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 tell my parents he didn’t want Tony Hawk Ride because he thought he would hurt their feelings. (more…)

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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. (more…)

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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! (more…)

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As a mom of three teens and tweens and an aunt to several more in that age bracket, I have begun to question the propriety of gift cards.  I do enjoy shopping and try to stay in touch with what these children like.  However, would my 12 year old nephew rather get a gift card to a fun store, such as Aeropostale, or a shirt that I purchased there?  I guess that the answer may be the gift card. (more…)

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Christmas is coming, just around the corner. That means that it is time to begin the age-old tradition of begging for every toy shown on every commercial. Just when my older son finally has grown out of it, my younger son has taken up the mantel and asks for everything.

The new twist that the little one has added is to occasionally say “I don’t want that” when a Barbie or My Pretty Pony or something such shows up on the screen. But for the most part, it’s “I want that on my Christmas list” all day, every day.  If the whole ‘rotting your brain’ and ‘kids don’t get enough exercise’ arguments aren’t enough to get a parent to cut off the TV privileges, the annual yuletide begging binge should be enough to push one over the edge. (more…)

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