I grew up in a very small, close-knit, Southern Baptist family, where everything was off-limits. So I couldn't wait to get to college and have some fun. And I did for the first two years. And I regret a lot of it, because my grades were in terrible shape. I never got in serious trouble, except for my grades.

We know that reading to children is a crucial step. From the beginning, babies who are read to are exposed to the cadence of language, and school-age children who read at home for 15 minutes a day are exposed to millions of words.

I grew up in a family where the thing that was valued most was being a hard worker, and if you commit to something, you follow through.

Moms, you should parent in whatever way works for your family and spend less time worrying about other people's perceptions of how you're doing.