Parenting

Foster parents need a village. This Austin mom gave them one

The call from social services came at midnight in October 2017 — Ruben Elizondo and his wife Hillarie Elizondo’s first foster child, a 4-month-old boy, would arrive in two hours with only the clothes on his back and a baby carrier.

First Time at Overnight Camp

Planning for summer begins now. If you are considering an overnight or sleep-away camp — also known as resident camps — for your child for the first time, it’s natural to have some apprehension about...

The Power of Food for Children with Special Needs

When a child is diagnosed with special needs, parents are introduced to an array of therapies to help improve the child’s life. Determining a treatment plan can be...

Teaching Kids to Self-Advocate

Before I had children, I worked in the dean of student’s office at Queens University of Charlotte. My job was to help students achieve personal and academic goals.

Middle-School Students Learn to Advocate Through Extensions Program

When Trent Lose, 15, saw his middle-school friends at Randolph Middle School disappear from homeroom each morning, he was curious about where they were going.

How to Negotiate and Blend Family Customs for the Holidays

Every Christmas Eve, my husband and I discuss whether the presents from Santa should be wrapped. We’ve been together for so long, we’re not sure whose family tradition...

Throwing Birthday Parties That Give Back

The anniversary of the birth of a child is a celebratory time. We gather friends and family to sing “Happy Birthday,” eat cake and play games. Then the long-awaited moment arrives, the birthday boy or girl opens...