Parenting with Research, Insight, and Love
Parenting with confidence comes from knowledge. Parenting with grace comes from insight.
Play-Based Learning
Toddler Development
I’m a wife, mom of two boys and a child development writer. I may have a Ph.D, but I believe the value of child development research is not in telling us what is “right” or “wrong” with our parenting, but in helping us to see our children with a new lens.
If you are looking for strategies to support your child’s development using research combined with your own innate intuition, this is the place for you.
Latest Posts
LIfe 360 Alternatives: The Best Family Safety App for 2026
Sneak peek: Looking for Life360 alternatives? One parent’s take on the best family safety apps for 2026…and the private tracking option they found. This post is sponsored by HeyPolo. All opinions, stories, and experiences shared are my own. My son had just started driving, and like a lot of parents, I downloaded a tracking app …
Teen Driving Safety Tips for Nervous Parents (From One Who’s Been There)
Sneak peek: Teen driving safety tips from a parent who’s been there. Tips for coaching better habits, spot risky driving, and monitor without hovering This post is sponsored by HeyPolo. All opinions, stories, and experiences shared are my own. My 17-year-old son has been driving for a few years now (if you count the permit …
What Research Says is the Best Stay-at-Home Mom Schedule for Kids {and moms too!}
Peek inside: Being a stay-at-home mom has its ups and downs. Learn how to establish a stay at home mom schedule for toddlers that works for you and your child. I sat at the bottom of the basement stairs crying. My husband ran out of his home office, wondering what was going on. He thought …
Difficult Baby? Research Shows Sensitive Parenting is Key
Sneak peek: Research is helping us see the temperamentally difficult baby in a more positive light. With this research in mind, parents can be encouraged about the future of their child. If you’re raising a baby who’s intense, hard to soothe, or reactive to every little change, the research is encouraging. Studies show that “difficult” …
When Do Babies Start Babbling? Stages of Babbling Explained
Sneak peek: When do babies start babbling? Learn when babbling begins, the different types of babbling, and how you can support language development. Baby babbling usually begins around 6 months, although there is considerable variation in when babies start. Babbling is an important step in language development because babies are learning to control their voices, …
How Parenting Affects Child Development (And Why It’s Not the Whole Story)
Sneak peek: Parenting affects child development. There’s no doubt about that. But research — and thirteen years of raising two boys — has taught me it’s a two-way street. Kids shape how we parent them just as much as we shape them. Parenting significantly affects a child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development, but it isn’t …
Books and Courses
