Parenting is an epic adventure. The day you find out you are bringing another person into your family is the beginning of a wild ride that includes many firsts. From deciding when to start potty training to figuring out when to let your teen work or drive, there is an endless number of important decisions […]
Annette Benedetti
Posted inBend Nest
Postpartum Health: What You Need to Know
The pregnancy journey doesn’t end after the baby exits your body
You are a pregnancy and birthing expert by the time you go into labor. You’ve studied and trained for this special day. You’ve read the books, followed the blogs, attended all of the classes and tracked every stage of your baby’s evolution in utero—now all you have to do is give birth. Right? Wrong. The […]
Posted inBend Nest
Apps Your Teens & Tweens Love
Parental involvement helps ensure a positive and safe experience
Navigating the adolescent years with your teen is tough. From friendships to school and social activities, discerning what’s age-appropriate versus downright unsafe for your kids is difficult. Add to that the dangers associated with the internet and social media, and traversing the landscape of parenting an adolescent can seem downright impossible. Like it or not, […]
Posted inBend Nest
Are You Ready?
Help Keep Your Kids Healthy Through the Cold & Flu Season
While kids are getting excited about hitting the slopes, local families are bracing for a brutal cold and flu season. Although parents can’t control everything, when it comes to their kids’ health, there are preventative measures that may help limit the impact. Havilah Brodhead is a family nurse practitioner and the owner of Hearthside Medicine […]
Posted inBend Nest
Back Off, Mama Bear
Why rescuing your kids might actually be harming them
Our society celebrates the Mama Bear. You know, the mothers who ferociously protect and rescue their children from any and every difficulty that appears. And why shouldn’t these women be idealized? Isn’t a child’s welfare a parent’s top priority? Even before the children are born, homes are baby-proofed and every protection possible is put in […]
Posted inBend Nest
The Best Laid Plans
Tips for Transitioning Kids with Autism Back to School
Heading back to school after a fun-filled summer is difficult for many children, but some students face more challenges than others. For kids with autism and their families, the transition is a disruption that is anxiety-provoking and requires time, energy and groundwork beyond the usual back-to-school shopping trips to prepare. “It can be a challenge […]
Posted inBend Nest
Healthy Teen Dating
Saving Grace addresses teen relationships & violence prevention in Deschutes County
The idea of your baby one day being old enough to date can be a bitter pill to swallow. But, as adolescence approaches, visions of young men with flowers and innocent pecks on the cheek goodnight at the door, make the whole courtship scenario a bit more palatable. Unfortunately, statistics don’t support this pleasant picture. […]
Posted inBend Nest
Excessive Screen Time? Summer Boredom?
Brilliant Summer Hacks for All
Snopocalypse 2019 had you praying to the gods of summer. You swore upon your children’s own lives that you would never again complain about the heat if the snow would just stop. While being faced with walls of snow for an extended period was tough, staring down the barrel of months of keeping the kiddos […]
Posted inScout
Fun with the Kids
10 spots to take the family in Central Oregon
Central Oregon is full of activities for adults, but there’s plenty for kids to as well. Here’s where adventure-loving parents—and their kids—are guaranteed to up the fun-factor in any family outing.