Welcome to Such A Smart Mom, a one-of-a-kind Web site “helping smart parents raise smart kids.” I’m Ruth McKinnie Braun, creator of the site, a mother of two teens and a veteran journalist.
I started Such A Smart Mom because I thought it was about time that smart parents, particularly those with kids in middle school and high school, have a trusted site with news and advice on raising children who thrive in school and grow up to be smart, responsible adults.
Newspapers, as much as I love them, tend to focus on “big picture” stories about statewide standardized test scores and the rising number of obese children that offer no insight into what we can do in our homes to help our kids. Parenting magazines seem to run out of things to say right about the time our kids reach adolescence. And most parenting Web sites care more about celebrity mom news than helping us raise smart kids.
At Such A Smart Mom, rather than focusing on statewide test scores, you’ll find advice to help you help your child develop great study habits and succeed in school.
And rather than reading about the percentage of American children who are obese, you’ll find tips to help your child stay in shape.
What sets Such A Smart Mom apart is its point of view. It was created by a smart mom and is written expressly for smart moms and dads. I write primarily for parents with pre-teens and teens, although parents with younger kids will learn a lot, too. And I will not waste your time with celebrity news.
And now a little more about me. I live in San Diego with my husband, Gerry, and two children, Emma, 16, and Noah, 13. I was a reporter and editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune for 23 years before leaving to create Such A Smart Mom. I was born in Metlakatla, Alaska; I’m a product of California public schools and a graduate of San Diego State University. I started volunteering in school when my daughter was in Kindergarten and have not stopped.
In addition to writing about helping your child, I also write about what you can do to help your child’s school through giving of your time, your talent and your money. My reasoning is simple. School budgets are being cut. Those cuts hurt our kids’ schools, their classrooms and the quality of their education. In short, they hurt our kids.
My first piece of advice: Do not leave this site without printing out a copy of “Smart Moves: On the Road to College”, a year-by-year road map to getting into college, and check out our “Smart Kids” series on what your child should learn during each year of school. You will find them in a section of the site called Smart (and free) downloads.
I am available to speak to parent groups and other organizations. And I am always looking for story ideas. You can contact me at info@suchasmartmom.com.
