My son, Max, spent his ninth birthday confined to a bed as he recovered from an emergency appendectomy. Not the sort of thing a young boy dreams of for his birthday party.  Also, not the sort of thing that a young boy forgets or will let his parents forget.

One thing and then another, the party was never planned, then planned but delayed, re-planned, and finally held – four months after his birthday.  And it was great.  He got cards and gifts from his friends, despite us describing this as an un-birthday party and expressly telling parents that they…

Is anyone out there planning on bringing your child to work on Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day this year? It’s coming up in a couple of weeks (April 22nd). I’m kind of torn, myself.

On the one hand, having the four year old tear around the office for an hour or so would be greatly entertaining.  He’ll be good for a few laughs, and I won’t have to do any work while he’s there.  Of course, no one else in my area will be able to get any work done, either, so there’s that.

The more…

Every year, after Christmas, families rush to the mall to return unwanted, unloved, or duplicate gifts.  Now, this seems normal, but many kids don’t tell you what they really dislike, and others are just rude when they tell you this.

Many kids don’t tell anyone if they received an item they did not like, had another of, or find goofy.  Now, kids do this for a variety of reasons.  Some kids are afraid they’ll hurt the gift giver’s feelings for telling anyone this, and they don’t want to do that to anyone, especially family.  My younger brother, for example, didn’t…

Even if gas prices rise or continue to stay high, road trips are a reality for most families. Here are some dos and don’ts to make them as pain-free as possible for every member of the family:

DO – Plan for extra time to stop and take a break. It’s healthy to let everyone get some movement every few hours. If you find a rest stop with bathrooms, ask your children to try to go, even if they claim that they “don’t have to go right now.” They will….

It’s Christmastime again!  But, unfortunately, along with Christmas come the bad and corny gifts given to teens worldwide!  Behold, the article that shall stop that.

So, first I shall list my top five worst gifts.

1. Socks: Most teens do not want socks.  We would rather buy them than receive them as a present. (Yes, even if they have cute puppies or menacing skulls.) Don’t believe me? Consumer Reports discovered that socks were the most offensive and disappointing gifts that people received in 2005!…