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Travel with toddlers: Six tips for avoiding airplane meltdowns

Travel with toddlers, especially on an airplane, can be a disconcerting experience for parents. There are no foolproof plans for avoiding meltdowns, but here are six tips for getting toddlers through a long (or short) flight.
Ponytail punishment: Utah mom upset over judge's hair-cut ruling

A Utah mother is upset that a judge told her to cut off her 13-year-old daughter's ponytail in order to reduce the girl's sentence. The girl and her friend were in juvenile court for cutting off a 3-year-old's hair in March.
Tropical Storm Debby reminds mom of her Haiti ‘hurricane box’

Tropical Storm Debby reminds a mother of preparing for hurricanes in Haiti and Miami with you two children and filling their 'hurricane box' with extra water, food, batteries – and some musical improvisation.
Snooki and Miley Cyrus: helping teens evaluate pop star behavior

Snooki and Miley Cyrus, regulars in the celebrity news cycle, probably don't model ideal behavior for teens. Parents can help teens evaluate pop star behavior by discussing how their family values relate to what they see in the media.
Summer jobs: Four tips for beating teen unemployment and boredom

Summer jobs can be hard for teens to find. Record high unemployment rates for teenagers means they should be creative in making their own jobs or volunteer opportunities by looking around the neighborhood. These four tips will give them a jump start.
Family dinner with the Gallegoses: Tortillas and togetherness

The great American family dinner tradition, Census data show, is perhaps greatest among Latino households in the US. Four generations of the Gallegos family – of San Ysidro, Calif. – have regular dinners together. And gorditas – small, stuffed tortilla pouches – are a dinner mainstay.
Cover Story The family dinner is back – not haute, but the right thing to do

The family dinner – bolstered by science and popular buzz – is back: From Hollywood to the White House and out there at the dinner tables of America, the family ritual is increasingly considered the right thing to do.
The family dinner is the Dalmass household's main dish

Family dinner is the one constant at the Dalmass house: Kelly and Chris st down with their four children even if soccer practice – or other activity - delays it till 9:15. They see it as a way to teach the kids "to love life."
Family dinner: Can you teach a tradition?

The family dinner may be associated with lower rates of underage substance abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, and problems in school. The Family Dinner Project aims to promote and teach the tradition – from setting the table to having a family conversation – at schools and among families that may have difficulty starting a dinner tradition of their own.
Family dinner for 17: How many meatloaves did Mom make?

The family dinner was a daily ritual for the Walsh family's 15 kids, with "Mommy Barbara" Walsh at the kitchen sink helm, soaking up "the together thing."
Bus monitor Karen Klein: Publicity punishment enough for bullies?

Karen Klein, the bullied bus monitor, doesn't want her taunters prosecuted. Is the negative publicity about the bullies punishment enough? What would you do if it were your kid?
Bullied bus monitor Karen Klein: Donations mount to $400k-plus (+video)

Bullied bus monitor Karen Klein, who was nastily bullied by middle schoolers earlier this week, has received more that $443,000 in donations from around the world. Three of the students have issued written apologies as of Thursday night.
Bullied bus monitor reaction: Teach victims to deal with bullies

Bullied bus monitor incident earlier this week is a classic bully/classic victim situation. How can society reduce the number of victims altogether? It starts with teaching potential victims how to deal with bullies, says Columbine High School teacher.
Bullied bus monitor: What will happen to those nasty kids? (+video)

Bullied bus monitor, 68-year-old Karen Klein, tried to ignore the profanity and insults thrown at her by middle school students. But, unless there are real changes made to school system policies, nothing is going to happen to those nasty kids.
First day of summer: Six family activities to get kids outside

First day of summer: Camping in the backyard, growing a garden and playing old-fashioned tag games are just a few fun activities that parents can use to get their kids outdoors during the summer weekends.
Teenagers rebel, but why did my son become a moderate Republican?

Teenagers rebel against their parents as a way to define their own identity. Still, this dad who grew up in the 60s and 70s is wondering how he raised a son who cuts his hair short, doesn't recycle, and ... may be a moderate Republican.
BFF or parent? How to navigate parent-child friendships

BFF, or best friends forever, qualities – sharing secrets, overprotection, blurry boundaries – can create problems in the parent-child relationship, but that doesn't mean parents can't be friends with their kids.
Summer solstice is signal for summer camp packing frenzy

Summer solstice is the first day of the rest of your summer – and kids headed to camp start thinking how to squeeze into the two-piece bathing suits and past the dress codes, whether to leave the cell phone and makeup behind. A new survey shows that many camps want kids to leave most of it at home.
Bullied bus monitor receives donations after video goes viral (+video)

Karen Klein, a bus monitor in New York, has received thousands of dollars in donations after video of the verbal abuse went viral on YouTube.
Teenagers and sexting: Studies aim to reveal frequency, behavior

Teenagers and sexting is an increasing concern for parents and teachers, and recent studies are aimed at revealing the frequency and behavior involved. It is time for parents to discuss the issue (and appropriate digital media sharing) with their kids, says our guest blogger.