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Don’t judge a book by its cover

And decoding the f-word

Hey, everyone! We know not everyone had a crush on Bill Nye the Science Guy in high school, but that doesn’t make this any less awesome: On Monday, we’re going to experience a solar eclipse that will be visible to a whopping 99% of people in the US (and plenty of us up here in Canada, too). 

The next total eclipse won’t cross the continental US until 2044, so we recommend pulling out all the stops to get your kids into it: Here’s a map of when and where you can see the eclipse, and here’s a guide to viewing the eclipse safely. Have fun nerding out with your kids! 🤓

Do You Know What Your Kids Are Reading?

We’re not usually in the business of saying “no” when our kids ask for a book. Reading is good, and even if the book is about vampires or totally unrealistic relationships or both…at least it’s better than more screen time, right?

Yes…but—there’s a but. You’ve probably heard of #BookTok, the crazy popular TikTok community of book lovers that’s gotten about a bajillion views in the last couple of years. Well, #BookTok has popularized romance and smut novels that are really supposed to be consumed by the 18+ crowd, if you catch our drift.

But teens and tweens who see these books on TikTok want what in on the trend, so they beg their parents for titles like Twisted Love or The Love Hypothesis. And parents see seemingly innocent, harmless covers…but many of these books aren’t the kind of “reading beyond their age” we want our kids to be doing.

“Now sex books are sleek and fun and nearly impossible to distinguish from the overwrought, but mostly innocent YA novels that stir the mischievous hearts of tweens,” bookseller Jackie Charniga wrote.

So what are parents to do? It’s actually pretty easy…ask for help! The best way to be sure your teen is grabbing books that are appropriate for their age is to ask your local bookseller or librarian for help. It’s their job to know the difference between young adult and “mom can’t read this in public.”

 Add to Cart? Add to Cart.

Not to toot our own horns, but…beep beep. We’ve got so much cool stuff going on right now, and we’ve got to give you a quick rundown:

  • First up: We’re headed on tour next month and we cannot wait to bring our absolutely unfiltered, totally unhinged antics to a theater near you. Want to come hang out (and have the time of your life, guaranteed)? Get tickets here.

  • Next: Want to earn some brownie points with the moody teenager in your life? Get them this stainless steel tumbler our girls made. We promise they’ll love it.

  • And last but not least: Mother’s Day is coming up, and if you’re itching to spoil your bestie to celebrate all you both do as moms…you two should get our bestie necklaces. ❤️

How to Talk to Kids About the F-Word

And we’re talking about the worst f-word there is…fat. It’s often tougher to deal with as a parent than the four-letter f-word. Because unlike curse words, descriptors like “fat” can be interpreted as brutal insults that stick with kids for a long time.

  • FYI: 80% of 10-year-old girls have been on a diet and are more scared of becoming fat than they are of war, getting cancer, or losing both of their parents, according to Common Sense Media. That’s horrible!

But this mom sharing her own struggles in teaching kids about body image got us thinking: In a society that’s (finally!) doing the work to destigmatize the word “fat” and teach our kids that there’s so much more to a person than their body…it can still feel impossible to both 1) teach our kids that “fat” is just a shape and 2) ensure that our kids aren’t growing up terrified of their own shape changing.

So how do we address body image with our teens and tweens? Here are some ways to get started:

And remember…our kids are sponges. They practice what we preach, so the best way to make sure your kid feels good about their body is to feel good about your own. 💜

It’s crazy out there for any parent trying to navigate modern media. What’s dangerous? What’s totally chill? What’s turning your kid’s brain to mush? Today, the perfect recs to understand what’s what in a complicated digital world.

We’re by no means “mom-fluencers.” I mean…Nat talks about her IBS way too much for us to be idealizing any aspect of motherhood. And have you heard Cat rant about being her kids’ chauffeur?

We keep it real, because that’s what being a parent is—real. It’s a constant parade of unexpected twists, happy accidents, and feeling unprepared but doing it anyway. We have zero time to bake homemade bread, our kids forget their manners all the time, and we’ve probably spent more hours at the hockey rink than one on one with our husbands this calendar year.

But that’s life, and it’s beautiful in all the ways we never saw coming. We hope you take some time to recognize the good stuff all around you, even if it looks nothing like your Instagram feed.

—Cat & Nat