Claire McCarthy, M.D., 02/22/12

Pediatrician, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School

What if lots of infants get sick, spreading it through the daycare? What if some die? It is totally possible, in fact, with the way cases are increasing in the U.S., I worry that it's not just possible but probable that we are going to have an outbreak like this.

Liz Kozak, 02/22/12

Writer, Mom

I wish I could call up every single person who told me, "Sleep while you can!" and inform them that their advice was terrible. I wish I had used all that nap time to go to the movies, because I miss it a whole lot.

Red Room, 02/22/12

Online home of many of the world's greatest writers

It took crashing the car while texting for my college freshman daughter to start being nice to me again. It happened three weeks into her five-week Christmas vacation, a period characterized by carelessness and defiance on her part and irritation on mine.

Julia Landauer, 02/22/12

NASCAR Driver

My ego didn't like admitting my mistakes. It still doesn't! It's embarrassing. I don't like being wrong. It's always easier to blame other people. In the long run, however, I know I am much better off having learned this lesson.

Linda Novick O'Keefe, 02/22/12

Founding Executive Director, Common Threads

An elementary schooler got to participate in the biggest sports event in America through Fuel Up to Play 60, a program that uses the star-power of NFL players to get kids excited about exercise.

Michael Green, 02/22/12

Executive Director, Center for Environmental Health

In California we recently won a victory when BPA was banned from baby bottles and sippy cups. Even before the ban, some producers were eliminating BPA from their products. My daughter's pink sippy cup, for example, was labeled "BPA-free." So why would I still worry?

Zorianna Kit, 02/21/12

www.zoriannakit.tv

The animation is breathtaking. Not in that computer animated we-see-every-piece of hair-follicle-sway-in-the-wind, but more like a Matisse painting come to life.

Suleika Jaouad and Seamus McKiernan, 02/22/12

If it takes a village to raise a child, you might say it also takes one to care for the sick. Cancer is at once personal and communal. And yet, caring for the sick can feel like writing a travelogue about a country you've never visited. You can't know where you haven't been.

Lisa McElroy, 02/22/12

Associate Professor of Law

Like any parent, at first, I was alarmed, just as the "alert" intended me to be. There was a man at the bus stop? And a mother noticed him and tried to talk to him, but he didn't respond? What the heck?

Judith Acosta, 02/22/12

Author, 'The Next Osama'; Co-author, 'Verbal First Aid'

With less expendable income, there are less expendable marriages. Our new economic realities may be forcing yet another belt tightening -- or heart tightening -- process: People can no longer afford to get divorced.

Tom Vander Ark, 02/21/12

Blogger, GettingSmart.com

Your history teacher probably told you the printing press was a turning point in human history. Just watch what the shift to digital learning will do.

Michael Kieschnick, 02/21/12

President, CREDO Mobile

In recent weeks, the nation has talked more about contraception than at any other time during my 58 years of life. Many Republican office holders and outspoken Catholic bishops call the discussion one of religious liberty. For me, it is a matter of whom I trust.

Amy Fox, 02/21/12

Playwright, Screenwriter

I can't help but be pissed off that this book exists. That somebody at Disney put resources into it, and somebody at Barnes & Noble gave it a privileged position in a display. I can't help but wonder if the stories we tell our children shouldn't matter to us, just a little bit.

Stephanie Lechner, 02/21/12

Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer

About a year ago, suddenly struck with the weight of my own self-absorption, I researched volunteer opportunities in New York and discovered Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City.

Monica Edinger, 02/21/12

Teacher, Writer, Critic

While the ALA awards for children's books and media may be the most well-known, there are many other worthy awards for children's books as well. All of these are excellent sources for those looking for great reads for the children in their lives.

Ellen Galinsky, 02/21/12

President, Families and Work Institute, Author, "Mind in the Making"

How do we promote self control? Here are a few ideas from research that show it's not how we might think.

John Koch, 02/19/12

Writer, Strategist, Dad

Gary Carter died on February 16, 2012 after a brave bout with brain cancer. His memory will long live on in all of us who love this game and treasure its stories.