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Hilary Smith

About Hilary Smith

Hillary Smith loves technology and hasn’t met an app that didn’t catch her attention. After graduating from the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism, Hillary began a career as a freelance writer focusing on the challenges of digital parenting. She works out every day and spends time with her children, ages 4 and 7.

Do you recall the thrill of earning a sticker on a perfect assignment in school? Many of us loved seeing those gold stars teachers would hand out. At face value, these stickers validated our hard work and effort, but this incentive system might have been harming our intrinsic motivation. In […]

Pamper your Children the Right Way

May 16, 2017 in Activities / Helpful by Hilary Smith

Reading with your kids isn’t just about telling them stories. It teaches them valuable lessons and stimulates important conversations, all while bonding. In fact, many adults bond by reading fiction to one another, and for kids, these are some of their first bonding experiences! Older children can benefit from being […]

Books to Read Aloud to Your Kids

May 15, 2017 in Activities / Helpful tagged activities / Kids / kids social media / learning / parenting / Summer by Hilary Smith

With the hectic schedules that most families must accommodate on a daily basis, any calm in the storm feels like the perfect opportunity to unwind with technology. After balancing work, school, sports/dance schedules and every other commitment, vegging out in front of a screen just feels cathartic. The urge to […]

Benefits of Gardening for Kids

April 6, 2017 in Helpful tagged children online / Kids / parenting / Summer by Hilary Smith

According to the StompOutBullying.org website, their parental resource page highlighted this horrific topic by calling out cyberbullying as “social terrorism by technology.” While our societies general rule of thumb states we don’t negotiate with terrorists, what are parents to do when it comes to this type of traumatic experience? Back […]

Learn About Cyber Bullying & Stopping This Vicious Cycle

March 23, 2017 in Helpful / Internet Safety tagged children online / cyber bully / cyber bullying / cyber safety / cyberbullying / netiquette / online safety / online safety tips by Hilary Smith

In order to be happy and healthy, exercise should be an important part of all our daily routines. Parents need it. Kids need it, too. But with the breakneck speed of life these days, who has the time? For many, finding time for fitness in a packed schedule can feel […]

Easy At-Home Exercises To Do With Your Kids

October 8, 2016 in Uncategorized by Hilary Smith

The beginning of the school year marks the introduction of bacterial infections and viruses that can keep our kids home and away from valuable learning time. Classrooms can be incubators for strep throat, upper-respiratory infections, and stomach bugs. While the flu can be tamed with an annual vaccination, attempting to […]

10 Back To School Tips To Keep Children Healthy

August 8, 2016 in Activities / Helpful / Uncategorized tagged activities / Kids / kids social media / parenting / Teens by Hilary Smith

For many families, video games are a normal part of everyday living. Many of our children are plugging into consoles, typing commands using a keyboard, downloading games on their Smartphones, or using their tablets for playing Candy Crush. While this might not be a sure recipe for disaster, it can […]

Dangers of Online Video Games

July 25, 2016 in Uncategorized by Hilary Smith