We spend too much time on shopping, entertaining, and shuttling around and too little time with the family. If only there was an alternative? Maybe there is. Try storytelling at home with the kids. It's the perfect activity for the holidays.

Are parents who have large families because they believe it is a divine commandment or because they take pride in their family heritage any less capable of creating "life-enhancing relationships" with their children than, say, educated professionals who wait until there are financially stable?

Is there more that we as parents can do to find real solutions to cheating? What actions can parents take to affect real change so that cheating doesn't become an indelible part of our educational system?

Last week, I sat down with my 11-year-old son to deliver that time-honored rite of passage -- for parents as well as kids -- our first "Birds and the Bees" talk. I was prepared for every possible question, except the one he asked.

Storytelling, in short, teaches a child to walk in another's shoes.

For this working dad, rediscovering my own pursuit of happiness starts not at the office, but at home with my family.

When my baseball-loving son asks about Roger Clemens, what do I tell him?

My family recently complained that Father's Day has turned me into a lazy bum. So this Father's Day, instead of just receiving gifts, I'm going to give back to my family.

When I became a father, I realized for the first time what it might be like to send a child off to war.

How do I tear the kids away from flashing lights and explosions and get them to sit with a book or tell a story?

I used to wonder why my sons asked for the same story night after night. I came to the conclusion that kids simply enjoy the comfort of repetition. Think of it as an emotional security blanket.

As a single working mother, it doesn't take much to feel insecure. I'm traveling, I'm at the office and, when I can, trying to fit in a yoga class so I can still feel connected to my old self.

When dads tell me they don't know how to tell stories, what they're often saying is, they don't know how to talk with their kids.

As an overworked Dad, I'm always looking for ways to find more time with my kids. I've found that storytelling is the ideal activity to enrich family time by creating a fun, free tradition.