Can playing music to your baby or young child make her smarter? That was the claim of the much-hyped “Mozart Effect” several years ago, but the truth isn’t exactly black and white. Certainly, music is a great complement for stimulating babies’ brains and teaching toddlers vocabulary, but the jury’s out…
Come clean already. Do you struggle with laundry? In a perfect world, we could afford to have everybody’s clothes dry cleaned on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, those costs can add up over time. That doesn’t mean you can’t handle with care yourself. It’s a delicate situation — so follow these…
Who says it’s not easy being green? Today is Earth Day, a day created to raise awareness when it comes to the environment. Although it was established in 1970, it continues to grow in popularity every year. Initially, Earth Day was only observed in the United States. However, the celebration…
You think your children are ready to play ball (or any other sport for that matter), but are they really properly prepared? When it comes to playing the field, it’s a matter of safety first. Parents have an obligation to take all of the steps necessary to ensure that their…
Sometimes it is better to receive than to give, and Christmas cards is one of those instances. While some people have everything ready for their Christmas cards months in advance, others find that same old box of cards going untouched year after year. The good news is that the task…
Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house these days tends to be a longer haul for families who have to fly to see relatives. So what’s a family to do when the inevitable happens on one of those trips? Being stranded in an airport during an extra-long…
Every so often, a story will surface in the news about women who are rebuked for breastfeeding their babies in public. Whether it’s shop owners or their patrons who complain, it’s an embarrassing situation for moms who are just trying to feed their children. Most people wouldn’t want to take…
Sticks and stones will break their bones, but names will never hurt them, right? Think again. Bullying has been around as long as kids have, but with the introduction of different forms of communication, it’s risen to alarming levels. The implications of bullying and being bullied have grown more serious,…
Touching, tasting, smelling – they’re all ways in which small children learn about their environments. But it can also get them into trouble. Inevitably during the course of growing up, kids will make the mistake of swallowing, inhaling or sticking into pretty much any orifice some sort of item in…
When it comes to their education, you want to know that your children are in good hands. That means having an open line of communication with his or her teacher that goes beyond the annual parent-teacher conference. We’re not saying you should assume the role of a helicopter parent, hovering…