Hilltown Families 
As a yoga instructor, Hilltown Families Contributing Writer, Ginny Hamilton, aspires to 20 minutes of meditation before sunrise – or before her son rises is more like it. In reality, she...
Ladies and gentlemen, take a journey through the eyes of Pigget- a young boy's durable friend. Once sharing "top billing" with Mama and Poppa, Pigget feels a shifting in the world...
Hilltown Families Contributing Writer (and yoga instructor) Ginny Hamilton does some of her best thinking in the shower. This month, she examines her knee-jerk reactions in hopes of teaching her...
From our new writer comes a touching story of true freedom of expression, and having that conversation of "freedom" with your child. Why should children fall into lines marked by social...
A brand new monthly column, "Off the Mat: Reflections on the Practice of Parenting," with our newest contributing writer, Ginny Hamilton, debuts today! Ginny is a yoga instructor who explores how...
Is education, communication and an expectation of responsibility around alcohol more useful in keeping our kids safe than raising the legal drinking age? Shana shares her thoughts this month in "Parenting...
Want to get your kids to do more chores around the house? Read how Shana's youngest son bargained to do small jobs around the house to earn enough money for...
This month in "Parenting Possibilities," Shana follows up from her post last month on the challenges of same-sex co-parenting. For the past month she's experimented with yielding to the wisdom...
This week in "Parenting Possibilities," Shana writes about the challenging aspects of co-parenting in a same-sex relationship. From discrimination to no pre-prescribed roles to assume, her experience at times is one...
This month Shana uses the metaphor of the Chinese Finger Trap as it applies to parenting power struggles with her youngest son. Read her monthly column, "Parenting Possibilities: Contemplation with...
Family Dinners: Joy or Indigestion? The extensive research on the benefits of family dinners has seemed to define eating together as the make it or break it sign to raising healthy,...
A Sibling’s Love One day I quietly watched my children playing with each other and realized for the first time that they have their own unique form of communication. They have...
Getting Out of Our Own Way In her recent interview in Time Magazine’s March edition and in her TED.com talk which received over 2 million views, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s powerhouse Chief...
Making Responsibility Fun Did you know that in Japan, most schools don’t employ janitors? It’s true! Rather than have someone clean up after them, students and teachers take 15 minutes to scrub...
Saying I Love You I have been reading a lot about Justice Sonia Sotomayor lately now that her book is out. Her story is inspiring and yet also sad. Her father...
You Better Run “You better run, better run, out run my gun.” These are sample lyrics to Foster the People’s freakishly popular song, “Pumped up Kicks,” that my children were happily...
Parenting Group and Workshops There are a few of free parenting support opportunities for parents and grandparents of preK kids coming up in the Pioneer Valley this Fall: Important Conversations for...
As a parent, what’s the best advice you ever received? See what our readers had to offer, and share your own too...
QUESTION AND ANSWERS Are parents less happy than non-parents? … New York magazine recently published an article, “All Joy and No Fun: Why parents hate parenting.” Western MA parents respond: Sylva...
Free Parenting Workshops Taking Perspective: Talking to Children about Valuing Themselves & Others 6:30 – 8pm, Tuesday, April 27th in Northampton, MA (FREE) How do we best talk with our children...
No Such Thing As a Perfect Parent Nobody ever said parenting was easy, but we certainly don’t make it easier on ourselves … and I’m no exception. I am a 38-year-old...
The Power of One: My One and Only Daisy BY HF Contributing Writer, Dana Pilson I knew it would happen someday, I just didn’t expect it so soon. Returning home from...
Interested in becoming Parent Aide volunteer? Berkshire Children and Families is scheduling training for those interested in becoming a volunteer with their Parent Aide Program. Katarina Noyes, Parent Aide and Group...
It Takes A Village Hosts an Open House February 28th, 2010 in Cummington, MA ‘It Takes a Village‘ is a free-of-charge, community service that supports families for the first three months...
100 Links (October/November 2009) Nearly every day I add recommended links to the Hilltown Families bank of on-line resources. Some of you might find these links well suited for your family,...
Stereotypes Can Fuel Teen Misbehavior Drinking. Drugs. Caving into peer pressure. When parents expect their teenagers to conform to negative stereotypes, those teens are in fact more likely to do so,...
100 Links (August/September 2009) Nearly every day I add recommended links to the Hilltown Families bank of on-line resources. Some of you might find these links well suited for your family,...
Katarina Noyes of Hadley, MA writes: Greetings! Berkshire Children and Families in Hadley is happy to announce the starting date of another Positive Parenting group. This free group covers topics including...
Kids in Cyber Space Free Computer Workshop for Parents Do You Understand What Your Child Does On-line? Are You Worried that S/he Spends Too Much Time on the Computer? What are...