The Blog

Courageous Conversations about Race

As we continue to wrestle with racial equity and social justice in our country, I want to share resources with parents.  I have spoken about these topics several times over the past year.   I will periodically add resources to this list.   Critical…
Read more →

We ARE the Frontline - Get In The Fight

*****As Previously Published at Medium.com on 11/28/2020***   Before you dismiss this as just another rant about the coronavirus, I implore you to consider what I learned today. Since this pandemic nightmare began, we have lost more than…
Read more →

Study Secrets: A Guide to Setting Pre-teens up for Success (Grades 5-8)

It was my pleasure to participate on this panel where we shared homework and study secrets from middle schoolers.  Kudos to the Tutoring Club of McLean for hosting this event as the 2020 school year ramps up.  In case you missed it, you can…
Read more →

August 2020 Community Visionary - She Unparalleled

I felt tremendously honored to be named Community Visionary for August 2020 by She Unparalleled (See story here:https://www.she-unparalleled.com/community-visionaries).  Rooted in faith, She Unparalleled is committed to providing a support…
Read more →

Want to End White Privilege? We Need All Hands on Deck

******As previously published at Medium.com, July 30, 2020***** Ok. I have to admit I live in a bubble. In the midst of the double-pronged reckoning facing the U.S. in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resurgent fight for racial justice,…
Read more →

How Attending an HBCU Impacted My Life

***As previously published at Medium.com on March 1, 2020.*** During Black History Month, I was asked by a high school student to describe my experience attending an HBCU, a historically Black College and University. It was indeed a seminal…
Read more →

It’s Valentine’s Day – Show Your Kids Some Love!

It’s Valentine’s Day!  Leading up to the big day, there is so much focus on choosing the perfect card, the right gift, and setting the mood for romance.  It can be stressful placing so much significance on this one…
Read more →

Winning Is About More Than The Score

Coming out on top is what we all strive for.  Everybody loves a winner, right?  Well, a winner is defined by more than the score.  Today’s match at the U.S. Open between #1-ranked Naomi Osaka and teen phenom…
Read more →

What's In a Smile?

The other day, I was poring over hundreds of photos with my mother as we placed them in new photo albums. I ran across one of myself while out on a field trip with my sons.  They were 4 ½ to 5 years old, at most.  We…
Read more →

Why Can't Black Kids Act Their Age?

Like many of us, I was very disturbed upon hearing the story of a young Black father that was terrorized after his 4-year old daughter took a doll from the store without paying for it.  In fact, the entire family of four was traumatized during…
Read more →

STRESS-FREE SUMMER GUIDE...FOR MOMS!

How to plan ahead for a happy & stress-free summer break Summer’s almost here. The kiddos get a break from the grind of school work and routines.  They get to stay up past bedtime, go to camp, and do fun stuff they like…
Read more →

Motherhood and a Movement

Moms around America were spoiled, lauded, even glorified on social media as we celebrated Mother’s Day in May. Yet, how many people know about the organization that ushered this special day into our consciousness and ensures its special…
Read more →

The Parenting 411 In the Community

It has been my pleasure to be involved in communities across the DMV. Below, I have included video clips from a few of those activities. https://youtu.be/c8jgZsvVnJE It was a pleasure to join Anita Washington on her dynamic talk show,…
Read more →

Real Beauty

“Some women feel the need to act like they're never scared, needy or hurt; like they're as hardened as a man. I think that's dishonest. It's ok to feel delicate sometimes. Real beauty is in the fragility of your petals. A rose that never…
Read more →

Ready for a Miracle?

As I consider the new year I have been blessed to see, the butterfly and its transformative journey has captured my spirit for 2019.  We admire the beauty of the butterfly and its grace as it floats through the air. Yet, the…
Read more →

She's having.............a Baby!

As I was having breakfast this morning, I was intrigued by a newspaper article about expectant parents. Specifically, the article focused on the letdown some feel when they discover that the baby they have been eagerly awaiting is not the…
Read more →

My Journey to the Red Table | October 22, 2018

My friends have been asking how I got to the New York celebration of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk.  Well, here’s what happened…. Early last week, I saw an announcement on the Red Table Talk Facebook page about a celebration…
Read more →

My Guest Spot on Awesome Women Entrepreneurs Radio Show

I had a blast today talking with Karen Bate, host of the AWE Radio Show on WERA 96.7 FM in Arlington, Virginia.  We chatted a bit about how I got into parent education, the work I do with Gardener Parenting Consultants, The Parenting 411…
Read more →

Beauty and The Breast

A woman’s breast is a thing of beauty.  For generations men and boys alike have been enamored with the sight of it, whether clothed, bare, captured in portraits, off in the distance or close up.  So, it puzzles me that, lately, society seems…
Read more →

Sexual Harassment in the News:  What Do We Tell The Children?

It seems every other day, we are hearing about another instance of sexual harassment/misconduct involving a high-profile person in the news.  How do we make sense of this for our children?  With this topic and all news, be mindful of the content…
Read more →

The Parenting 411 – How Did I Get Here?

How Did I Get Here? That is a good question! It was a circuitous journey, to say the least.  When I completed my undergraduate degree in Fashion Merchandising and embarked on a career in the industry, there was one thing I never envisioned…
Read more →