RELATED: The 12 Best Educational Apps For Back To School Time The good folks at Common Sense Media know that you don’t have time to play all of these (and if you do, what the hell is your kid doing?). Which is why they seek out and vet apps that actually put some nutrition in your kid’s digital diet. Here are the best spelling and reading apps that will get kids to understand the meaning of the word, “word....

They Treat One Another With Respect, Not Contempt Every couple fights. And everyone says things they don’t mean in the heat of the moment. But, when there’s legitimate bile behind the berating, it’s a problem. “Contempt is a genuine devaluing and disrespect for the other person,” Raffi Bilek, LCSW-C, a marriage counselor and director of the Baltimore Therapy Center, told us. “Respect is essential in a marriage, and it can still exist even in the face of disagreement or anger....

For the Dad Who Wants to Kick Back: L.L. Bean Quilted Sunbrella Hammock The dog days of summer are perfect for shady respites, and this classic hammock is an ideal place to kick back. Thirteen feet long and made from fade- and mildew-proof acrylic fabric, it’s a perfect leave-out for a season’s worth of slumbers. Take note that you’ll need 15 feet between its ends or you’ll require an external stand....

It all started when Jason Isbell, accomplished musician and great Twitter follow, posted a fairly standard pro-gun control take to the site Sunday morning. Its message boils down to this: “Why on earth would anyone need an assault weapon?” A fair question, given their role in seemingly every mass shooting, including those in El Paso and Dayton Twitter user and Libertarian William McNabb had an answer. In a now-legendary tweet, McNabb made his argument for assault weapons ownership by conjuring up an image of an untamed South straight out of a Flannery O’Connor story turned horror movie....

The singular focus on the physical act of sex is probably the biggest mistake made in bed. Emotional connection can’t be an afterthought. Communication and connection are key. This might mean dirty talk, if you’re so inclined, but it definitely means being open and vulnerable about your desires and taking a keen interest in your partner. A quick aside: Some of these sex tips — particularly the physical ones — may only apply to penetrative sex between cisgender men and women....

So, with this in mind, we came up with this list of 55 small, nice things to do for yourself. Not everything on this list will appeal to you. Some of them will probably make you think, rightly, that we’re a bunch of weirdoes. But we hope there’s something on here that will help you be your best self for those who need you most. 55 Small, Nice Things to Do For Yourself

“Most of us are trying hard to do our best work and maintain a positive reputation as a capable, competent person, and criticism becomes the very sentiment we’re trying to avoid,” explains Ryan Howes, a clinical psychologist in Pasadena, California, and author of The Mental Health Journal for Men. “You’ve done your best, why is it not good enough?” Add in any insecurities, and criticism can really wreak havoc. “Most of us have a demanding self-critic, who knows our weaknesses but usually has some kindness,” says license psychologist Aaron Rochlen, PhD, professor in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin....

“Bilingualism is so good for the brain,” says Susie Jaramillo, the creator of Canticos, a bilingual baby and toddler brand inspired by Latino nursery rhymes and songs from all over the Spanish-speaking world “It enables more flexible and creative thinking; the sooner you expose your child to a second language the better.” RELATED: 24 Spanish Songs To Get Your Niños Dancing In 2 Languages Jaramillo knows what it takes to create an exceptional bilingual show....

Tree House From The Grandparents You Wish Were Yours While the kids for whom this was originally built have grown up, the local neighbors’ kids still hang out here and (presumably) have new favorite grandparents. At 100 square feet, it features multi-level exterior decks, sleeping lofts, a suspension bridge to a floating crow’s nest, a climbing wall, a zip line, and yes, air conditioning. Owls House Tree House Roderick Romero is the unofficial tree house master to the stars (they’re just like us?...

Just Dessert “We often have at-home dinner PTSD because the kids make everything a mess. So when we have a spare hour, we go right to dessert. There’s a bakery on my way home from work that makes these ridiculous buttercream cookie sandwiches — they’re like fancy adult Chipwiches — and we’ll have those with a bottle of cheap wine. If we just need to de-stress and get some alone time, we’ll tear open a bag of Oreos and sit at the kitchen table with two big glasses of milk and talk about anything but work and the kids....

According to The Wall Street Journal, the federal government is looking to step in to put a halt to the Texas anti-abortion law which recently went into effect. “The Biden administration has faced pressure from Democrats and abortion-rights groups to take action to stop the Texas restrictions after the Supreme Court last week allowed them to take effect,” the publication reports. And the course of action seems to be pointing toward a lawsuit....

Agnostic parents have to work harder, Dr. Jesse Fox, who researches child psychology and religion at Stetson University, acknowledges. But “the real gift of being a parent, and also the responsibility, is that you can educate your kid in however way you want,” he told Fatherly. “So the starting place from an agnostic perspective is to think: what do I want my kid to grow up understanding?” Finding an answer means spending time wrestling with the question....

So, maybe not everyone’s toddler is exactly ready for three-hour-long Fellini films. The vintage cool factor of a Vespa is probably targeted exclusively for the entertainment of much older onlookers. That’s fine. What we actually love about this toy is that it’s a classic, foot-powered ride-on toy in a flashy package. That means no batteries, no noise, no malfunctioning. The body of the Primo is made of powder-coated and hand-welded metal....

Newborns: Good With Faces, Bad With Feelings From the moment a baby is born, he or she is looking for faces. Studies have shown that even nine-minute-old babies prefer to look at clear images of faces rather than scrambled images. Hours later, studies suggest that babies can differentiate between their mother’s face and that of a strange woman, and that they stare longer at images of their mothers than other images....

“Our findings show poorer sleep-related outcomes and more unsafe sleeping practices among [parents and children] who room-share beyond early infancy,” coauthor on the study Ian M. Paul of Penn State College of Medicine told MedPage Today. “The AAP should reconsider and revise the recommendation, pending evidence to support room-sharing through the age of one year.” READ MORE: The Fatherly Guide to SIDS Roughly 3,500 infants in the United States die every year due to unsafe sleep practices....

Cruising activity usually occurs around 11 months…ish. While this phase of locomotion occurs fairly naturally, there are a few ways you can help promote and ease your little stumbler’s transition. First, like your trainer tried to tell you when you went for that session once, working the core is key. Essentially, that means you’re about to become something of a baby pilates instructor, helping them stand but supporting them low on the waist so they at least need to work to be stable....

To make bath time safe and fun for you and your child, the key is being present, prepared, and attentive. “Safety comes with more engagement; more distraction brings more challenges,” says Dr. Thomas Phelps, a pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. Here are 10 common mistakes parents make during bath time that unintentionally put their baby or toddler at risk. Bath Time Danger #1: Leaving the bathroom You should never, ever leave a bathing baby unattended, but toddlers need constant watch too....

Breville Oracle Touch Listen, kitchen space will always be at a premium, which means that if you’re adding a countertop appliance, you’d better make it worth it. The Breville Oracle Touch provides for its space and then some. Grinding beans in an internal conical burr grinder, it delivers 22 exact grams of your preferred espresso roast to create café-quality espressos, long blacks, lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos. Bonus: It’s fully customizable, allowing you to change and save up to eight different user settings for coffee strength, milk texture, and temperature....

See more: Best Water Shoes for Kids Thankfully, the days of clunky, hideous water shoes have gone the way of disgraced lawyer Michael Cohen. They’re history. Now, you can get water shoes that are specifically tailored for your specific needs, be it kayaking, fishing, or just hiking. These are some of our favorites. These water sneakers have a super-grippy rubber outsole, so you’re stable on your feet. They have holes in the front and back to drain water....