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In today's Healthy Living section, I found a very helpful tip from Kamesha Burrell, an endocrinology dietitian at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. If you want to eat your candy, she doesn't tell you not to. YAY! But she does advise eating your treats (one or two pieces at a time) with lunch or dinner. Eaten alone, they can spike blood sugar levels.
It's the second day of the National Conference on Parent Education in Dallas. Speaker Terrance Allen reminds his audience of the old African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child."
Families are the core of society, he says. Therefore it's society's responsiblity to promote and ensure the sustainability of healthy families.
How can this be done? Through a partnership between the home, school and community, Dr. Allen says.
This will not be easy. The modern American "village" is in crisis, facing problems as a result of industrialization, urbanization and other factors that are fragmenting the community and undermine strong families.
As people move around more often, and work hours grow, community life breaks down. Meanwhile, the traditional family structure is crumbling. There are more single-parent families than ever before. As a result, many parents feel isolated.
Parent educators need to recognize the pressures that face the modern American family, and help parents build bridges to the school and other institutions that can help them raise their children.
Dave Tarrant
A SWEET DILEMMA: What should you do with all the leftover Halloween candy? Parenthood.com suggests freezing it. Frozen chocolate takes longer to eat, so it's more difficult to scarf down quickly. You also can create other confections with recipes from The Candy Bar Cookbook by Alison Inches and Ric McKown (Longstreet Press, $17.95). Whatever you do, don't take it to the office. Your co-workers will never forgive you.
Erin Wade
Michael Gurian, the New York Times bestselling author of the "Wonder of Boys" and "Boys and Girls Learn Differently", spoke to a national parenting conference Monday in Dallas about how to raise children in a high pressure world.
Modern science is helping explain what many parents know intuitively: that boys and girls experience life at school and home differently, Mr. Gurian said in the keynote address to an audience of several hundred at the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria.
Typically, boys' brains are geared more toward spatial-mechanical aptitude. That's why little boys love to play with trucks or any other object moving through space. Girls are more verbal, even from an early age. They relate to each other and to their toys more with words, while boys are more likely to relate in nonverbal ways.
What significance does this have for parents and educators? Well, for one thing, boys are kinetic, so if we let them move around in the classroom, it will help them learn. Boys' tend to "zone out" faster than girls because girls' brains favor learning verbally better than boys'.
The conference continues Tuesday.
Is your house a mess? Are you drowning in laundry? Are you constantly running late? Are your kids' schedules so busy you don't have time for a sit-down dinner? Is the division of labor in your family out of balance? Write us with your woes and we'll select one lucky mom and her family to work with family manager Kathy Peel for a free family makeover and share their story in the Family section. Please include your name, hometown, phone number, names and ages of children, and three things you hope to gain from this experience. Send your entry to family@dallasnews.com no later than Nov. 15.
Here's a fun read that ran in today's Solutions.
By JEANNE MARIE LASKAS/The Washington Post
My feeling is if the husband isn't going to make it to the PTA meeting, he doesn't get to have a say in which committees he'll serve on. Cookie-Baker Club? Tea with Teachers Committee? Hmm. Nothing is immediately jumping out. (Last year, he ducked the whole deal by making a donation.) I imagine him serving on the Warm and Fuzzy Welcome Committee or the Kindergarten-Screening Refreshments Committee. Why do I enjoy this process so much? "Hello, honey, I just signed you up to lead the chaperones' dance at the Snowflake Petal Boogie Hop!" How many times does a spouse get to say that?
Sue walks up. She is Makenzie's mom. Makenzie is my daughter Sasha's best kindergarten friend.
"Your husband inspired me so much at soccer yesterday," Sue says.
Inspired her? Really? "Did he tell you Sasha ran off the field crying?" Sue asks.
Um, no. He neglected to mention that. He told me that she scored a goal, as if that were the important news.
"Oh, it was a big scene," Sue reports. "The coaches ran up, trying to find out what was wrong. And the kids were like, 'Come on back in and have fun with us!' "
Why didn't he tell me this? What is the matter with him?
"And Sasha just buried her head in his shoulder, sobbing, refusing to speak. And do you know what your husband told her?"
