Francine Shapiro, Ph.D., 1/27/12

Director, EMDR Institute; Senior Research Fellow, Mental Research Institute; Founder, EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs

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?

Sheila C. Johnson, 1/27/12

Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Filmmaker

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.

Jodi Halpern, 1/26/12

Associate Professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Berkeley

At 50, being the "singlish" parent of a very inquisitive, high energy 10-year-old boy keeps me on my toes.

Imam Khalid Latif, 1/27/12

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.

Red Room, 1/27/12

Online home of many of the world's greatest writers

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.

Bettina Elias Siegel, 1/27/12

Former lawyer, freelance writer and blogger at The Lunch Tray

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.

Laura Flores Shaw, 1/27/12

Head of School, Oak Knoll Kinderhaus Montessori

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?

Shayne Moore, 1/27/12

Author, "Global Soccer Mom: Changing the World Is Easier than You Think"

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.

Tanya M. Washington, 1/27/12

Associate Professor, Georgia State University College of Law

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.

Heidi Brod, 1/27/12

Co-founder, dishinoutbeauty.com

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.

Noli Taylor, 1/27/12

Program coordinator, Island Grown Schools

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.

Debra Ollivier, 1/26/12

Contributing editor and writer at large, Huff/Post50

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?

Seth Mnookin, 1/27/12

Lecturer, The Graduate Program in Science Writing, M.I.T.; Author, 'The Panic Virus'

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:

The Stir, 1/26/12

CafeMom blog

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.

Valerie Tarico, 1/26/12

Author, 'Trusting Doubt' and 'Deas and Other Imaginings'. Founder, WisdomCommons.org

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.

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, 1/26/12

Executive Director and CEO, Healthy Child Healthy World

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.

Nancy Huehnergarth, 1/26/12

Co-founder and executive director, New York State Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Alliance

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.