All Family
Sexting: Parents need to understand social pressures and behaviorSexting – often thought of only in a legal context – needs to be considered from a youth perspective in order for parents to more fully protect them from its consequences.
Dogs, cats make for healthy babies, says study. Bring on the fur.A new study says that young babies living with dogs and cats tend to be healthier than those without four-legged friends. What a relief.
Adoption: Russian official focuses on ranch for troubled adopteesRanch for Kids owner denies claims of mistreatment and says she is concerned that the recent US-Russian adoption treaty may help Russian officials establish lawsuits against adoptive parents.
Piggy bank versus tzedakah box: Learning to save – and giveA tantrum over getting a desired toy turns into an opportunity to teach a 4-year-old about charity, helping him to decide whether to put his change in the piggy bank or the tzedakah box.
China adoption diary: Tears and a monsoon in today's forecastPart 8 – China adoption diary: First family fiasco – at the zoo in a monsoon of rain and tears as Mom and Dad set some unpopular limits.
Intercountry adoption: Russian parliament ratifies Russia-US pactThe Russian parliament ratified an adoption law – aimed at regulation the adoption of Russian children by Americans – a year after the agreement was reached with the US.
Thomas Lubanga sentenced, but child soldiers still struggleThe International Criminal Court handed down its first sentence today, ordering warlord Thomas Lubanga to serve 14 years for the recruitment and use of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But the children of eastern Congo still need our attention.
Child labor: Farming parents defend putting children to workThe US Labor Department has dropped its plans to regulate child labor on farms. The rules, say some farmers, did not reflect the reality on farms where children grow up learning about the dangers of equipment.
China adoption diary: A many-Kleenex visit to Grace’s orphanagePart 7 – China adoption diary: 90 emotional minutes at Grace's orphanage where the outlines of her past take some real shape.
Summer books: Skip the blockbusters, let kids’ imaginations growA summer book allows kids to explore their own imaginations and versions of time, place, and character. Skipping the summer blockbusters could save kids from a world of wasted imaginations.
Kourtney Kardashian has a baby girl. Let the gushing begin.Kourtney Kardashian has a baby girl, Claire Danes is pregnant, so is Reese Witherspoon, and the fans are gushing. What's the deal with the Kardashians – and all celebrity baby love?
Seventeen magazine promises to stop manipulating photos of modelsIn response to a girl-led campaign to change the way women are portrayed in the media, Seventeen magazine has vowed to stop photoshopping its models and to promote healthy body images for its young readers.
China adoption diary: Maoming or bust – a return to Grace’s hometownPart 6 – China adoption diary: The sisters wrangle over pigtail pitch, Madeleine becomes a thoroughbred clothes horse, and Mom wonders, "What if Grace’s Chinese mother had any idea that her precious daughter was right here in Maoming for only one day?"
China adoption diary: "Officially ours," Madeleine Bao Yi becomes a BelsiePart 5 – China adoption diary: After questions from Chinese functionaries – such as "Why did you choose to adopt?" – the Belsie family officially becomes four, with new sister and daughter Madeleine Bao Yi.
China adoption diary: The gotcha day "zap." Love at first sight.Part 4 – China adoption diary: Pig-tailed and rhinestoned Madeleine Bao Yi meets the Belsie family – her family – on gotcha day. It's love at first sight.
Pay more for milk? Initiative aims to support family farmsKeep Local Farms, a program supporting New England dairy farms, asks consumers to pay extra for milk in order to boost local family businesses, similar to fair trade practices for coffee and chocolate.
Rescue dog: After years of saying no, dad gladly yields for AlbieAfter years of family lobbying for a dog, Peter Zheutlin finally gives in to his wife and sons. Searching the Labs4Rescue website, he can't resist a 3-year-old Yellow Lab-Golden Retriever mix named Albie.
China adoption diary: A cackling ride on the storkPart 3 – China adoption diary: Emotion dawns as the reality of a second daughter takes shape on the way to Guangzhou. The adoption agency guide arrives, Grace is delighted with the trove of hotel sample soaps and shampoos, Mom and Dad get ready for first meeting with Madeleine Bao Yi.
Katie Holmes-Tom Cruise divorce: dealing with religious splitsThe Katie Holmes-Tom Cruise divorce news makes this author wonder how the couple's daughter, Suri, will deal with the alleged split in her parents' religious views. The author was a year older than Suri when her own parents – a Jew and a Roman Catholic – divorced.
Bikini onesie: Really? Baby girl clothes that go too farBikini onesie? Parents say a bikini onesie for sale at Gordman's department store goes too far. But it's hardly the only example of baby girl clothes that leave parents shaking their heads.
