Should kids pay to play Santa?

I have very fond memories of my childhood Christmases.  When I think back on them, I recall family time spent together watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman on television. I remember the taste of egg nog and picking silver tinsel off sticky candy canes.  I remember the smell of turkey roasting in the oven and playing outside with all the neighborhoods kids after we’d opened our gifts.

But somehow, amid all those fond memories, something is missing.  It’s the gifts.  With a few exceptions, I don’t recall the gifts I received for Christmas as a child.  I do, however, remember the gifts I gave.

Whether it was a hand drawn picture framed with Popsicle sticks or a cheap bottle of perfume I purchased with my allowance,  I distinctly remember the happiness I felt seeing my family open the gifts I had wrapped for them.  It didn’t matter to me – or to them – whether the gifts were hand made or store-bought.  I knew without a doubt that my gifts made them happy.  And that made me happy.

Which is why I am a little bothered by a recent conversation that took place over at Mom Logic.  Writer Michele Ashamalla wanted to know if her 8-year-old son was too young to be expected to save up and spend his own money on gifts for his family like his older sister does. Continue reading »

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Wear your baby the safe way.

Erica Jong may believe that babywearing is just another lock on the prison cell that is attachment parenting, but the fact is that we’ve been wearing our babies  for thousands of years.  And with good reason.  Babywearing is not only convenient, but also promotes healthy parent/child bonding.  Plus, it feels really good to have that warm little body nestled against yours.

But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission isn’t all that crazy about baby slings.  Earlier this year, they issued a statement warning parents of the risk of suffocation to babies being carried in slings.  Shortly after that, they announced a huge recall of Infantino Baby Slings.

Consumer Reports is also not a fan of babywearing.  In addition to urging the CPSC to tighten up regulations on baby slings, they recently included them on their list of items not to buy for baby.

But despite the negative press, babywearing is more popular than ever.  But parents who have embraced babywearing – and new parents doing it for the first time – should be aware that there’s a right way and a wrong way to wear a baby.  Continue reading »

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Kids reveal more than a few of their favorite things.

SmartyPants, a youth and family research company, has compiled their annual Young Love list, a ranking of the brands that kids love most. The results are, for the most part, predictable.  Video games, junk food and a certain cable television channel rank in the top five beloved brands for kids ages 6 to 12.

But the 4,500 children and parents surveyed had a few surprises to reveal, including the surging popularity of a brand that is a no-no for young kids. Continue reading »

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Should schools single out overweight kids?

Because kids spend so much time in the classroom, it is inevitable that our school systems will have to be involved in battling the childhood obesity epidemic.  But just how far should that involvement go?

I think most would agree that schools have an obligation to educate students about healthy lifestyles and offer healthy foods to eat in the cafeteria.  In addition, a little more recess and physical education couldn’t hurt.

But is that enough?  Do schools have a responsibility to go further in the fight against childhood obesity?  In Flagstaff, Arizona, they believe they do and are instituting a program to identify overweight elementary school students.  The students will be measured and weighed and the parents of those that are deemed overweight (or heading that way) will be notified via letter. Continue reading »

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Kids love to give as much as they love to receive.

The closer we get to the holidays, the more catalogs I get in the mail.  After flipping through page after page of must-have items, my 10-year-old already has a wish list a mile long.

While there’s certainly no harm in looking and she doesn’t expect to actually receive all those things,  I think the sheer number of catalogs we get this time of year sends the wrong message.  This blatant commercialization of Christmas has overshadowed what should be the real focus of the holiday:  Giving back.

But as much as kids like to get stuff, they also really like to give.  I truly believe that if given the opportunity, even the most materialistic and spoiled child can learn to appreciate the joy of helping others.  And a child who learns to be compassionate and generous at a young age will grow to be a compassionate and generous adult.  And we could sure use more of those. Continue reading »

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Bill Nye, the original rock star of science.

Can you name one living scientist?  Besides Bill Nye the Science Guy?  What about your kids?  Can they do it?  No?  Well, you are not alone.

According to a Research America poll, half of the general public would be stumped if asked the same question.  But while our collective ignorance about science and the men and women who work in that profession isn’t all that surprising, those in the science community are worried about it.

Believing that science suffers from an image problem, Rock Stars of Science has recruited actual rock stars to appear alongside scientists in a print ad campaign aimed at making kids think science is cool.  But will the message actually reach its target audience? Continue reading »

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ACLU goes after boobies bracelet ban

My 10-year-old recently polled her classmates to see who wears “I Love Boobies” bracelets and why. She thinks the bracelets are silly and suspected that her classmates were wearing them simply because they are trendy and have the word “boobies”  on them.  As it turns out, she was only half right.

Most of the girls she polled said they wore “I Love Boobies” bracelets for the reason they were intended:  To raise awareness of breast cancer.  The boys, however, had a different story.  With only one exception, they made no mention of breast cancer when asked about the bracelets.  Instead, they mostly shrugged and said they wear them because they like them.

Regardless of the reasons kids are wearing the little rubber bracelets, many schools have decided they are inappropriate in the classroom and have banned them.  But for a school in Easton, Pennsylvania, a boobies bracelet ban has landed them in court. Continue reading »

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