by Pat McCaw | Apr 20, 2019 | book review, parenting, Pat's Chat
There is no surprise that Meg Medina won the Newberry Medal for her most recent middle grade novel, Merci Suarez Changes Gears. The novel explores school bullying, enlightens the reader to rich Latino culture, touches on socioeconomic stressors the trickle down to...
by Pat McCaw | Mar 28, 2019 | parenting, Pat's Chat
My kids eat a good breakfast every morning before school, but I often show up to work and realize I have forgotten to eat. I make sure the kids get to appointments, math bee practice and piano lessons, but I have not been to the dentist for over a year. Nobody in my...
by Pat McCaw | Sep 2, 2018 | parenting, Pat's Chat
I live in rural Iowa where people still hold the door open for you, strangers wave from their passing car, and there is a sense of peace in the Heartland. When a college girl gets kidnapped and killed in a rural town only minutes away, and then a twelve-year-old boy...
by Pat McCaw | Dec 12, 2017 | parenting, Pat's Chat, Uncategorized
Christmas is my favorite time of year. I MUST watch the Albert Finney musical version of the Christmas Carol, Scrooge, while I wrap presents, and I turn on the twinkling lights and plug in my Christmas trees before I pour my first cup of coffee. Anticipation of Santa...
by Pat McCaw | Aug 27, 2017 | parenting, Pat's Chat
Parenting needs to come with a rule book. I may have a few college degrees, but a secondary education doesn’t prepare you for teenage girls and raising responsible adults. I have a good handle on keeping them well-fed and healthy, and I routinely enforce a good...
