Ranessa Doucet

Ranessa is a Boston native who grew up in Charlestown and never gets tired of exploring the city. She now lives north of Boston with her husband, two kids, and two mischievous pugs. Ranessa earned her master’s degree in elementary education and licensure in early childhood education. She currently works as an academic interventionist and freelance writer. Ranessa loves writing about parenting tweens, exploring New England, health, and self-care. When not writing or reading, you can find her watching reality TV, eating chocolate, attending her kids’ sporting events, and dreaming about the beach.

Raising Confident Girls (and Boosting Our Own Confidence)

We are so hard on ourselves, as women, and we hold ourselves to standards none of us can achieve. When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror and thought you were beautiful or had belief in your abilities? In the world of social media, we tend to have a skewed perspective. Everyone’s life seems perfect, and everyone looks beautiful under the veil of an Instagram filter. If we are judging ourselves harshly, our daughters will do the same. We need to be kinder to ourselves, so they know how to be kind to themselves too.

5 Ways to Raise a Book Lover

Let your children see you reading. It can be hard to put down the phone and pick up a book or leave the laundry for later (OK, maybe that’s not too hard). I know you may be interrupted 100 times and it may take an hour to get through a page, but it’s worth a try. Our children, especially when they are little, want to do what we do. If they see us reading for enjoyment, they will see it as something fun and want to do it too.

Christmas Wasn’t So Magical

I’m not going to lie; this holiday season wasn’t all that magical. It wasn’t the Hallmark movie script I had in my head. I had big plans to make Christmas cookies, drive around to see the lights, have the presents beautifully wrapped with time to spare, build a gingerbread house, decorate the tree while singing Christmas carols, and attend all the holiday parties. Here’s where my plan got foiled: I have kids.