“Hey! I remember you!” a freshman at the high school where I teach called out to me earlier this year. “Don’t you have a daughter who acts like a cat?” I laughed and nodded. “Yep. That’s Delaney,” I said. “Your…
During a pandemic or a public health crisis, families look to healthcare experts and scientists for guidance. Leaders rise up because of their courage, intelligence, and calm demeanor. Leaders like Danny Avula, the Richmond and Henrico Health Department director. Since…
It was a gorgeous sunny day for families at Sunset Beach, North Carolina. Last July, Melissa Chase and her two daughters, London and Ruby, ten and seven at the time, were playing in the ocean when Melissa felt something rubbery…
Early morning wake-up calls are built into the job for Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020. In early March, Camille set her alarm for five in the morning to get ready for her keynote address during the Up & Atom Women’s…
By October of 2017, body image issues, dieting, and anxiety collided with the trauma of a sexual assault to create a perfect storm for Emma Manis. That’s when Emma, at age twenty-two, was diagnosed with anorexia, body dysmorphia (an obsessive…
VPM – the largest media organization in Central Virginia – is a lot like other media outlets. Its content is found on television, radio, and digital platforms. It has a trained news team that reports on state and local government,…
I have to admit, I’m one of those parents who hugs her child a little tighter before school every morning. My daughter is in second grade and the thought of the Newtown and Parkland shootings, among others, is always somewhere…
Welcome to March! The month when daffodils and tulips begin popping out of the ground and frigid mornings become the exception rather than the rule. Along with the month’s promise of warmer weather comes slight panic for many parents: In…
I keep my own neurosis close to heart (no exposure therapy for me, thanks), but cruising the Big Blue isn’t one of them. Sailing on a beautiful ship is such bliss for me that I envy the oldsters who spend…
It only took a moment for Anne Moss Rogers’ life to change direction; only seconds for her to move from years of fear and dread to a life committed to service and education. That moment, when she learned her younger…
