Ask the Patch Pro: Early Childhood Development Expert to Answer Questions

Patch is teaming up with Dr. Deb Moberly, early childhood development expert and founder of U-City based Children 1st, this week to get all of your questions answered.

It's time for another edition of Ask the Patch Pro, where each week readers get to interact with professionals by asking questions on a wide variety of topics. Our team of experts stop in to help you out and answer your questions. This week, Patch teamed up with Dr. Deb Moberly, an early childhood development expert, to get all of your questions answered. Have a question? Ask below in the comments section!  More about Dr. Deb Moberly: Deb Moberly, Ph. D., a former Associate Professor and Early Childhood Coordinator in the Division of Teaching and Learning at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), founded St. Louis-based Children 1st early childhood development consultants in 2012. She has served more than 40 years in a range of roles…

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MOMS Club Forming For West County Stay-at-Home Mothers

This is a club for stay-at-home moms and their kids to break up the daily routine and isolation, plus have some interaction and fun!

Ask the Patch Pro: Early Childhood Development Expert to Answer Questions Thursday

Patch is teaming up with Dr. Deb Moberly, early childhood development expert and founder of U-City based Children 1st, this week to get all of your questions answered.

Patch wants to help find the answers to all your questions about raising toddlers, education, parenting and more. That's why this week, we are teaming up with Dr. Deb Moberly, early childhood development expert, this week to get all of your questions answered. In the latest edition of "Ask the Patch Pro," Dr. Moberly will answer readers' questions in the comment section of the Patch sites on Thursday, April 25.   Get your questions ready and look for the Patch Pro article that is published on Thursday morning. Check out Dr. Moberly's Patch blogs by clicking here. More about Dr. Deb Moberly: Deb Moberly, Ph. D., a former Associate Professor and Early Childhood Coordinator in the Division of Teaching and Learning at the University of …

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The Mom Memo

Take Time to Appreciate Parenting

A study linked parenthood to decreased happiness. Are we as parents really so unhappy?

When I had my first child, I attempted to savor and capture every moment. In my ears were the remarks of my mother: “Once they begin walking, time will go by so quickly.” I didn’t really believe her. I couldn’t believe her. Not at the time. Then my oldest was off and running, and, somehow, time ran away with him. My summer has come and gone. In two weeks, school begins again. Another year has somehow gone by. My solemnity, I believe, is shared by most parents. From the moment our children are born, we find ourselves awaiting the next big milestone. Grade levels are no different. In parenthood, time is on speed. While children find the school days lagging, parents find themselves at war with the clock. There is always the next thing to …

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Kurt Greenbaum

5:46 pm on Thursday, August 4, 2011

I remember doing this as well. It was a nightly ritual for my wife and me. Now, however, they're old enough that they stay up later than we do. Ugh! I wonder if they peek their heads in the door and check on us?   more ›

Want An Original Baby Name? Try Harper Seven

From Apple to Zuma, celebrities throw parental curveballs by thinking outside the baby name status quo. But for the rest of us, Isabella and Jacob reign supreme.

On July 10, David and Victoria Beckham welcomed their first baby girl, and the Internet was abuzz over the first female offspring of the power duo. Everyone was really talking about baby girl Beckham’s name. Like many celebrities, the Beckhams favor nonconformist monikers for their children. All three sons of the Beckhams bear hip first names—Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn. The announcement that the Beckhams named their daughter Harper Seven sent many searching for the meaning behind the unusual middle name. The number seven is David Beckham’s jersey number, and the number also has spiritual meaning. For most parents, choosing the perfect baby name is an agonizing process. The name is, after all, forever. Unless you’re Prince. Or Destiny Hope …

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The Mom Memo

Learning after the Loss of Leiby Kletzky

The abduction and murder of Leiby Kletzky raised questions of balancing childhood independence with the need to protect our children.

