Parenting

The newest teen trends are “glow” or “hyperglow” parties. These pop-up parties are marketed as “alcohol-free” gatherings  for ages 16 and up. They are filled with loud, pulsing techno music, strobe lights and, you guessed it, glow sticks. (Think rave on super steroids.) Sounds OK, right? Somewhere for the kids to get together, hang out […]

Have you heard about this website? Omegle.com is a website whose sole purpose is to allow you to connect with strangers via text or video chat.  Their homepage states: “The Internet is full of people; Omegle lets you meet them. When you use Omegle, we pick someone else at random and let you have a one-on-one chat.

Did you hear about the latest scam hitting us? Local Better Business Bureau branches all over the nation are circulating information from reports they are receiving. Apparently, an international computer scamming program is autodialing random mobile phone numbers, letting it ring once and then hanging up. The scam happens when curious owners call the number

A few nights ago I was working at night and had the television on in the background where they were showing a string of 80s brat-pack movies. If you’re a prime parent, then you grew up in the age of John Hughes movies, complete with Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Matthew

Recently, a California high school uncovered a shocking secret–a “fantasy slut league” similar to a fantasy football league … except using real high school girls to “draft” into sexual escapades for points. Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., alerted parents via a letter at the end of October that they had uncovered the league where mostly

“You never listen to me!” Many children feel that there is no point in talking to their parents. From experience they have learned that their parents are very poor listeners. In fact, their parents seem to want to talk a lot more than they want to listen; they are more interested in getting their point

In some households, one parent is the “nice” one while the other is the “disciplinarian.” Children, of course, tend to prefer the nicer parent. The other parent – the “bad” cop – is often resentful. This parent knows that children need boundaries, limits and guidance and wants to do the best for his or her

Parents love their kids. So why do they yell at them? Here are just some of the reasons parents may yell at their children: • Kids don’t listen when parents speak in a normal tone of voice but do listen when parents yell • Parents were raised by  parents who yelled at them, so it

Have you always dreamed of having a large family? Maybe you grew up as an only child, and remembered how lonely it can get without siblings around. Or perhaps you always envisioned a sweet smaller household with one or two children. No doubt your spouse also has an ideal image of family size – and

Parents frequently feel angry at their kids – especially when those kids engage in behavior that is destructive, dangerous, mean, foolish, messy, illegal, immoral, thoughtless, selfish and otherwise… childish.  But given that unrestrained displays of anger can traumatize children, parents have to learn how to discipline without rage, upset or even irritation. While anger is

The birth of a premature baby can bring mixed emotions: the joy of the newborn’s arrival and the worry over health issues. Sometimes, when the premature birth is completely unexpected, there is also a feeling of shock and panic. Will the baby survive? Will she be alright? Indeed, some premature babies literally have to fight

When it comes to personal property, boundaries between siblings can be hard to define. After all, in a family there is such a thing as communal property: what is mine is also yours. And sharing is a virtue all parents want to encourage in their children. “Mom! Laurie stole my hairbrush!” “I did not!” “You

Like adults, children can wake up in the night.  They may do so for any number of reasons, depending on their age, health and unique characteristics. However, when a child awakens in the night, other members of the household may be disturbed (i.e. siblings sleeping nearby or parents in their own room). If nighttime awakenings

I tell my four-year-old daughter that she’s beautiful. I also tell her she’s smart, creative, funny, and genuinely one of the coolest kids that I know. I tell her those last four things way more than I tell her the first thing, but still, I tell her she’s beautiful. Because she is … not just on

Last year, I posted a photo on my personal blog of a shirt that blew my mind. It was the size for a kindergarten girl and it said “Kiss the Rim.” The shirt was supposed to be about basketball (I guess), but I couldn’t shake off the sexual undertone of that shirt. Raising three daughters, we are

Anger is one of the most destructive emotions; people who have difficulty managing their anger can end up hurting others and themselves. As adults, they can destroy their most important relationships – those with spouses and children. Parents can help their kids have lifelong satisfying relationships by helping them to find healthy ways to deal

Understandably, siblings don’t always want to share the same set of friends. This is particularly true when siblings have a big age difference between them. However, there are practical issues to contend with. What happens when an 8 year-old child invites a friend to play and the child’s 6 year-old sister wants to join in

Visitation arrangements don’t always give kids the opportunity to see each parent 50% of the time. Practical considerations often make equal division of visitation impossible. For instance, in some cases, one parent works longer hours than the other. Or, one parent lives in a different state or country and the child must attend school for

Raising a child is an enormous job, and parents need all the help they can get. Which is why single parents are modern day heroes. To accomplish alone a task that’s often too much for even two people, is an achievement that should make it into the record books! Many single parents make it through

Mothers and fathers often disagree on matters pertaining to parenting. It happens when the parents are operating within the context of an intact family home and it also happens when parents have gone their separate ways through separation or divorce. However, unlike their married counterparts, divorced couples lack the trust and friendliness that is  at the

Over the weekend I found myself sitting in my dark closet and sobbing uncontrollably. I’ll spare you the details of all that led up to it, but suffice it to say that it’s not the first time and it certainly won’t be the last. And the “cry locations” vary–sometimes it’s the pantry or laundry room

All too often, Halloween is viewed as a holiday engineered to rob our families of their most recent paychecks through overpriced, poorly made costumes—and all for an evening that ends in a sugar-fueled meltdown. But, while the sugar-induced coma is nearly unavoidable, you can prevent the depletion of your savings by getting creative with your

Mother’s Day is a wonderful day designed to celebrate the gift of mom. Yet it can often leave the “bonus” mom feeling less than celebrated. Stepmoms play a special role in the lives of their stepchildren and, while many will not be recognized this Mother’s Day, their impact on the lives of their stepchildren will

My oldest daughter looked forward to the birth of her sister almost more than my husband and I. Being only two and a half years old, she really had no idea what she was in for. I imagine that she had beautiful fantasies about a live-in friend that could entertain her when I was just