Jessica's Parenting Journal

  You've probably noticed it at playdates or birthday parties—some kids light up when they see a dog, while others gravitate toward cats. It's easy to assume this is just random preference, but what if it actually reveals something about their personality? Turns out, there's real research on this. The catch? Most of it is about adults, not kids. The Adult Research Is Clear In 2010, psychologist Samuel Gosling at the University of Texas studied 4,565 people who identified as dog people, cat people, both, or neither. The personality differences were real and significant. Dog people were found to be: 15% more extroverted than cat people 13% more agreeable 11% more conscientious (organized, disciplined, achievement-oriented) Cat people were found to be: 12% more neurotic (meaning more emotionally sensitive or anxious, not "crazy"!) 11% more open to new experiences (creative, philosophical, nonconventional) A 2014 study at Carro...

My Student Loan Story (And Why It Led Me Down This Rabbit Hole) Let me take you back to 2001. I was 18, fresh-faced, and absolutely convinced I was making the smartest decision of my life by taking out student loans for college. "It's an investment in your future," everyone said. "You'll pay it off in no time." Fast forward to 2005: I graduated with $32,000 in debt. Not terrible by today's standards, but for a 22-year-old making $28,000 at her first job, it felt like Mount Everest. Between my $340 monthly payments and trying to afford rent in post-college life, I lived on ramen noodles and optimism for years. It took me 12 long years to finally pay off that debt. Twelve years! And that was  with  help from my parents and landing a decent job relatively quickly. Every time I made that monthly payment, I'd wonder: "Is this just how it has to be?" The Lightbulb Moment That Changed Everything Now, as the mother of two kids (ages 10 and ...