How to Plan a Family Reunion

They are supposed to be memorable and a chance to reconnect with your loved ones, but family reunions need careful planning to pull off successfully, according to Jeanne Pena, the family reunions manager at Mohonk Mountain House, a resort in New Paltz, N.Y., that hosts more than 150 family reunions a year.

“There are a lot of little pieces involved in making sure that this important occasion goes smoothly,” she said.

Here, Ms. Pena’s advice for having a family reunion you’ll remember for all the right reasons.

Balancing Career With Family Duties

Everywhere you look, there are articles and books being written about the generational workplace shakeup that has been taking place in recent years due to the introduction of Millenials and Generation Z into the workforce amidst Baby Boomers and Generation X. However, there is another generation of workers who are fighting different battles and they aren’t being talked about. In fact, perhaps you are a member of this generation without even knowing.

Parents lent 30% more money to children in 2016 than 2015

The “bank of mum and dad” forked out an average of £3987.22 to help their offspring, rising 29% from £3079.91 the previous year, the Bank of Scotland found.

Research also showed a rise in children aged between 18 and 24 taking a loan from their parents from a quarter in 2015 to over a third (34%) last year.

Fewer offspring aged 25-34 borrowed from their parents, down from almost two-fifths (39%) in 2015 to a third in 2016.

1 in 4 deaths of children under the age of 5 are due to unhealthy environments

More than one in four deaths of the world’s children under the age of 5 are attributable to unhealthy environments, two new reports by the Geneva-based World Health Organization found. Every year, environmental risks — such as air pollution, secondhand smoke, tainted water, lack of sanitation and inadequate hygiene — take the lives of 1.7 million children during their first five years.

Need a parenting expert? You’ve already got one.

My wife and I have three children, two of them teenagers. Any success I share in raising them is due in part to persistence and hope. But as we all know, parenting can be a grind.

My mother once said the easiest job in the world is telling other people how to raise their kids. Books, radio call-in shows, podcasts and seminars abound for every perceived malady, condition and bump in the road that kids face. Listen to enough of it, and you’re spinning like a weather vane.

The 8 Best Parenting Lessons I Learned From Watching My Nanny

Many parents are stuck on the concept that as the parent, they alone should make all the rules. Yes, you will make the important decisions for your child, but it is beneficial to you if you are open to your childcare provider’s suggestions and thoughts on matters involving your kids.

Over the past four years, my nanny has taught me so much about being a parent and about raising kind, empathetic, confident children. She has been taking care of children far longer than I have and I welcome her knowledge about child development.