By: Ms. L. Thomas After speaking with a close girlfriend about her dating frustrations, I posed a few questions to my female Twitter followers about dating and sex. I wanted to check on the dating game, since I've been out of the scene for at least 10 years. My girlfriend said things aren't the same as it used to be, and that I wouldn't

By: Carolina Pichardo There are thousands books, workshops, and specialists dedicated to making the work-life balance idea actually work for families. Yet, when you're a young mom like me, you wonder whether there's anything that could possibly help your situation. In less than a month, my family has had to deal with bullying issues at my daughter's school, a sprained ankle and the holiday celebrations in between

By: Carolina Pichardo During one of my frenzied periods of reading nothing but parenting books, I remember finding this quote: "Parenting is a long goodbye." I don't remember where I read it, or what exactly was the topic, but it stuck to me through the many years ahead. When my daughter took her first few steps, her 1st birthday, the tooth fairy and hearing of course - her

By: Carolina Pichardo There are few things in life that we remember and think back on fondly - the birth of our kids, first kiss, wedding day... These are those moments that we carry with us, ready to tell and retell anyone that's willing to listen (or not). But what is a memory? We drink ginkgo biloba, post millions of pictures on Facebook, and save souvenirs/momentos of these

By: Mary Targia When I decided to end the relationship with my BD (Baby Daddy in YUM terms, for those who are unfamiliar), my daughter was eleven months old. I knew that - if I was lucky - my daughter would have a step-father. What I didn’t know was that being in a blended family would be so challenging… My daughter and I were very comfortable being the

By: Edward Almonte Being a step father wasn’t something that I aspired to do. In my late teens and early twenties, my mother warned me to not get involved with someone who already had children, as it complicates every relationship. Taking into account the fact that this was coming from someone who already had a child herself by the time she met my father – I

By: Carolina Pichardo We’re told that we have it as soon as we become moms. Although at first we doubt it, it’s there when we need it the most. It helps us navigate the mystifying terrain of parenting. This young moms, is what we call - instincts. The other day I was talking to a friend. She has a young step-daughter that she’s been raising and caring for

By: Carolina Pichardo Through the years, television has opened up the way people interact, understand each other and the world around them, and apparently how kids learn about accents. Heck, I've had relatives learn English from spending a summer watching sitcoms and cartoons. It's with this same power that we have to look at how television affects our children and their sense of diversity. When there's a

By: Carolina Pichardo With the costume and candy shopping complete, all we could do now is wait. Maybe enjoy a few spooky classic films or two, finish the pumpkins, and sign up for the Halloween events around the neighborhood. It's the best we could do for now, because once we've passed that threshold and we're in November - the official holiday season begins. And let's face it,

By: Carolina Pichardo According to a recent survey by Self Magazine/Today, 84% of respondents claims to have had a "toxic friend" at some point in their lives. Out of a pool of 18,000 women, that's a large number. Which only makes us wonder, are our daughters susceptible to these types of friends too? With the rise of cyber bullying and mean girls' stories, the answer to that is more