A great babysitter is a precious resource – and one that’s highly coveted by other families. When date night comes along, or if you have to go out for any reason, making decisions about with whom you can entrust your kids is important. Of course, leaving the kids with a…
You may have heard of the uproar caused when one New York mom and blogger allowed her 9-year-old son to ride the subway alone in 2008. Lenore Skenazy armed her son with maps and subway routes and sent him on a short trip to prove that so-called “helicopter parents” are…
You wouldn’t give someone the death penalty for running a red light, and the same rule of thumb should apply to your children’s wrongdoings. At the end of the day, you want to make sure the crime fits the punishment. For example, you don’t want to ground your 5-year-old child…
Leaving your child with a new babysitter so that you can enjoy a little adult time can be a daunting task. Of course you worry about how the sitter might handle an emergency, how much to pay her and how the kids will act while you’re gone – but do…
It’s a hard habit to break, but it can be done. We’re talking about the dreaded thumbsucking. Parents – take heart. Eventually, the time is going to come, probably just not soon enough. Research shows that 30 percent of preschool children still suck their thumbs, although most outgrow it by…
With gas and food prices soaring, you’ve got to save a buck wherever you can. And Father’s Day is no exception. While you may be inclined to go out and blow a bunch of money on the special day, it’s the affordable gifts from the heart that will likely mean…
Many potential parents feel they’re ready to take on the responsibility of raising a child, but the majority of new parents vastly underestimate the real costs associated with bringing up baby. A Redbook survey says up to 41 percent of new parents believed that in hindsight, they weren’t as financially…
As a new parent, the thought of your young child being exposed to germs can be downright frightening. While there are no guarantees that your little one won’t get sick, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk. It’s all about investing in the right protection. For example,…
When you’re shopping for video games, you might wonder what those little monogram squares are on the front of the game case. Well, just like the Motion Pictures Association of America, which assigns ratings to movies based on their content, there is an organization that does the same thing for…
If you’re thinking about doing all your holiday shopping on Black Friday, Cyber Monday or any other time this weekend, then you may be wondering if you’re getting the absolute best deal on the things you need or the things you’d like to give for the upcoming holidays. If you’re…