Moms & Dads Blog - SunSentinel.com

The public health messages about mammograms have never been more confusing.For years, we were told every woman over 40 should get a mammogram every year so doctors could detect breast cancer before it became widespread. Although the American Cancer Society is continuing that recommendation, they ...

Middle and high school students can compete for a $5,000 scholarship by creating a 30-second TV commercial or a billboard promoting Florida KidCare, the insurance program for kids who otherwise would be without affordable health insurance. Last year, the Act-Our for Health Contest drew 100 contes...

The Pantry of Broward has teamed up with three Broward County schools in an effort to teach children the benefits of philanthropy.Penny Loughan, the CEO of the Fort Lauderdale outfit that provides food and assistance to low-income seniors, offers this update on the students' progress at all three...

One recent vacation meant spending time without The Kid. It was nice, I won't lie. But I missed him. I won't lie about that either. I can survive without my children around (but only for a while). Still, we had adult time for days in a row. And over the summer, he had a vacation without us. And h...

What are you doing with the Halloween loot?(trends)

Recently Baby Einstein announced that it is extending refunds to some parents who purchased the company’s DVDs. According to reports a group had threatened Disney, Baby Einstein’s parent company with a class-action lawsuit over what the group called, implied claims that the videos are educational...

Recently, an old friend posted something on Facebook asking for advice. Her son was turning 13, and she wasn't sure what to expect. All the helpful comments were about communication. Particularly, about how this was an age when boys clam up. Information is on a one-way highway right through thos...

When are kids too old to trick-or-treat?Seriously. I want to know. For religious reasons, I never participated in the annual extortion ritual that consisted of knocking on neighbors' doors and threatening them with mischief unless they handed over a Mars Bar or a Zagnut. So I never had to face th...

Here we go again. For the second time this month, a mother in South Florida has been caught passed-out drunk in her car with her kids. Can anyone fathom how a person's life could come to this? Really!?!?! Is getting loaded more important than your child's safety? Something is WAY out of whack her...

Now that the Palm Beach County school superintendent is giving principals leeway in the district's testing program and protests have quieted down, I've been wondering what effect the hostilities have had on our kids.At several events organized by angry parents, kids were carrying signs and chanti...

A Coral Springs teen is accused in the stabbing death of his younger brother.This mind-boggler comes nearly two weeks after five Deerfield Beach boys were arrested in connection with the burning of a 15-year-old schoolmate.Who's watching our boys? Fellow blogger Gretchen Day-Bryant talked with a ...

Remember when true body odor didn’t hit until you were a teenager? It seem like those days are gone. The other day my aunt came over and discreetly asked me if I had introduced my daughter to deodorant.At six? Isn’t that too early? I thought.But after raising this sensitive topic to some of my fr...

For those of you not familiar with this case, Somer Thompson is the 7 year old girl who disappeared while walking home from school on Monday. After a massive search and a nationwide outcry, her body was found yesterday in a Georgia landfill near the Florida state line. The police report states th...

I saw this on a friend's Facebook page yesterday and it gave me goosebumps.I like to think that I set a good example. My daughter will scold strangers who litter (always puts a smile on my face), but it is easy to get caught up in our daily routines and forget how closely our kids are watching.Pl...

Two down and one to go, or so we thought.My wife and I were hoping that we would be one step closer to becoming a diaper-free household, but our little man has other plans. Despite the fact that we have purchased the full array of Thomas the Tank Engine and Disney undies, he still will regress to...

We are in the 10th week of school in Palm Beach County, but it's only the third full week.There has been something to interrupt almost every week, including four teacher work days/professional development days/"learning team meeting" days.I have always wondered if teachers are actually working on...

Lily and I found a cool activity in the latest Real Simple magazine. It might be the only thing in my house that Martha Stewart would want to take credit for.It was easy, and as crafts go, quite fun. Assuming you use old crayons that you have lying around all over the place, including all those r...

I personally know what Ivory Soap tastes like, after saying the word "crap'' when I was about 8 years old. My mother actually made good on what probably started out in this world as just a weird threat.Well now I guess we have to keep the bar of soap in the soap dish. There will be no using it to...

I know celebrities in general get a lot of attention. But I’ve noticed these days when a celebrity mom declares she’s a single mom she’s elevated to another level of stardom.Kate Gosselin from "Jon & Kate Plus 8" seem to be on every single-mom blog these days. There are blogs out there strictly d...

The Pantry of Broward has teamed up with three Broward County schools in an effort to teach children the benefits of philanthropy.Penny Loughan, the CEO of the Fort Lauderdale outfit that provides food and assistance to low-income seniors, offers this update on the students' progress at two of th...

For boys, it's all about "connections, connections, connections," said Dr. William Pollack.Pollack, a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School and director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital in Boston, has been studying and working with boys for years. He's written a s...

A lot of us watching the riveting coverage of the Colorado balloon flight are asking ourselves how something like this could happen.The answer: very easily. Too easily. And here in South Florida, that should come as no suprise.Only with us, it's not 6-year-olds in experimental balloons. It's todd...

Maggie Cary, a national board certified teacher has been an educator for more than 17 years. She is certified in secondary education and holds a master’s degree in early childhood education. Over the years she has mentored countless teachers and advised hundreds of parents. Cary has taught chil...

The Pantry of Broward has teamed up with three Broward County schools in an effort to teach children the benefits of philanthropy.Penny Loughan, the CEO of the Fort Lauderdale outfit that provides food and assistance to low-income seniors, offers this update on the students' progress and welcomes...