It's the things you do for them that they will never remember, and therefore can not ever thank you for, that are some of the richest moments of parenting. Some of the messiest, too.
Now, a new generation comes home from wars that have gone on for a decade, often with no clear sense of victory. For those who have managed to return physically unscathed, how many carry memories of pain that also leave them feeling alienated and unable to communicate?
The launch of the Global Motherhood partnership between Johnson & Johnson and The Huffington Post offers the opportunity to give voice to the power of mothers as champions for the health and survival of their children, their families and, by extension, their communities.
My most cherished takeaway from Sundance this year is something I hadn't anticipated. I was joined at the festival by my 22-year old son Brett, a designer who works in New York. Seeing Sundance through his eyes gave new meaning to the experience for me.
At 50, being the "singlish" parent of a very inquisitive, high energy 10-year-old boy keeps me on my toes.
It's sad that they get scared to tell us that they have found someone that they want to get married to because they anticipate us getting angry before getting excited or happy.
Ann likes to keep her hair cut short, wear boys' clothes, and play sports instead of Barbies. It's just who she is, nothing more or less than that. As we often say around here, you like what you like, so go ahead and like it and don't pay any attention to anyone who has anything to say about it.
Are the new school food standards ideal? No. Are districts being given enough money to really get the job done? No, again. But do we have some cause for celebration? Absolutely.
Education reformers these days cast their nets far and wide to try to find a solution to the current malaise in our schools. They look to Finland, or to digital learning models. Why is Montessori ignored?
We have the technology, the medicine, and the resources to have a generation born HIV-free -- we can work together to see the beginning of the end of AIDS by 2015.
Parents must become more engaged in influencing and monitoring the substance of their children's education. All of us should be aware that what teachers teach, and how they teach it, is informed by their own perspectives, even in a math problem.
Feeling beautiful and strong starts on the inside, and it's time for a new generation of mothers to speak up, reboot, and live strong.
These changes help our kids see that we aren't just telling them to eat better -- we as a community are willing to invest in the food they are served at school to help them grow up as healthy, smart, and strong as they can.
When hormones start to bloom, the libido is quick to follow. So what do you do if your teenager wants to have sex at home? Do you let him or her do it under your roof? Or do you categorically forbid it?
I asked some of the people who've influenced my thinking about autism to collaborate on a virtual roundtable. This conversation, which took place before the Times story on the DSM, is open-ended and free-ranging. The participants, in alphabetical order:
There are some unspoken guidelines that some are mindful of and some aren't. These are rules I wish all the moms and dads and caretakers who go to the park with kids follow.
Imagine a future in which we can simply toggle the default on human fertility, so that accidental pregnancy is a thing of the past and women become fertile only when they want to become pregnant.
When is a salmon not a salmon? It sounds ridiculous, but that's one of the most important issues in the food world, where the gloves are off in the fight about genetically engineered foods.
There are 32 million reasons why the USDA's new school meal standards are good news. That's the number of children in the U.S. and who will soon be served far more nutritious, and hopefully delicious school meals.
Can anyone say their parents were perfect? OK, those of you who raised your hands may now Google the word "denial."
Brandy Ferner, 2012.27.01
Lisa Belkin, 2012.27.01
Red Room, 2012.27.01