When I was in my late 30s, I found my journals from when I was in sixth grade. We were… Read more Girls need a tremendous amount of mentorship about social relationships

I saw a post maybe a year ago imploring people to stop playing the game Hangman with children. In this… Read more I’m drawing the line at Hangman. A sense of predatory threat has a role in child development.

Hi, I’m Amber, “The Observant Mom,” and I document the age-related stages children go through. These are those times children… Read more The Misbehavior and Growth of Five Year Olds

This post isn’t really meant to be pro-Santa or against Santa. Rather, I am making some commentary on the significance… Read more The power of imagination: Santa as in alignment with child development

Yeah, I know, screen time is controversial. And many adults, in fact entire governments, are worried about what we are… Read more In a world of scheduled playdates, phones and videos games let kids connect spontaneously

Ok, I have a confession. I’ve long been a bit bothered by how various “experts” propose you teach children about… Read more Teaching children about money through experience and without control

I long planned to teach my children about economics. Way before I was pregnant with my first child, I started… Read more Teaching my fifth grader about inflation

I read in the introduction to The Writing Revolution, a brilliant book by Judith Hochman, that younger students are asked… Read more Maybe we’re teaching writing at too young of an age?

I have a loose goal when working with my children when they are five to get them to add numbers… Read more When you think of math with five year olds, think number lines

You know what I love about this man? He is emotionally intelligent. The other night I told him (my husband)… Read more Emotionally intelligent husbands are key