The Boy's Store Blog — Parents

Middle school and junior high are those weird in-between years that leave us all feeling a little like misfits and a little unsure of ourselves. Everyone feels out of place and everyone is looking for a way to escape yet fit in all at the same time. It can be a confusing time. In Here in the Real World, Ware is a tween just trying to get by and enjoy his dreamy summer in his own imaginary world when his parent sign him up for a summer program that will bring him to a place where the real world meets...

Do you ever feel like you know very little about your kids? I spend more time with my kids than I spend doing anything else in my life. Yet, I don't always feel as if I know them deeply enough. What are they feeling, what are they thinking? How was their day at school? I mean I ask them this every day, but I get those blah-blah answers that get us nowhere. I have done a lot of reading on the subject and have discovered other ways to get my kids to open up, by using open-ended questions and asking...

We have a birthday party coming up at our house. Our youngest will have his first birthday party where he invites his classmates. Our school has a rule that you have to invite everyone if you are inviting students from the classroom. My other children have never had an issue with this, but my youngest had the most interesting reaction so far. He is upset because his classroom includes a bully. He does not wish to exclude the student. What upsets him is that he does not want the child in question to bother his friends at his party. As...

We have been very busy with school and work, which means that some things are getting lost in the shuffle, or we have less time to do the things we usually do. Cleaning, organizing, and one-on-one parent-kid time have gotten lost in the shuffle. So we recently decided to make sure that we take a few extra minutes each day to do these things. All we really need is a few minutes. If you have limited time but want a few easy ways to make sure things get done, try these simple hacks. Bathroom cleaning: We have been so busy...

Recently I planned a day of beauty and rest for myself. I was headed to get my hair done and get a facial. No kids, no husband, an all-day just for my outing. The world seemed to be against me though. My husband also got a last-minute side-job that required him to be gone and unable to watch the kids for part of the time I would be gone. Since my husband drives a company vehicle, and he could not use it on a side-job, he was in need of my vehicle. I was going to have to take the...