No, I certainly do not.
"He said, 'You don't have to answer, Sasha. You don't have to explain yourself to anybody.' "
Hmm. I'm not sure what I think about this. Have we gotten to the inspirational part yet?
"I would never have done that," Sue says. "I would have joined the crowd, insisting that Makenzie tell me what the problem was."
Me, too. This is what normal people who see crying children do. We ask, "What's wrong?" And we try to fix it. Have we gotten to the inspirational part yet?
"OK, first of all it is play," Sue says. "A 5-year-old shouldn't have to play anything she doesn't want to play."
Of course not. But a crying child is a crying child. Humans need to know what the problem is. She doesn't think it's weird that he didn't ask? Why didn't he ask?
"Your husband told Sasha that she didn't have to justify her feelings to anybody," Sue declares. "She was allowed to just – feel. It was nobody's business why she felt what she felt."
As Sue is telling me this, she is beaming, as though she's just been to a guru. I don't mean to burst her bubble here (or to downplay my husband's guru work), but does she really think a 5-year-old can understand a concept such as "justifying her feelings"?
Sue pauses, looks down, then flashes one of those knowing smiles that enlightened people offer when they encounter dolts. "It was his message," she says. "He was letting her off the hook, giving her a safe place to hide."
OK, I'll give him that.
"I went right home and told my husband all about it," Sue says. "Because I know I would have tried to talk Makenzie into going back on that field. I would have encouraged the other kids to talk her into it. What message would that have sent?"
She extrapolates. She imagines Makenzie at 14, having to justify her decision not to take drugs, or not to have sex, or not to do what the other kids tell her is fun.
"She doesn't need to tell anyone her reason for not following the crowd," Sue says. "She has her own mind, and she has my support as she stands her ground. That's what I learned from that moment."
Well ... good. So did anyone ever figure out what was wrong with my daughter?
"Oh, your husband got the story out of her," Sue says. "But in her own time. You heard about the kid with the eyeballs?"
No. He never tells me the good stuff. (Next time, I'm going to soccer, and he goes to the PTA meeting.)
"One of the boys got new glasses, kind of like goggles," Sue says. "Sasha thought he was an alien. That's why she ran off."
She tells me that the kid later took his glasses off, revealing for Sasha his true identity, and the problem was solved. She went back in and kicked a goal.
My husband tells me about the goal?
When I get home, I complain. "You didn't tell me any of the good stuff about soccer," I say.
He has no idea what I am talking about, and asks me, for comparison purposes, to tell him about the good stuff at the PTA meeting. I tell him all about Sue's declaration of adoration. He gets all puffed up in the chest, struts around like a rooster.
"I handled that situation with Sasha very well," he says, "if I may say so myself."
No, my point is that Sue went home and told her husband about this event. And my husband didn't even mention it to me. "You always leave out the drama!" I say.
He shrugs. "Anything else happen at the PTA meeting?"
"Not really," I say. "I signed you up for Holiday Float Committee and Chicken Bingo."
He looks at me blankly. "No, you didn't," he says. "Did you?"
Of course I did.
There's no denying that a child's teacher plays a crucial role in his or her life. But like any arranged relationship, personalities can sometimes clash. We aren't going to adore all of our children's teachers. But deciding what to do about it almost requires advanced degrees in diplomacy, perseverance and intuition. "You don't want to go in saying right away, 'Move my child,' " says Kyle Ward, executive director of the Texas PTA. Steps toward a happy ending include observing the classroom, talking to the teacher and possibly meeting with the principal.
Learn more about what you can do to make things smoother. Read Darla Atlas' article in Solutions.
If you enjoy contests — and who doesn’t? — there are some interesting ones going on right now for kids to enter. Someone has to win. Why not you?
Staples Invention Quest Kids
Write a short essay describing how your invention is the next must-have school or office product. First prize is $25,000; there are four $5,000 awards.
