This was his first visit after being adopted from the SPCA over the weekend. He was a bit pudgy at 40 pounds—a middle-aged Beagle mix with a lazy demeanor and drooping ears. He was adorable, but with his squat legs and lumbering gait, I could never describe him as dynamic. I glanced at his chart, [...]
We asked you to nominate the coolest dads around these parts and, boy, did you come through. We heard from wives, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, all bragging about the best dad they know. It wasn’t a contest, but we thought these next four men stood out—from a single father raising his 6-year-old while still attending [...]
The issue of personal space comes up in my household a lot. Both my 5-year-old daughter and husband have a high tolerance for physical proximity—they tend to sit close, speak close, and don’t even seem to notice when they accidentally, but quite frequently, elbow me in the ribs. Conversely, my 2-and-a-half-year-old and I have what, [...]
06/19/2013 8:00 pm Jim Waive Blue Moon Diner, Charlottesville
I knew of a boy whose mother would give him cottage cheese with peaches and call it an ice cream sundae. He gobbled it down until the first time he went to a friend’s house and was given an actual ice cream sundae. Obviously, it blew his mind—not only how much more delicious ice cream [...]
Albemarle County Project Director Alex London-Gross is leading a county-wide campaign to reduce drinking and driving, and is encouraging parents to talk to their kids. “Talk to them about everything: what’s going on, who their friends are, what they’re doing after school,” she said. “One of the [...]
When social media site upworthy.com created a video with “pictures of women that make you feel better about yourself instead of worse,” local mothers Jennifer McDonald and Terry Beigie were inspired. Fed up with the media-supported charade of the ideal woman being 5’10″ with [...]
I’m an older first-time father. My daughter arrived a mere two months before my 50th birthday and my official invitation to join AARP. When my daughter turned six months, I realized I was more than 100 times older than her. Parenthood isn’t easy for anyone, but older parents face some distinct [...]
“I am not the kind of mom who scrapbooks,” said Taylor Harris, a Charlottesville stay-at-home mom, of her blog, sweetmilks.com. “This is a cool way to chronicle what’s happened. I’m a creative type and not organized, and I try to have some sort of organization with their lives.” Blogging [...]
Up until six months ago, Tara and Andrew Montgomery were struggling to provide a safe and freedom-filled environment for their young daughter, Leah (18 months). They were living in an old North Downtown farmhouse, and their newly mobile child was at odds with the accoutrements of the 1910 home, [...]
When my sons were in their mother’s belly, they had no idea their first few years would be so different than their peers’. That instead of lazy mornings spent with Mama and her friends and their kids, they would be subjected to daddy day care or, as I called it, “baby boot camp.” This was [...]
My older brother was bit by Grandma’s dog at the age of 2 and nearly lost his eye, so the story goes. Possibly even more exaggerated in family lore is the fact that the doctor had my mother physically barred from the hospital room while he sewed my brother’s eyelid back together. Dad was [...]
Families of every income level in Charlottesville and across the country are struggling to find quality childcare, and studies show that costs are still rising as gaps in licensing and training requirements persist. Nonprofits and government agencies have been examining the issue for years, and [...]
This is the third installment of a four-part series on childcare in Charlottesville. The first story looked at choices parents make in regards to their careers, with input from working parents and stay-at-home moms. Part two focused on the most expensive options in the area and families’ [...]
Charlottesville is home to a broad spectrum of childcare providers, from nanny-shares and under-the- table babysitters to corporate-owned centers that cost as much as college tuition. Parents are faced with tough decisions before even giving birth, and families everywhere have the same [...]
Laketa Kelley couldn’t afford to send her daughter to the daycare center where she worked as a teacher for six years. Kelley loved her teaching job at Westminster Child Care Center, but when she found out she was pregnant in 2010, she knew her salary wouldn’t cover the center’s $800 per month [...]
Drawings of ponies and dragons frolic across the glass of the large picture window that faces the front of 4-year-old Makenzie Lee’s home. The word pony is written in red washable glass marker. The Fontaine-area duplex is tidy and decorated with brightly colored accents, Makenzie’s mom [...]
Watching a happy puppy or kitten bounce around the living room, it’s hard to imagine anything that isn’t perfectly adorable about your new friend. Of course, the first time you find a pile of poop under the coffee table, you might adjust your assessment. And then you step barefoot in a warm [...]
After my first son was born some four years ago, I briefly thought about starting a blog to document staying home with him, but then dismissed the idea. I wasn’t yet ready to “come out” as a stay at home dad, but when my wife became pregnant again two years later, it was finally time [...]
“Oh, he lets them do anything,” boasts my client while her two kids play tug-of-war with a hound dog’s ears in the exam room. Judging by the nonplussed expression on the poor creature’s face (and the complete lack of expression in his tail), I suspect she’s right. He will let them do anything. [...]
Whether your little one is just starting school or is about to transition into a new grade, you want to make sure he gets the very best schools in Charlottesville have to offer. Here are a few things to consider. How do I get involved? With the start of the school year, you’re likely getting [...]
When I was asked to write an article about how sex and parenthood mix, here’s what I ended up with as a first draft: What sex life? I’m exhausted and there’s a toddler in my bed. The end. Just kidding! But sometimes it does feel that way. It’s ironic that the shenanigans that caused parenthood [...]
Too often, grocery shopping with kids is the scene of blood-curdling screams and tantrums. It’s no accident that balloons, gumball machines, and colorful packaging abound, transforming the best-behaved child into a pile of flailing limbs. Executives bank on the fact that parents will give in to [...]