NEW YORK, April 24 (UPI) -- Having babies go without diapers most of the time may be the latest rage in parts of New York City, but it's raising eyebrows among some, mothers say. Read More

Let the iPad babysit your children and they could end up addicted before they even hit elementary school, experts warn. Read More

It’s hard to know what type of parents we are going to be before we become them. We all have ideas in our heads of what we certainly won’t do, or what we definitely want to try and do!  For instance, I had some crazy notion that I was going to be a disciplinarian. I clearly had no idea how hard it was going to be to say “no” to the request for an extra chocolate chip cookie when those sweet little faces look up at me through big gorgeous eyes and say, “Please mama!” We may even find ourselves saying things that our parents did or that we heard at some point, such as, “No, you can’t have ice cream again tonight. You had some yesterday.” And then I wonder to myself why on earth can’t they have ice cream two nights in a row! Read More

Would you have enjoyed visits to your grandparents' house more if they'd spent a hundred grand to get you there?  A recent Wall Street Journal article, "The ultimate play room . . . at Grandma's house," says that some grandparents are redecorating and even remodeling certain areas of their homes to entice their grandkids over.
Some shop on their own and some hire designers to create rooms full of things like electronics, trampolines, pingpong tables, personalized tents, whimsical furniture and even cosmetics. One designer said her clients spend from $40,000 to $100,000 to get the right kid-friendly vibe. Read More

Teaching your kids not to curse is just one of those things good parents are expected to do. Like teaching them not to punch other kids on the playground or steal a pack of gum from the store or lie about whether or not they did their homework. Naturally, teaching your kids not to curse includes not cursing in front of your kids. What with the example-setting and all. Except, here's the thing: Punching and stealing and lying are behaviors we consider "wrong" for valid reasons, most of them involving someone getting hurt on some level or another (sometimes, themselves). Why is swearing "wrong," exactly? Because it's "not nice," some would say. Or "because I said so" or "because some people might get offended." None of these reasons carry any real weight, in my opinion, and I personally refuse to waste time and effort instilling values in my kids that I don't even believe in. Read More

Sure we see stories of teachers who abuse children, or use questionable means of discipline in the classroom (duct tape seems to be a recurring theme), but most of them are pretty amazing.

Every day they are entrusted to care for and teach our kids. After a few hours alone with my own two children, I find it mindboggling that they can handle 20 or more for an entire day. Not only that, they have to deal with their parents too -- which sometimes may be even more challenging.

I'm sure there are many types of annoying parents they deal with (I wonder which I might be?) but among the worst have to be the finger pointers. You know, those who blame anyone and everyone besides themselves when something goes wrong. Here are seven things parents like to blame on teachers when -- in most cases -- they really should be blaming themselves.

READ MORE: http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/153387/7_things_parents_blame_on

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Matt's Letter He Put In His Daughter Addison's Lunchbox For School Read More