DFWChild

01/06/2025

Give a nod to your local favorites!

🗳️ Now through January 26, nominate your fave family-friendly businesses or services in Dallas-Fort Worth in our Best for Families survey.

🏆 The top nominees in each category will advance to our voting round, February 17–March 16. And then we’ll announce our readers’ top picks in the May 2025 issue of DFWChild.

🎁 Gift card giveaway: Nominate in 25 or more categories and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a $250 Target gift card.

12/31/2024

Now on the cusp of a new year, when many of us are evaluating what’s important and worthy of our focus for 2025, we look at the common reasons why kids may want to walk away from a sport, dance class or other activity they previously enjoyed.

📖 In our latest feature, Erin Hayes Burt takes a closer look at when and why parents may take a step back and support your little one through the decision-making process. 🤔❤️

12/23/2024

The Night Before a Parents’ Christmas—a new poem on the late-night adventures of wrapping presents, by our humor columnist Josh Farnsworth:

‘𝘛𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨
𝘔𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 (𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴) 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱,
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘣𝘦𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳.�
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, “𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸,”�
𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳.

11/28/2024

Santa, Scrooge, the Nutcracker Prince, and an ice queen who can’t yet control her powers … All these holiday characters are heading to local stages this weekend. Check out the full schedules for our 5 favorite shows for kids at https://dfwchild.com/things-to-do-this-weekend/

11/20/2024

Jenny Anchondo—host of CW33 TV Inside DFW & the No Gifts (Please) podcast—is still settling into life as a mom of two.

The birth of her second daughter, Gemma, earlier this year wasn’t just the start of a new chapter, it marked the end of a painful period of loss and loneliness as she waded through infertility.

“I think I’m still coming out of it,” she says of the time and tears it took to complete her family. “I am a completely different person. I aged decades over the course of this fertility journey.”

Jenny Anchondo shares her personal story, from her challenges to her triumphs, with us.

Photo courtesy of Lori Sapio Photography

11/12/2024

Go to https://dfwchild.com/best-moms-babies-survey/ to vote for your favorite:
🍼 Best Mommy & Me Class
🍼 Best Child Care Center for Infants
🍼 Best Hospital to Have a Baby
🍼 & more essentials for having and raising a baby in Dallas-Fort Worth

🎁 Share your favorites in 5 or more categories between now and December 20, and you’ll be entered to win a $200 Target gift card.

Then stay tuned for the winners as they’re announced in our February/March 2025 issue of DFWChild.

11/08/2024

So you caught your kid in a lie. 🤥 How ought parents react? And what’s the best way to prevent dishonesty in the future?

Whether it’s a stolen cookie or unfinished homework, be calm and regulated, says licensed professional counselor Emily Oakes.

One tip: Don’t call them out. “If you know they did something they’d be tempted to lie about, don’t put them on the spot. We don’t want it to be like we’re pulling back the curtain and saying, ‘Aha! You’re busted!’” says Oakes.

10/25/2024

Does your kid have a “favorite parent” at the moment? If so, you're not alone. 🤗

Parental preference is common in toddlers and often tied to their quest for autonomy. A child’s favorite might be a parent who’s the same gender as them, who shares similar interests or personality traits, or who is perceived as being more fun.

When you’re the parent feeling left out, it can sting. When you are the favorite, this constant on-call can lead to burnout, but remember that this is often only a phase of kids’ development.

💖 The key is to foster equal bonds. To help with this balance, try mixing up your share of parenting responsibilities and one-on-one quality time together.

10/22/2024

10/18/2024

Only a few days left to nominate your women’s healthcare practitioner as Mom Approved!

At https://info.dfwchild.com/mom-approved-obgyns-0, nominate the:
• OB-GYNs
• Fertility specialists
• Midwives
• Physician assistants
• Nurse practitioners
• Doulas
• Lactation consultants
• And other women’s healthcare specialists who’ve made a positive difference in your life.

You’ll have the chance to leave a review. And after we check their credentials, we’ll add them to our Mom Approved directory of local healthcare practitioners, so that more local parents can find practitioners they can trust.

The survey closes at midnight on October 20.

10/11/2024

For Jennifer Scripps, there’s no place like home. The Dallas native found her most fulfilling role back in her hometown, leading Downtown Dallas, Inc. and raising her two boys here. Scripps shares with us what makes Big D special and how she’s raising her sons with gratitude and perspective.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Karlisch