Who can enter: Ages 18 and younger (as of Nov. 27)
Deadline: Nov. 27
For more info: www.staples.com/IQ or visit any Staples store
National Geographic Kids Hands-On Explorer Challenge
Take a photo of you as a hands-on explorer and write a short essay about something you have discovered. Tell why you want to explore in South Africa. The top 15 kids (and one parent/guardian for each) will go on a 10-day South African safari in August 2007.
Who can enter: Ages 9 to 14 (as of Aug. 15, 2007)
Deadline: Nov. 30
For more info: www.hands-onexplorer.com
International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment
Paint or draw a picture expressing your thoughts on climate change as part of this contest sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme. Grand-prize winner gets $2,000 and a trip to Norway in June 2007 for World Environment Day. Regional winners get $1,000 and the Norway trip.
Who can enter: Ages 6 to 14 (as of June 5, 2007)
Deadline: Dec. 31
For more info: www.unep.org/tunza/paintcomp
The Washington Post
Will you be trick-or-treating on Tuesday? Here are some sweet Halloween facts:
36 million Estimated number of trick-or-treaters
108 million
Number of houses and apartments (possible candy stops)
1 billion
Pounds of pumpkin produced
2,500
Number of costume rental places
26
Pounds of candy eaten per person in 2005
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
The Washington Post
Babies “R” Us is sponsoring a First Baby of the Year sweepstakes. The first registered mom to deliver on Jan. 1, 2007, will receive a savings bond worth $25,000, and the delivering hospital will receive a $10,000 pre-natal education grant. In addition, the first baby born at each registered hospital will receive a $100 Babies “R” Us gift basket. Expectant moms and hospitals have until Dec. 27 to enter. Sign up now. There’s no purchase necessary to enter.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Put a little howl in your Halloween. The annual Boo at the Dallas Zoo zoo is designed for families with kids ages 3 to 10. Families are invited to come in costumes. There’ll be trick-or-treating, performances by Eddie Coker (at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. each day), strolling superheroes and a marionette show. It all happens Sat-Sun Oct.28-29 from 2-5. The zoo is at 650 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway (Marsalis exit from Interstate 35 East). $8.75, $5 ages 65 and older, $5.75
ages 3-11. Parking $5. 214-670-5656.
In helping our 10-year-old daughter with autism navigate life's challenges, my husband and I rely on three Ps: preparation, practice and positive reinforcement. (A fourth P, prayer, never hurts, either.) A few years ago, we applied these principles to my favorite day, Halloween. Paige had always dressed up, marched in her school's costume parade and skipped around the neighborhood on Halloween night.
Of course, we'd had our share of mishaps: bolting into homes the minute the door opened; darting into the darkened street; grabbing fistfuls of candy from neighbors' treat bowls. Those behaviors I wanted gone in favor of good manners and proper etiquette, like ringing the doorbell (once!) without any prompting and saying "trick or treat" at the appropriate time.
Read more of Lisa Martin's column in today's Family section.
Here are some safety tips from About.com’s Guide to Pediatrics:
Make sure that children’s costumes are bright, reflective, and flame retardant. Also, consider using face paint instead of masks, which can often obstruct a child’s vision.
If a costume requires a plastic knife or sword, be sure that they are flexible, not rigid or sharp to reduce injury if the child should fall.
Younger children should have their names and addresses attached to their costumes in case they wander away from the group.
Trick-or-treaters under the age of 12 should travel in small groups and be accompanied by an adult. Older children should have an established curfew.
Tell children that they should only go to well-lit houses and remain on porches rather than entering houses to get their treats.
Remind kids that while trick-or-treating they should bring along flashlights, stay on sidewalks, and avoid crossing yards.
Children should bring their candy and treats home before eating them so that an adult can inspect them.
If you are driving on Halloween, be cautious and drive slowly to ensure the safety of pedestrian trick-or-treaters. Watch for children in the street and on medians as many children tend to cross streets in between cars instead of at crosswalks.
When preparing your home for Halloween night, be sure to clear porches, lawns and sidewalks and place jack-o-lanterns away from doorways and landings.
Avoid giving out choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys as treats for young children.
For more tips and information on safety and Halloween, visit www.pediatrics.about.com.
Fall festivals?
Trunk or treating?
Scary shows?
Spooky concerts?
