Boys & Girls

Raising kids from toddler to twelve. Character, chores, school, screens and the childhood they will thank you for.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

The Screen-Time ResetThe honest why, a 30-day reset challenge, 100 things to do instead and a family tech agreement you can print.Start the reset

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GuideSam Ortiz23 Sept 20266 min

What Your Four, Eight and Twelve Year Old Can Actually Do

A chore list that matches real capability at each age, plus the part nobody tells you: it's slower, messier, and worth it anyway.

GuideRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

Three Jars and a Stack of Ones

How to run a kid's first allowance so the money actually teaches something, including the part where you let him waste it.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

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GuideSam Ortiz23 Sept 20266 min

Fifty Books Worth Reading Aloud, and How to Finish Them

A nightly read-aloud habit survives on twelve minutes, a bookmark, and a list you don't have to think about. Steal mine.

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6 min read

Raising a Kid Who Looks People in the Eye

Please, thank you, eye contact and a handshake are teachable skills, not personality traits. Drill them the way you'd drill free throws.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideCal Brennan23 Sept 20266 min

Raise a Girl Who Is Kind and Still Says No

Kindness and backbone are the same virtue pointed in two directions. Here's how to build both before she turns twelve.

GuideCal Brennan23 Sept 20266 min

Raise a Boy Strong Enough to Be Gentle

Gentleness isn't the opposite of strength in a boy. It's strength with a brake pedal, and you have to teach him to use it.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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The moon doesn't follow the car, and other things I looked up later

The grandkids assume you know why the sky is blue and how to change a tire. By the end of this, you actually will.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

StoryDadsSam Ortiz7 Oct 20266 min

Why the dog spins, and other things I said with total confidence

Stars, storms and one circling dog. A dad's bluffs exposed on the back porch, with the real answers you can use tonight.

StoryMomsNina Castellan7 Oct 20266 min

Answered With Total Confidence and Absolutely No Idea

Gum in hair, a fever at 2 a.m., and why the sky is blue. First the bluff, then the real answer you can use tonight.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideFamilyRay Okonkwo7 Oct 20265 min

The lake cabin beat the theme park, and I kept the receipts

Two vacations, one spreadsheet and the only unit that counts: the stories your kids still tell a year later.

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StoryDadsSam Ortiz7 Oct 20266 min

Fractions, Pluto and the capital I got wrong at dinner

A fourth-grade worksheet, a seventh-grade essay and a dad bluffing his way through both. The real answers are in here, too.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

ReviewBRO SeniorsCal Brennan6 Oct 20266 min

I told a frozen grandson the whole carburetor story

Video calling the grandkids is free, wonderful and mildly ridiculous. Grandpa sorts out what's worth it and how to stop the freezing.

GuideCommunityCal Brennan6 Oct 20266 min

Be the Other Grown-Up a Kid Can Count On

Coaches, uncles and the guy next door shape kids in ways parents can't. It takes less than you'd think, plus a few rules you never bend.

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StoryDadsSam Ortiz7 Oct 20267 min

How the car goes, where wind comes from, and other bluffs

Eight questions from the back seat I couldn't answer, plus the real answers you can give your kids tonight.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

Family6 min

The twenty-minute Sunday meeting that runs the whole week

Moms6 min

Stop Asking Your Kid Why They Did It

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

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GuideDadsSam Ortiz6 Oct 20266 min

Say it in one sentence and your teenager will hear it

The forty-minute talk makes you feel like a good dad. The one sentence, said once and backed up, is the one that actually lands.

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Family6 min read

Let your kids fail while it still costs twenty dollars

First job, first car, first apartment. Hand over the adult jobs early, while a mistake costs a late fee, not a lease.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

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