Parenting Reflections & Stories | Honest Insights for Parents

Explore heartfelt parenting reflections and personal stories that delve into the joys and challenges of raising children.

From navigating loss and grief to celebrating everyday victories, our collection of narratives offers honest, relatable insights and perspectives for parents seeking comfort, inspiration, and connection.

Jan

Here’s My Parenting Mission Statement That Guides Everything (2022)

January 27, 2022Calie HerbstFamily Fun Hub, Reflections

A personal mission statement can guide everything, including your parenting. Mission statements are dry, are they not? They’re hanging on a sterile corporate wall, in a boring frame, generally disembodied from the the organization. They have always seemed airy to me, disconnected from reality, and a bit eye-roll inducing. So it came as a welcome...

Mar

What To Say When You Don’t Know What To Say

March 1, 2021Calie HerbstFamily Fun Hub, Reflections

This is the third installment in a series of articles that explore one mother’s journey through the grief of loving a child who has died. It is our hope that by sharing these reflections, we can help grieving parents feel less alone, and help the people who love them better understand what they’re going through....

Feb

The Audacity of Plans After Stillbirth

February 16, 2021Calie HerbstFamily Fun Hub, Reflections

This is the second installment in a series of articles that explore one mother’s journey through the grief of loving a child who has died. It is our hope that by sharing these reflections, we can help grieving parents feel less alone, and help the people who love them better understand what they’re going through....

Feb

When the Nightmare is Real: A Mother’s Journey Through Stillbirth

February 1, 2021Calie HerbstFamily Fun Hub, Reflections

One in four women will experience a miscarriage. In the United States, one in 160 babies will be stillborn—delivered without a heartbeat. But despite these numbers, the realities of life after pregnancy and infant loss are still mostly undiscussed in our culture. We love to share pictures of baby bumps and cake smashes; no one...

May

How To Be A Fun Mom, From A Mom Who Is Not That Fun

May 17, 2020Calie HerbstFamily Fun Hub, Reflections

Do you ever feel a dull sense of guilt that you’re not as fun of a mom as you should be? Do you find yourself wishing, every once in awhile as you scrub hard cereal off the side of a bowl, that you could just loosen up a bit more, laugh a bit more freely,...

May

Warning: These 5 Mistakes Will Destroy Your Quarantine With Kids

May 6, 2020Calie HerbstFamily Fun Hub, Reflections

Quarantining with kids is not for the faint-hearted! We’re here to tell you, it’s COMPLETELY normal for you to feel overwhelmed sometimes, and perhaps a little desperate. This seems like an impossible task, because, well, it is! There is hope, however. If you can steer clear of these five big mistakes that parents make, you...

May

Here’s What I Really Want for Mother’s Day (And Every Sunday Thereafter)

May 5, 2020Calie HerbstFamily Fun Hub, Reflections

See how this woman feels? This is how I want to feel on Mother’s Day. How do I want to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend? Two words: Rest and Takeout. The last two months have been draining in a way we never thought possible. Our brains are scattered. We don’t know what the next month...

Apr

From The Editor: Five Things That Have Been Working For Me

April 21, 2020Calie HerbstFamily Fun Hub, Reflections

Founder Calie Herbst pops in to chat about what’s working for her during this quarantine, and what’s not. A friend texted from Oregon today and asked our group chat, “So, 5 weeks into this life… how’s everyone doing in 3 words?” The responses trickled in. “Discombobulated.” “Stunned.” “Pants don’t fit.” “So. Many. Feelings.” My response:...

Apr

10 At-Home Date Night Ideas That Won’t Make You Cringe

April 16, 2020Calie HerbstDate Night, Reflections

We combed the internet and our brains for the best at-home date night ideas, and we’ve only the included the ones that didn’t make us immediately cringe. (And all of them can be done while the kids are asleep!) So, turn off your phones, and get to it. You really deserve it. 1. Pick-A-Year Music...