It takes a village to raise these kids – one of my favorite sayings.

Today, I expanded my “village,” beyond those treasured and kindred souls — in my kids’ schools, in my neighborhood — and beyond my trusted friends and family. I had a live Twitter chat, as we chatted live (simultaneously – totally fun by the way), about all that was on our hearts and minds related to . . . . raising these kids.

We “chatted” about when to have “the talk” with our kids, we talked about their first crushes (really, a cartoon character?), supporting our daughters at the onset of their first period, our tweens’ growing need for privacy (and our need to “keep them close”) and how we keep cooking and they’re still hungry. We talked about open door policies and the need to keep talking, listening, and . . . looking . . . for they’re growing up so fast.

Wanna expand your village? We’re chatting again tonight. 8:30 pm EDT. Twitter. Just log in and enter #parentingtweens in the search box. Don’t have a Twitter account? It’s quick and easy to sign up. Once you’re on https://twitter.com you can make it even easier to chat live by going on http://www.twubs.com. Fill in #parentingtweens, and you’re all set.

Come with what’s on your heart and on your mind, or just look and listen along. You never know what’s happening in the village with these kids.