Every day for 18 years, we moms do our best, cheerfully, grumpily, spectacularly, lovingly, with help, alone, with friends, and then the next day we begin again. It's both a long and short, demanding commitment with ups, downs, joys, tears, but oh so worthwhile, for we are nurturing and guiding the next generation.

Pamper yourself with some self-care, not just today, but a little bit every day.

We have quality parenting support in Santa Cruz County - Parent Workshops. No matter what our childhood family was like --harmful, okay, positive-- we all could use support in our parenting journey.

Over the years I've come to admire many local parents who nurture their children's unique qualities and talents and support them in overcoming challenges. Check out our two parenting/teacher stories. Which kind of parent or teacher do you strive to be?

Have a great spring weekend with your families, Parmalee

"Gillian is a seven-year-old girl who cannot sit in school. She continually gets up, gets distracted, flies with thoughts, and doesn't follow lessons. Her teachers worry about her, punish her, scold her, reward the few times that she is attentive, but nothing. Gillian does not know how to sit and cannot be attentive. "Continue > > >

Libby's Story

"Busy parents Sue and Paul decide to get help from social worker, Joanne, to prepare their youngest daughter Libby, who is deaf, for the big step of going to school for the first time. Joanne and Libby bond almost immediately, with Joanne beginning to teach a responsive Libby British Sign Language, " but > > >

During my school years, May and June were always burnout times for me. The weather was getting delightful. I wanted to be outside. School was losing its "fresh start" feeling. I was so over late nights doing homework. I liked my favorite classes (history, biology, art and literature), socializing with friends, cookies and milk at the morning break, playing lacrosse in the spring, but I was looking ahead to Summer, my all-time favorite season!

If spring burnout rings true, whether you're a homeschooling parent, a classroom teacher or virtual teacher, how about changing up the final weeks a little. Use your imagination: take more field trips; make more outside time!

Suki comments, "According to psychologists who study adolescent resilience, one of the biggest threats to the well-being of today’s teenagers is not social isolation but something else — the pressure to achieve, which has intensified over the past year."

"Students achieve when they are inspired, encouraged, and supported. Pressuring them might seem to be working, but will families want to live with the consequences?" Teenagers Are Struggling, and It’s Not Just Lockdown

Opinion: Rethink how we teach math Read the article > > >

Teachers have long used literature to help students examine their own lives, and that may be more valuable than ever right now. Read more > >

by Primrose Schools Continue > > >

I feel like I have to share this 'cuz it works so well for us! I’m sure I’m not the only one who goes crazy from their kids asking for every single thing they see in a grocery store. I tell them "No" lots, but I think kids just naturally see and ask.

To distract them I started letting them pick out one can for the food bank every time we go to the store. They love it! They put so much thought into choosing the can. They carry the can to the checkout, hand it to the cashier and then put it in the food bank bin. My daughter likes to explain to people what the food bank is for.

We have done this for our last 5 trips to the store and not once have they asked for something for themselves! And they are helping the food bank in the process. I know this won’t last forever but if anyone has a 2 or 4 year old like me I recommend trying it! Maybe when they get older I can turn it into a challenge --find a can that starts with the letter c or find a vegetable.