My Name is Andrea Ridder and I am a Mom
My Name is Andrea Ridder and I am a mom. I have a fabulous husband of almost 8 years, who truly is the best person I have ever known. He's the kind of person who makes me a lot more fabulous than [...]
How to Cope with Grief as a Family
Both of my parents died when I was a teenager. Death, since then, has always been a sad familiarity to me. But a few years ago, our children experienced an unexpected loss, as well. Our [...]
Be their parent. Not their friend. Not their enemy.
Kelly Ripa said that she doesn't care if her kids are her friends. Her 13-year-old daughter is breaking rules, so she's being her parent. (You can read the article here.) This celebrity [...]
Parenting Lessons from the Animal Kingdom
Maybe you’re like me. I get stuck in my own head sometimes, and I beat myself up over continued parenting fails. I speak too roughly. I’m not encouraging enough. I push too hard. I don’t push [...]
Household Happiness is Overrated
I don’t really want my family to be happy. I know how that sounds, so hang with me. I do want them to be happy, but I really want something more for them than mere happiness. It’s why sometimes I [...]