La Petite Academy Blog

It seems like everyone is buzzing about Pinterest, the website where (mostly) women create virtual bulletin boards of the “beautiful things you find on the Web.” As someone who researches modern motherhood, I was intrigued to read a recent post by author Stephanie O’Dea, titled “Pinterest and Feelings of Inadequacy.” This popular blogger, a New […]

We asked for your burning work/life balance questions, and you delivered. Thank goodness! We need a public conversation on work/life issues, especially because so many parents consider the work/life juggle to be one of life’s most pressing concerns. The National Study of the Changing Workforce reports that when employees work for flexible and effective companies, […]

“So aren’t you really saying that we should settle for mediocre?” asked a young woman at a recent talk I gave about my new book, Good Enough Is the New Perfect. Despite the book’s intentionally controversial title, my coauthor and I make clear from the start that we are not fans of a “whatever” approach […]

Now that my boys are in the activity-filled elementary years, I’m flipping the calendar way too fast, often wondering how it can be Friday yet again! As I look to 2012 and ponder what kind of life I’d like to lead, a blend of satisfying professional work and quality family time tops my list. But […]

In the course of researching my book on modern motherhood, I interviewed hundreds of parents and pored over data reported by nearly a thousand American mothers. But one woman’s observation stopped me in my tracks. When I asked about how she made time for herself, she paused, scratched her head, and studied the floor. A […]

Fall is ordinarily my favorite season. With field trips to the farm, pumpkin spice lattes and a dress-up holiday that’s fair game for adults, what’s not to love? But last October, my seasonal spirits took a nosedive when my older son said: “Why do you love your computer more than me?” That zinger came after […]

When I was a kid, I couldn’t bear the thought of finishing in second place. Girls could do anything, I was taught, and we weren’t supposed to settle for anything less than a blue ribbon. That desire to be “the best” motivated me to work hard at school, but I never learned to distinguish between […]

The first time someone described me as a work/life balance expert, I couldn’t stop laughing. Me? I said and snorted. The woman who just raised her voice to her darling 6-year-old son for dawdling on his way to bed. The one whose husband got frustrated because she had spent so many nights talking to strangers […]