Is privacy becoming an attitude of the past? Does the younger generation have a different version of privacy than yours? 
When I see all these young people posting private messages and candid photos on social media outlets, I wonder if they realize what some of the ramifications can be.   Often the information is what we would have whispered in secret to our best friend.  Nowadays, it’s made public for all one’s friends and often friends of friends, which translates into strangers.  In some cases, I’ve even seen parents commenting on these private messages which seems to indicate they think it’s okay to go …read more

When I was young, we didn’t think of it in terms of parents developing communication with their youngsters, of the necessity of Dad and Mom being on our wave length.  It was our job to understand their messages, directions and, yes, commands. 
Were our feelings hurt sometimes?  Did we have misunderstandings?  Did we wish we didn’t have to do some of our farm chores?  Yes, to all of these.  But this prepared us for life, when those in the “outside” world might not take the time to consider our feelings before they spoke and the effects of their words afterwards.
My …read more

When I was growing up my parents liked to celebrate everything. Rarely did I just get a toy or gift bought for me … it was usually presented wrapped, bowed, and in honor of a special day.. First Tuesday in March Day, for example.
Valentine’s Day was a big deal. It was celebrated in a big way with a special dinner and at some point during the evening the Valentine’s Fairy would sneak in and leave gifts for me to find. It was never anything  big but the idea of having a fantasy creature leave me gifts was magical.
When I asked …read more

Two teachers (a teacher and the aide) are under a lot of heat after a parent overheard a conversation his 10-year-old was having with a friend while they played video games. What could’ve been so bad? The kids were talking about how they were told to fight in class and it was all coming from a teacher.
The father catching wind of this story investigated further, making his boy tell him exactly what had went on and how the teacher was involved. News sites are reporting that the teacher told students:
“Close the door, clear out the desks and stand back.”
At …read more

A couple in Portland, OR have been found guilty of criminally negligent homicide,  in the death of their 16-year old son. 
 Apparently, they are members of a church that believes in prayer instead of modern medicine.  So they refused the use of a catheter for complications in a urinary tract infection their son experienced.
Other situations have been in the news where parents either have had legal action taken against them because they refused medical treatment of their children or disagreed with what doctors recommended.  In some cases, the children have been taken from them when the parents’ decisions were in variance with …read more

 When we mention holidays, we usually think of the more publicized ones.  However, you can develop many family traditions with the lesser known.  The celebration of holidays creates fond memories for youngsters. 

 Today Groundhog Day when the ground hog may or may not have seen his shadow.  (By the way, why do we always refer to the Groundhog Day critter as “he?”)  Punxsutawney Phil supposedly saw his shadow today and bounded back into his burrow for six more weeks of winter.
When I was a youngster, we enjoyed the stories surrounding Groundhog Day.  We often drew pictures and talked of the groundhogs …read more

I was recently sent a bottle of Pedia-Lax “Fiber Gummies” to review and I must admit I wasn’t too sure how these would go over with the kids. Each little gummy is in the shape of the little Penguin on the bottle. Or myself for that matter, see I’m one that doesn’t normally give my kids anything “gummy.” Fiber Gummies are a great way of getting kids to have their daily dose of fiber and my guess is not every kid is getting this. I know mine didn’t always get the daily recommended amount.
Facts on Fiber Gummies:
- A child should …read more

What do you do when you have a school that’s trying to convince all the students to walk to school? You applaud them! A West Lafette school in Indiana is doing just that, they’ve decided that they want their school to be safe for the children to attend and here’s what they are doing:
1. They are urging children to walk to school instead of riding bikes, taking the bus or even driving to school.
2. They are planning on using “The Safe Routes to School” and making the list known to children and parents. This will include …read more

While many states do not have age requirements on the books for when you can leave your child home alone it is important that you know if he is ready. I remember when I was about 12 my parents left me to go out with another couple on a windy autumn evening. For some reason I decided to watch a vampire move, I am not sure why.
We lived back in the country on 2 acres that were heavily wooded with cedar trees. The only thing my parents said to me as they left was not to forget to give the …read more

We’re a family of readers and come from families where both parents read avidly. 
My husband and I were surrounded by books, even though our families didn’t have much money.  However, we were youngsters in the days when TV was in its infancy and video games didn’t exist.  Our daughter grew up in the TV era but didn’t have the electronics of today that her children do.
In spite of the electronics that exist, we all enjoy having a book or magazine in our hands.  My granddaughter uses computer, the Internet, and an iTouch.  But she always has a book nearby to …read more