We've got all the activities you'll need to have a frightfully wonderful Halloween and a spooky weekend. Check out the Family calendar.
Looking for a family-friendly way to go trick or treating this year?
Some community groups and churches are bring the fun to their parking lots where parents decorate cars trunks, trucks and minivans with tombstones, bones, jack-o-lanterns and lights. Oh yeah, they also have candy. Log on to the Family section to see some decked out vehicles.
And send us pictures of your jazzed up trunks to Family@dallasnews.com and we'll post them right here.
Question: I am hosting a baby shower for my daughter. Do I invite her dad's wife and extended family? I have no problem inviting my ex-mother-in-law, but what about my ex-sister-in-law, who is not kind to me in any way? Right now I have two lists going. I asked my daughter what she wanted and she said it didn't matter. I suspect they will wait for my invitation to come so they (the exes and steps) can respond with, "Thanks, but no thanks, we're having our own."
Click here to read what the Ex-etiquette experts have to say.
Searching for the great pumpkin? Check out Kids Day tomorrow for more fun pumpkin facts.
Here are some pumpkin patches in the area:
Elves Christmas Tree Farm
601 Harvey Lane, Denison
903-463-7260, www.elveschristmastreefarm.com
Open through Sunday
Big Orange Pumpkin Farm
5518 County Road 126, Celina
972-382-4465, www.bigorangepumpkinfarm.com
Open throughout October
The Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch
Double Oak Ranch, 5100 Cross Timbers Road, Flower Mound
817-430-4536, www.flowermoundpumpkinpatch.com
Open throughout October
Hall’s Pumpkin Farm
Hall Johnson Road at Pool Road, Grapevine
817-421-4099, www.hallspumpkinfarm.com
Open throughout October
The Pumpkin Express
11351 Hilltop Road, Argyle
214-415-3228, www.pumpkinexpress.com
Open through Sunday
Concerning the excerpt from the book Momfidence! An Oreo Never Killed Anybody and Other Secrets of Happier Parenting by Paula Spencer:
"Sticking to cute cotton PJ's not only because the flame-retardant kind is stiff and scratchy, but because you feel perfectly confident that your little ones will not smoke in bed."
That totally misses the point of flame retardant sleepwear. If there is a fire in the house, flame retardant clothing may keep the child from getting burns all over his body before he gets out. They may also keep him from getting burned if he bumps up against a candle, etc.
Safe sleepwear has nothing to do with smoking in bed...
Do they feel perfectly confident that their child will never be in a housefire? If so, then a parent can ignore the advice about flame retardant sleepwear, but they will be taking a risk.
Vincent Iannelli, MD
Click here to read complete Momfidence! story.
Pulitzer Prize winner Sue Shellenbarger will talk about her Wall Street Journal column "Work & Family," and the struggles of parents to balance career demands with responsibilities of raising a family. She will speak at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 8 at the Crum Auditorium at the SMU campus. The event is free, but reservations and tickets are required. To RSVP, go to the SMU Website or call 214-768-1384.
As more seniors age in place, here are some useful and simple tips to keep things safe for grandma and grandpa.
Remove throw rugs, which are a tripping hazard. If they must have one in the bathroom, put it away after they bathe.
Use night lights.
Keep a phone close by. One should be near a favorite chair or bed, and reachable from the floor in case of a fall.
Watch out for thresholds. "They're fall hazards," says Ms. Paggi. "They're raised one-fourth to one-half inch and can make a big difference. A handyman can even them out. They might not look as good, but that might save your life."
Learn about more tips in Solutions.
A mother and daughter share their experience with an eating disorder in today's Healthy Living section.
The nine area locations of Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe are participating in a weeklong "Food for Thought" fund drive benefiting the Learning for Life program from Boy Scouts of America. Through Oct. 28, Razzoo’s will offer diners information about the program and accept tax-deductible donations at the restaurant; each location will also match up to $1,000 of customers’ donations. Diners who donate $27 — the amount needed per student per school year to fund the program — will receive a Razzoo’s gift card for a free appetizer.
