What’s really hurting your relationships?

Today’s paper has an article about how hard it is to preserve tight family relationships in a world where we have so many other relationships. It offered 10 signs your friendships might be hurting your family relationships: You can’t get through a meal...

A social media resource for moms (and dads)

Nicole Cottrell has undertaken a three-part blog series, 15 ways moms can use social media. Judging from the first part, which went online today, it’s going to have lots of great ideas. Here are a couple of my favorite parts: Try using your personal Twitter,...

What we look like when we plug in

We all see them. Perhaps we are among the guilty ones. We see them at restaurants: Families at dinner; each member plugged into his or her iPad, iPhone or iPod. We see them at work: Colleagues texting and checking statuses on social networking sites while...

Family movie night: The 2×2

Like everything in life, the conundrum that is Family Movie Night can be reduced to a 2×2 table. Common Sense Media has solved a lot of our household media selection challenges, but it’s yet to resolve this one. Your kids will find this movie…  ...

A techsperiment that puts family tech use in a new light

Last week we conducted a techsperiment on eliminating gadgets from our family time: we swore off using iPhones, iPads and computers from the time we got home (5 or 6) until the time the kids were asleep (8 or 9). We did pretty well during the week, and discovered that...

My latest for Oprah.com: Is an iPad Right for Your Family?

“I got an iPad!” my daughter announces to a friend. “No honey, I got an iPad,” I remind her. The argument over who the iPad belongs to is just one of the many wrinkles in our new life as The iPad Family. Self-serve movie watching, GodFinger...

On Oprah.com: 6 ways to be a better parent online

If it takes a village to raise a child, that village no longer needs to be defined by the place you happen to live. This post for Oprah.com shows how to find online support to help you be a better parent online and offline.