The Nest — #kids

Please note that this truth is written from a females perspective, but applies to both male and female Firefighter spouses/fiance's. By Kym Harper Styers Dear Future Fireman's Girlfriends and Wives, I am going to lay out some truth for you. It's harsh, but honest. I wish someone would have said this to me 18 years ago when I became one.  One misconception I had was the sexiness of the job. That turnout gear is something isn't it? Makes a girls heart melt. Nothing like seeing your man all decked out looking like he's about to pose as Mr. July in...

I’m a mom from Iowa, juggling responsibilities left and right — but not the ones you might expect. Between running my three wonderful kids around to sports events and family outings, I’m busy putting out fires — literally. I’ve been a professional firefighter for over two years, and if I’d known sooner how fighting fires would completely change my life, I would have started years ago. Being a firefighter is tough, but so is being a mom. I’m always learning, always facing new challenges, always staying strong for the people around me. Fortunately, firefighting has taught me a whole lot...

Raw video footage of cupcake theft suspect.   Dad was shocked when he realized a certain item went missing. Knowing that his daughter was the only other person home, he decided to confront her. However, he didn’t want to call her out on it directly. Instead, Dad questions her in a way that has her turning herself in for the crime. In the video below, Dad holds the camera while he asks his daughter where the missing cupcakes went. While he knows she has something to do it, Dad’s shocked when his little girl fesses up and says she ate...

Today’s grim anniversary brings up the question for parents, yet again, of how to talk about the terrorist attacks with children, because directly affected or not, even the smallest Americans have felt the reverberations of the terrorists attacks. (Gary Hershorn/Reuters)“Anniversaries, especially when associated with media coverage, often resurface feelings related to a difficult event such as 9/11. Parents and friends can offer support by helping children anticipate this reaction, advise them on how to limit or handle grief triggers (which might include limiting exposure to media coverage of the event) and offering additional physical presence and emotional support around the...

    Over the next few weeks more than three million first-year students will show up to well-manicured campuses all across the nation to begin their first semester as college students. It is a special time filled with excitement and random worries about the unknown for students and the families sending them off. Many of these students will be the first in their family to attend college. The success of these students is critically important to achieving President Obama's goal of America having the highest proportion of citizens in the world with a post-secondary degree or credential. Numerically, this goal...