A Fine Parent

A Life Skills Blog Exclusively For Parents

About Elena Krasnoperova

Elena Krasnoperova is the founder of FamTerra Inc., and the creator of WeParent.app which helps busy parents coordinate their family calendars and logistics with each other. A mother of two boys, Elena holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University and comes from the world of consumer technology, having held leadership positions at global technology companies such as eBay, PayPal and Upwork.

How to Help a Child Who is Not Really “Into” School

by .
(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

School_Success_Main_47119765The first time my son got a failing grade on a math test, I flipped out.

“What do you mean you got a 1? How is it even possible to get a 1? I know you studied for the test. Your Dad reviewed the whole chapter with you,” I kept saying.

My 7th grader replied helplessly: “I don’t know, Mom. I got most of the answers right, but the teacher gave me a failing grade because I didn’t show my work.” And then, a bit more confidently, “What’s the big deal anyway? It’s just one test.”

I had to take a deep breath and count to 10 to avoid saying something I would later regret.

My son’s words went against everything I believed about the importance of school.

[Read more…]

Top 10 Apps For Parents That Will Save Your Sanity

by .
(This article is part of the Simplify Life series. Get free article updates here.)

Apps for Parents - MainIt was 8:15 in the morning when I got a panicked call from my husband who was dropping off our kids at school.

“We were supposed to send in flowers for the School Open House this morning. Everybody brought theirs and is handing them to the teacher.”

I replied confidently, “Don’t worry, honey, the Open House isn’t until this evening, and I’ll bring the flowers then.”

“No, the flowers were supposed to be brought in advance. The teacher said it was in her email.”

I searched my inbox for the email about the Open House, and to my embarrassment saw that he was right.

This was not the first time something like this had happened. Despite spending hours each week reading emails, copying and pasting things into my calendar, and writing reminder notes for myself, I had forgotten to dress my kids in pajamas on PJ day (something they would not let me forget), send the library book back on library day and – my worst offense – pick them up on time on an early dismissal day.

Every time it happened, I would look into my kids’ disappointed faces and feel terrible, like I was such a bad mom.

I didn’t want to feel like that ever again, so I started to look for a way to handle it.

As I spoke to a few of my friends who had already traveled this part of the parenting journey before, one thing became very clear – everyone was using some sort of an app or a website, in many cases several, to help maintain order in their lives (and save their sanity).

Duh!

I’ve since been an avid collector of apps/sites that simplify life and have even founded an app company myself that offers group communication and organization for parents, which you’ll see below, called SimplyCircle.

Today, I’ve put together for you a list of 10 of my favorites apps for parents of school-aged kids. Some are smartphone apps, some are web apps, but all offer something to simplify our lives and allow us to feel like the fine parents that we are.

[Read more…]