Betsy Hart

Betsy Hart

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There needs to be a middle ground on mothering

By Betsy Hart (Aug 14, 2007)

"Fewer Mothers Prefer Full-time Work" blared the headline of the recent Pew Research Center study. As the respected Pew folks put it, "In the span of the past decade,... more

A little fat between friends is ... too much

By Betsy Hart (Aug 07, 2007)

Why am I not surprised? Second hand obesity has now been documented. That according to a study just out in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, and funded by... more

Conversations at home don't have to be all about the kids

By Betsy Hart (Jul 31, 2007)

When was the last time your kids said to you, "Mom, how was your day?" "What did you do?" "Dad, so how was work?" "What's something interesting that happened to you today?"... more

Taking Paris seriously

By Betsy Hart (Jun 29, 2007)

Paris Hilton says that being in lockup for a few weeks was traumatic. I think being shot at in Iraq would be traumatic — not taking a little time off from having every whim... more

We need more strong men

By Betsy Hart (Jun 15, 2007)

I just watched the classic Hitchcock thriller, "The Birds" with my older kids. It made me think about Father's Day. Seriously. "Mitch" (the very gorgeous Rod... more

Surviving summer with four kids and three animals

By Betsy Hart (Jun 08, 2007)

Here's my summer plan: Wait, back up. Four kids, three animals. (Did I mention I recently adopted a 2-year-old shepherd mix and two kittens? Yes, it's crazy. More on... more

How to Avoid Massive College Debt

By Betsy Hart (May 31, 2007)

For this year's college graduates the commencement speeches may be over but typically the enslavement to debt has just begun. New grads and their parents are being... more

'All About Me' Weddings

By Betsy Hart (May 24, 2007)

The arrival of June means wedding season and that means flowers and elaborate dresses and ... choreographers? Well yes, Jennifer Saranow writes in The Wall Street... more

Shrek: Wrong Symbol for Anti-Obesity

By Betsy Hart (May 17, 2007)

"Shrek the Third" opens this weekend, and my four kids and I can't wait. Of course, we didn't have to wait. We see him -- Shrek --all over the grocery store, for starters.... more

Alpha Moms vs. Common Sense Moms

By Betsy Hart (May 10, 2007)

In honor of Mother's Day, I'm enlisting with the "slacker moms," as USA Today described us this week. In, "'Slacker Moms' Urge Other Mothers to Chill," Sharon Jayson... more

Church vs. Soccer on a Sunday Morning

By Betsy Hart (May 03, 2007)

Now that it's getting warm, look for church attendance to drop even more. That's the implication of an article in the current issue of the Baptist Press. Why? Because as... more

'Feminine Mistake' Has Good Points, But Lacks Balance

By Betsy Hart (Apr 26, 2007)

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much" is one reaction I had to Leslie Bennetts' whiny new book, "The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much?" (Voice/Hyperion... more

Parents Should Keep Their Role

By Betsy Hart (Apr 19, 2007)

Ah, for the unerring wisdom of a child ... "It's just the two of us," said one single-mom physician in Manhattan of her daughter, age 11. "That makes her more like a... more

The Value of Friendships Among Women

By Betsy Hart (Apr 12, 2007)

So that explains it. I recently returned from a four-day trip to warm sandy beaches with nine _ yes, nine _ women friends I've known since high school. Not to be too... more

Parenting Magic Only Takes Mom & Dad

By Betsy Hart (Apr 05, 2007)

I like classical music. Not as much as I like Rod Stewart classics, mind you, but well enough. But I never bought into the notion, prevalent throughout my four children's... more

Exercise Your Brain

By Betsy Hart (Mar 29, 2007)

It's not your father's exercise routine anymore. Forget the fit body _ what about a fit brain? New research is suggesting that whatever exercise does for one's... more

What It Takes to Raise a Child

By Betsy Hart (Mar 22, 2007)

I like to say that my goal for my children is Heaven, not Harvard. Now if my kids go to Harvard on the way to Heaven, that's fine: But if I so focus on Harvard and success in... more

You Can't Always Get What You Want

By Betsy Hart (Mar 08, 2007)

"It's not fair." My kids have, for some reason, been all over that one more than usual lately. It's not fair they have so much homework, it's not fair they don't get to... more

Climates Then and Now

By Betsy Hart (Mar 01, 2007)

I never get to see new movies, unless they are kids' fare. Four of them, one of me, do the math. I rent "my" movies, which at my pace means I'll be seeing "The English... more

The Uproar Over Gardasil

By Betsy Hart (Feb 22, 2007)

I sometimes find myself encouraging my likeminded conservative friends not to go believing this or that conspiracy theory. I think we folks can get a little overwrought, a... more

We Often Find Our Best Answers Looking Inward

By Betsy Hart (Feb 01, 2007)

Years ago a dear young friend of mine married and at the reception her mother-in-law commented to me how thrilled she was to have learned that her new son's new bride was a... more

For Kids to be Kids, Adults Must be Adults

By Betsy Hart (Jan 25, 2007)

Maybe I'm a cynic. But every once in a while I see a news story and I wonder if it's for real. And so it was when I recently read on ABCNews.com a story by Sheila Marikar... more

The Joys of Learning (and Teaching) Responsibility

By Betsy Hart (Jan 18, 2007)

When my family and I visited a friend at her home last summer, I marveled at the "job chart" she posted each morning for her five children. Even the youngest, at age 7, had a... more

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - On Computers

By Betsy Hart (Jan 04, 2007)

It's been a long two-week Christmas break. Fun. But long. I'm ready for the brood to head back to school. On the other hand, it's always fun to get to know my kids and... more