arts led her to serve in various nonprofit leadership roles at the Mint Museum, McColl Center for Art + Innovation, and The Arts Empowerment Project. She’s also a co-founder of LaCa Projects, Charlotte’s contemporary…
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…
THE MOM’S SPACE: Childhood Trauma
Many of us would agree that our childhood affects how we think, feel, and behave as adults. The trauma experienced as a child, no matter where that trauma may lie on the spectrum, unequivocally affects our environments, relationships, and how…
PARENTS TO KNOW: Sarah and Gaurav Bharti
Since relocating from Tennessee in 2016, Drs. Sarah and Gaurav Bharti are relative newcomers to Charlotte, but you might already recognize them from around town. Gaurav, a board certified plastic surgeon, is the ‘B’ in H/K/B Cosmetic Surgery and has…
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…
