All Family
- Girl Scouts and fans embrace tech to make cookie season sweeter
Girl Scouts began cookie sales around the US this past week. Scouts are using apps to track their sales, while customers can pick up smart phones to locate cookie sellers in their area, or whet their appetites for Thin Mints by following the Girl Scouts on multiple social networks.
- Apple honors refunds for kid-purchased apps
The Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that Apple Inc. had agreed to refund at least $32.5 million to unsuspecting parents who were charged for apps downloaded by their children without their consent.
- Teen pregnancy: For better or worse, reality TV skews real life
Two separate teen pregnancy studies have been linked to MTV's 'Teen Mom' and '16 and Pregnant' reality shows. One reports lower teen pregnancy rates due to the shows, the other reports glamorized perceptions of teen motherhood.
- Monster drinks and fighting for healthy teens at home
Monster drinks investigation: The San Francisco city attorney and the New York state attorney general have partnered up to investigate if the maker of Monster drinks is directly marketing to kids. True or not, the frontline of the battle against bad foods for kids begins at home.
- Mom rage, fighting against the new normal?
The talk of mom rage is bubbling up online again, bringing with it questions of how well moms in particular re-set expectations around raising kids. Does heading off meltdowns mean sacrificing the old "normal" for the new?
- Science fair season, a lesson in hands-off parenting
The winter season often includes school science fairs for many elementary school students. The annual science fair offers a perfect chance for parents to experiment with how hands-off they can be when it comes to letting kids prepare projects on their own.
- Bilingual benefits: Raising a child with two languages
Raised with parents only speaking Arabic at home, one mother learns the benefits of raising her own bilingual daughter and shares tips for raising a child proficient in two languages.
- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer dissolves state child welfare agency
Governor Brewer's executive order puts the state's Juvenile Corrections director in charge of the new Child Safety and Family Services Division. This follows a probe last fall which found the agency had failed to look into more than 6,500 reports of child abuse and neglect.
- What to do if Westboro Baptist Church shows up on your doorstep
Westboro Baptist Church showed up at church services in California this weekend. How would you respond if they strained religious conversations in your own home?
- Chewbacca's 'Star Wars' tweets mirror family memories for fans
Chewbacca's 'Star Wars': Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewbacca in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, has tweeted behind-the-scenes photos of the cast. Fans of the legendary sci-fi film series see the tweets as a reflection of their own family memories.
- Doyin Richards dad duty photo should be the norm
Blogger Doyin Richards was surprised that an image of him styling his daughter's hair went viral online and received a lot of attention, both positive and negative. One mom wonders how we move past the wow factor to treat moms and dads as equals.
- Why food stamp cuts could mean higher healthcare costs
Doctors warn Congress that cutting food stamp programs may be shortsighted. Food stamps cuts may lead to health concerns for family's lacking access to proper nutrition. That, in term, could increase federal healthcare spending.
- US parents stuck in Congo with adopted children
Justin Carroll and his wife, Alana, are among scores of American couples caught up in wrenching uncertainty, as a suspension of all foreign adoptions imposed by Congolese authorities has temporarily derailed their efforts to adopt.
- Cursing toddler video: Why are we so intrigued by cursing kids?
Search online for the cursing toddler video posted by friends of a teen mom in Omaha, and find lots more just like it. Why are we so interested in cursing kids and why are we shooting video of them in the first place?
- Team sports versus team building debate splits household
Team sports can bring out the best and sometimes the worst in athletes and fans alike. When parents debate team sports for their kids, there may need to be a referee involved.
- Kindle FreeTime: Parental controls and kid-friendly content
Kindle FreeTime review: Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle FreeTime gives parents an easy way to block grown-up content. It offers an optional subscription service that includes thousands of kid-friendly books, games and videos for a monthly fee.
- The unsung joys of being a carpool parent
Being the designated carpool parent has its drawbacks, but this mom finds that the time in the car with her kids and their friends offers her a window into their lives that she wouldn't trade for anything.
- Baby talk study: One-on-one builds language skills quickly
A new study soon to be published in the journal Developmental Science finds that baby talk in a one-on-one setting, as well as how vowel sounds in words are exaggerated, are linked with better language development skills. One mom realizes that jokes are a big part of her baby talk repertoire.
- Candace Cameron Bure: Submissive role doesn’t equal weakness
Candace Cameron Bure has released a book in which she advocates for a "submissive" role as a wife to her husband. One riled mom reacts, then realizes there's more than one way to lead a household, especially after her son surprises her with the news that she is second in charge to dad.
- Old Spice 'Mom Song' hits close to home
The new Old Spice ad featuring moms having a hard time watching their boys acting like grown men, and smelling like them too, hits close to home for a mom of four boys currently engaged in a war of scents.