Children are the flowers of life. Discover useful tips and heartfelt advice on caring for kids, supporting their growth, and enjoying every moment of parenthood.
It’s no secret that Mozart’s music relaxes millions worldwide. New research shows the effect extends to infants: babies …
My little one is just 1.5 years old, but you can’t keep us away from the playgrounds. Boys are simply obsessed with all kinds of vehicles and wheeled toys. My…
A stroller is often the first big purchase parents make after they find out they’re expecting. Without experience, many parents pay a “tuition fee”—buying the wrong stroller and then trying…
When and How to Bathe Your Newborn When a baby is born, you shouldn’t give a full bath right away because the umbilical cord hasn’t fallen off yet. It usually…
Stroller tips The bassinet for newborns should be easy to detach and reattach, and the rest of the stroller should fold up easily and be lightweight for carrying. You can…
Raising a child begins long before they are born. Parenting should start the moment a mother feels her baby moving inside her. During pregnancy, it’s important for a woman to…
In Pittsburgh, Dr. Milton Nicholson once worked — a forward-thinking professor and dentist. He focused primarily on preventing dental disease. He and I often lamented the difficulty of convincing parents…
A friend of mine was dealing with a bit of awkwardness after her husband left town for a couple of days. One morning she stepped out onto the landing with…
Recently I took my son Alexey to a psychologist. The psychologist put him through a series of tests for about an hour. One of the tests showed him a card…
Sasha runs to me at 6 a.m.: — Mom, can I eat two candies? — Sure — but first brush your teeth and have breakfast. — How can you not…
We bought Sasha some skates. We tried one on and took it to the checkout. As we left the mall, my daughter asked seriously: — Mom, did we only get…
Yesterday I came home and found my son reading fables on Skype with his friends. But that’s not the point. Then they started playing hide-and-seek over Skype… Sasha, watching his…
We’re heading to Grandma’s. Sasha and I are walking to the bus stop, dragging our bags along — I’ve got this huge, awkward one full of clothes, and my daughter…
We’re sitting with Sasha at the police station, waiting for our certificate of “no criminal record” for the application process. The woman in charge of the certificates is taking her…
I just got back from picking up Sasha from preschool. I noticed she was missing for a bit, so I went to check on her in her room. She was…
Alexey found a little ring in his Kinder Surprise. I said, “You can give it to the girl in your class that you like.” He replied, “But I don’t like…
This morning we were getting ready — Sasha for preschool, and the rest of us for work. She was the first to get dressed and stood waiting by the door.…
Sasha recently complained about having a stomachache. We examined her, and everything seemed fine, so we recommended she stick to a diet and drink some flaxseed tea. The point is,…
I often wondered what was wrong and why children get sick. Then I found Anatoly Nekrasov’s book “Maternal Love,” which answered that question and many others. The author treats maternal…
When Kids Say the Darndest Things Alexey was about two or three years old. I was lying on the couch when my husband came over and hugged me. With a…
I’m cleaning out the closet. Sasha picks out the prettiest sweater, puts it on, and struts into Ivan’s room with a sultry walk: Sasha: “Dad, I’m being fashionable!”
How I Found the Perfect Book for Discussing Tough Topics with Kids Sasha fires a thousand questions at me about where babies come from and how boys and girls are…
We’re driving with Sasha. She’s asking Dad a ton of questions about race car drivers and racing cars. Basically, we keep hearing, “Race car driver, race car driver…” Then we…
Letting Go: A Parent’s Challenge I believe the hardest part of being a parent is the moment you have to let your child go, to hand over the reins of…
Five Years of Friendship: The Joys and Challenges Sometimes it’s so easy — and other times it’s incredibly hard to parent a five-year-old. At this age, kids hit another developmental…
Bedtime Conversations: A Special Bond with My Son Out of everything I do with my kids, the nightly conversations with my 6-year-old are the ones I treasure most. I have…
Looks like it’s finally time to explain to my daughter where she came from. She’d been satisfied by my earlier answer — something like, “Your dad and I loved each…
A Creative Way to Teach Kids About Money My sister recently suggested this idea, and it really works. I think it could be helpful for many parents. My son, Sasha,…
Our kids are 100% reflections of ourselves. Sure, there are exceptions—some children grow up completely different from their parents (for better or worse), and I’ve seen that too. But sometimes,…
A couple of years ago, I read an excellent book: “The Joy of Parenting: How to Raise Without Punishment”. It was dense, and I didn’t get through it on my…
We’re heading to Grandma’s. Sasha and I are walking to the bus stop, dragging our bags—mine is huge and awkward, filled with clothes; hers is a tiny bag with a…
The Versatile Ball: A Must-Have for Kids Let me tell you about a simple toy that’s surprisingly useful: a big rubber ball with a handle or horns—perfect for children’s play.…
Lying down to sleep with Sasha, I suggest we play a game. Since our patronymics come from our fathers, she has to guess what her father’s name is based on…
– Mom, I really LOVED that candy! ________________ Sasha was curious about the last names of her brothers. Next was Yegor. I said his last name is Dukhivnikov. Sasha asked,…
Today I finally keep my promise to my daughter: I’m buying her a beautiful tricycle. I spent a long time researching online to find the best tricycle for her. Since…
Sasha: – Mom, I want juice — just not tomato!
Sasha’s Funnies: Sasha: “Chiki-piki, here I am!” Sasha: “Opa-na!” Sasha: “Yeah, right!” Sasha: “No way!”
Sasha is building a tower out of blocks and says to me:– Mom, don’t knock over my tower, or the blocks will be FALL DOWN! ________________ Sasha:– Dad! I’ll carry…
Conversation Between Sasha and Alexey (3 years 11 months) at the Dacha Sasha: Aloshka, I love you! Alexey: And I don’t love you! Sasha: But I still love you! Alexey:…
We took a chance and played a round of “Monopolist” — the Kyiv version of Monopoly — with our four-year-old, and she absolutely outsmarted us! She snapped up the most…
September: A Month of Milestones In September we hit two big milestones: I finished breastfeeding Sasha, and she started preschool. I had been told to wean her during the full…
One Year Ago: A Day Full of Joy I remember that day a year ago; tears still well up in my eyes because it was so full of joy and…
Month Two: A Transformation The second month began with a surprise—Sasha was unrecognizable! She had grown and changed incredibly. Our whole second month felt like a summer vacation. We spent…
Oh, how I waited for this little one! Every single day of my pregnancy, I would talk to that tiny human growing inside me, telling her that she was the…
My Dear Son Sweetheart, I want you to know and always remember that I love you. I love you with all my heart. Every day I thank God for giving…
My Journey to Motherhood When I was 17, I began battling serious health problems that led to two complicated surgeries. After those complications, I didn’t even ask the doctors whether…
My goal is to provide interesting and useful information to readers and inspire them at every stage of life.
© Copyright 2006-2025