As parents, we don’t need another reminder that the world isn’t safe. But to any parent who is still holding onto the belief that daylight hours and “safe” neighborhoods make any sort of difference in crime statistics, the abduction and murder of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky served as yet another grim wake-up call. The murder shocked New York communities and the world. Beyond the shock, the fear, and the horror came the reverberating ramifications and the ever-burning question stuck on the tip of every parent’s tongue: “Is it ever safe to let a child walk alone?” Seven blocks stood between Leiby and his home. But he never made it. One wrong turn changed everything. The line between overprotection and allowing childhood independence is a gray …

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The Mom Memo

Defining A Family Without Kids

Deciding to shun the Baby Olympics, many couples are deciding to live "childless by choice."

My column about infertility garnered a lot of responses from readers. Some readers emailed me to share their stories (a few even had books!), and a few of you commented online about your own struggles with infertility. One comment really grabbed me, though. It was from a reader who made the point that society has misconstrued the idea of family. So often many of us state that we are “trying to start a family” as a way to say that we are trying to have a baby. But as this thoughtful reader pointed out, a married couple is still a family unit. One doesn’t “start a family” by having children. For some couples facing fertility challenges, the struggles to grow their family just aren’t worth the emotional rollercoaster ride. Fertility …

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The Mom Memo

De-Facing the Social Network

Studies show that Facebook boosts self-esteem. Deleting your profile has surprisingly the same result.

I have just deleted Facebook from my friends list. The relationship we have is torrid. And the impact it’s having on my parenting confidence is disastrous. According to Cornell University researchers, Facebook makes you happier...or, at least, it raises your self esteem. The idea is that, through Facebook, you can create an idealized self by posting self-edited updates, profile pictures that show your best side, and, of course, your friends roster is hundreds deep. For me, though, Facebook was just the opposite. As a parent, it made me feel kind of yucky. To me, Facebook represented an illusion. When I logged on, I always wondered if I should post what was real in my world. And, in the world of mothering a child on the Autisim Spectrum, …

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Dawn A. Baggett

6:26 pm on Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Julie: Social media didn't work for you and your family and you logged off. Good for you! I have a Facebook account which I haven't visited in months. My life isn't interesting enough to broadcast to the world. And you know what? I like it that way. And I enjoy the privacy. Staying in touch the old fashioned way, by telephone,raises my self-esteem and my happiness. A long conversation with a best…   more ›

The Mom Memo

Two Kids...and Holding Steady

In contemplating a third child, I find myself wondering "WWMDD?" That is: "What would Michelle Duggar do?"

My husband and I are wondering if we should grow our family. We want a third child, and, honestly, I’m not getting any younger. But with a toddler who has finally transitioned into a big-boy bed, I’m also in no hurry to bring back the crib. In my waffling for baby No. 3, I find myself wondering if there is ever a perfect time for another baby. In times of family contemplation, I have to ask myself an obvious question of baby drama: “What would Michelle Duggar do?” I’m a sucker for the Duggar family, a family with 19 kids and a TLC TV show. They amaze me, really. At first, it was a Jerry Springer kind of infatuation. An “I can’t look away” kind of curiosity. Now my interest is a full-on addiction. I am intrigued by Michelle’s constant state…

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Jennifer Smith

3:11 pm on Tuesday, June 28, 2011

You have a sweet blog, Julie. I'm in my mid 40s and my 2 sons are 17 and 23, so no more little kid days. I grew up Mormon and spent a lot of time with BIG families. My friend Jennifer had 11 kids by the time she moved to Utah and I think she now has 17. There's good, bad, and ugly in all families, and I really think that the mental health of the parents is what makes or breaks it. Another …   more ›

Patch Picks: Celebrate Dad with a Fun-Filled Father's Day

Chesterfield offers a wide selection of restaurants and activities so you can treat dad to a day he will always remember.

Fathers stand by the sidelines cheering at every soccer game. They teach us how to ride a bike and how to drive a car, providing Band-Aids and hugs along the way. Once a year, the opportunity presents itself to honor dad for all of his hard work and commitment, so don’t settle for just a measly wrapped present. Chesterfield Patch has picked the top places in Chesterfield to spend a memorable day with dad. First Watch: 120 Hilltown Village Center Start off the day with breakfast at this classic and healthy daytime café, also open for brunch and lunch.  The restaurant will be celebrating Father’s Day by offering a complimentary Nike golf ball emblazoned with the First Watch logo. Father’s Day hours: 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Butterfly House: …

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