There is a well-known theory in chess called the first move advantage that suggests the player who goes first is statistically positioned for the best outcome. When I first heard this, I went and found an old chess piece and …
Gird Your Loins
“I have seeds in my balls? How do they come out? Surgery? IS IT WITH A NEEDLE?!” The sex talk went great, guys. Clearly I disarmed the situation like a champ. It all started when we got a new dog. …
Behind the Glasses
I sat in a beach chair and cried. Not legit crying with sobs and shudders. It was subtle – the kind of crying where your tears just turn on, as if they were emotional garden hoses connected to a leaky …
The Routine of Family
I’ve been a single parent for almost 13 years and have learned a thing or two about creating time for my daughter during a busy schedule. When she was 8 years old, I was a full-time graduate student, working two …
Don’t Let the Bully Define You
It started when she was in fifth grade. Suddenly my daughter who had just come out of her shell and transformed from a shy introvert into an outgoing and active child, was being left out and picked on by her …
Those Who Came Before Us
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise. Maya Angelou “Still I Rise,” from And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems (1978) It is …
MOPS Black History Voices from Mothers of Color- Part 1
Black History Month is annual month long event in February that has been in place since 1976. The focus is to set aside time to observe significant accomplishments of African Americans in the USA. Here are a few collective voices …
When My Parenting Isn’t Enough
“I hate you and I wish you were dead.” The words stung, though not as much as they did the first few times they were uttered. My 5-year-old looked at me with fire in his eyes and in that moment, …
GIST: Who Am I, Why Am I Here and Where Am I Going?
These are the three great questions about life that we all must answer at some point in our lives. And it starts in childhood with “Who am I?” One goal for parents is to help establish an accurate self-assessment to …