By some reports, our kids stuff 5% of their yearly candy consumption into their Halloween candy bags. From a habits perspective, 5% is no big deal. But flip the statistic around and that's another story.

New mothers sometimes snark hatefully at each other with the intent to cause pain. It starts with some article about breastfeeding, epidural, c-section, co-sleeping, whatever, and devolves rapidly. Some people call this Mommy Wars. I call this cyber-bullying.

Have you noticed that sometimes your children just need to hear a message once and they get it? And, frustratingly, you can send a message dozens upon dozens of times and it is as if they had never sent the message at all?

Making kids say "Thank you" only to avoid getting a disapproving look is one thing. Inspiring them to appreciate things and be thankful is a totally different ball game. Here are four ideas for inspiring good manners and kindness in a young child.

My son started high school last month. After a month of practice, I've learned what's makes the daily high school experience go more smoothly.

You have to care enough about your child giving up their overeating for you to give up a self-defeating or even self-destructive habit you have.

I can say that parental attitudes had an impact on my driving history. When I was little I was my father's co-pilot. No matter where he went I wanted to ride shotgun. And my father usually followed all of the laws of the road.

Children's pageants promote unhealthy competition, the cultivation of negative personality traits and an over-emphasis on appearance. While this may be obvious to many, what we often fail to see are the grains of these behaviors "normal" parents may engage in.

Though I am a chef, I humbly had to learn that my daughter was throwing away her sandwiches at lunchtime when she was in kindergarten -- and as a busy mom, I had to come up with easy, healthy, delicious solutions.

I assume I know my children pretty well. I know their likes, dislikes, fears and dreams. I used to know these things, anyway. Now, I'm not so sure.

He came home from school a few days later, put down his backpack, and said, "Hi, Mom! Um . . . you were drunk, weren't you?"

So you just heard that your child's substitute teacher is a hard-core, gay porn super-star who made movies with titles like Desperate Husbands and directed the Grabby Award-winning series World of Men. Is that all you got?

It isn't news that Americans are a stressed out bunch, especially with the economy and potential job concerns, but what is different is the spike in stressed out kids.

Should my kids play games online? Is there a safe place for them to explore the web? How secure are the sites that my kids are visiting? There are so many questions and so many sites.

Here are 5 simple tools to help you be engaged with your children's academics, without having to go through the guilt and frustration of not following the experts' advice on what you should be doing, but that everyday circumstances inhibit you from.

As unnerving as it is for parents who find themselves in Hurricane Irene's path, it can be terrifying for kids. Here are some tips for helping anxious children get through the storm.

This child didn't need to be given reason; he needed parameters. One could even argue that he needed a firm hand. Sometimes, children push so hard because they need to know their limits and, on some level, want those limits enforced.

Ideally, airlines would educate their employees about autism. But I have also learned ways to help with successful airline travel and now travel easily with my seventeen-year-old severely autistic and non-verbal son.

Getting ready for a new school year is one of the biggest transitions our kids make, so we've decided to try to shape positive expectations using some of these approaches.

I wore my hair very long in high school and cut it in college only when it caused my mother serious distress. But my parents never let how I looked diminish how much they loved me or wished to be with me... anytime, anywhere.