On Thursday afternoon, fifth- and sixth-grade students from John Ireland Elementary School in Pleasant Grove will visit an area Razzoo’s to learn what it’s like to work in a restaurant.
In a press release, Razzoo’s founder and CEO Mike Leatherwood explained why the company decided to sponsor this program: "According to the National Restaurant Association, 42 percent of the United States adult population at some point has worked in the restaurant industry. For many young people, their first jobs in the 'real world' are working at a restaurant. Programs like Learning for Life help students prepare for 'real world' jobs such as ours, by teaching them how to interview, fill out job applications, and begin developing management and leadership skills."
This question comes from a reader who participated in our chat today with Momfidence! author and parenting columnist Paula Spencer.
From Dadtobe: What are your top two to three tips for soon-to-be first-time parents?
Click on the DMN website to see Ms. Spencer's response.
If a gunman walks into school, how should students protect themselves? One candidate for Oklahoma state school superintendent is suggesting students use their textbooks. The Associated Press reports that Republican nominee Bill Crozier is suggesting textbook covers be made out of Kevlar -- the material used in military body armor. The AP says Mr. Crozier wanted to "spark the discussion" on what can be done to protect children.
Check out some scary places to visit this weekend in Guide. There's the Hangman's House of Horrors, Fright Fest, Dungeon of Doom, and Haunted Forest. Oh yeah, and there's also a few haunted houses.
Pictured: Jack the Ripper gets ready to strike at the Chaos Haunted House in Arlington.
Is it okay to skip bath time and just wipe your kids down with baby wipes? Is it okay to buy your daughter a toy cell phone? Is it okay to bring fake juice to snack time? Momfidence! author Paula Spencer joins The Dallas Morning News Monday at 11 a.m. to answer important parenting questions. If you have questions in advance, please send them to family@dallasnews.com.
Take a hayride around the Arts District and watch an expert pumpkin carver at work during Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art. There'll also be yoga for kids, an art project and stories with Arturo (the museum's family programs mascot). Those who sign up to be museum members can get a sneak peak at the new exhibit "Van Gogh's Sheaves of Wheat" tonight from 6 to midnight at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood. 214-922-1200.. Free with museum admission: $10 adults, $7 seniors, $5 students with ID, free for children under 12.
For more events this weekend, check out the Family calendar.
Top 10 Haunted Destinations on Yahoo!
1. Knott’s Scary Farm (Anaheim, California)
2. Haunted Hoochie (Columbus, Ohio)
3. Cutting Edge Haunted House (Dallas Forth Worth, Texas)
4. Catacombs (Kansas City)
5. Niles Haunted House Scream Park (Niles, Michigan)
6. Statesville Haunted Prison (Crest Hill, Illinois)
7. Mansfield Prison (Mansfield, Ohio)
8. Rocky Point Haunted House (Salt Lake City, Utah)
9. Erebus Haunted House (Pontiac, Michigan)
10. Phobia Haunted House (Houston, Texas)
SOURCE: Yahoo! Buzz
Looking for a place that will get you in the Halloween spirit?
Six Flags hold Fright Fests on October weekend nights. The Six Flags over Texas in Arlington hosts a hunt for treasure with dead pirates.
Tribune Media Services
Cold Stone Creamery, at 3933 N. Central Expressway in Plano, will dish up a free kids size scoop of ice cream for children who come to the store in costume on Oct. 30 from noon to 10 p.m. (Grown-ups can get 50 percent off if they wear costumes).
972-516-9757.
Top Searched Costumes on Yahoo!
1. Star Wars (favorite: Darth Vader)
2. Pirates (favorite: Jack Sparrow)
3. Disney (favorite: Tinkerbell)
4. Fairy costumes (favorite: sexy)
5. Renaissance and Medieval
6. Princess (favorite: Princess Jasmine)
7. Playboy Bunny
8. Wizard of Oz (favorite: Dorothy)
9. Witch (favorite: sexy)
10. Belly Dance (favorite: Egyptian)
SOURCE: buzz.yahoo.com
Spooked by the thought of your teenager at loose ends on Halloween? Therapists say the best solutions help teens too old for trick-or-treating to take on a little adult responsibility, but still have fun. Here are six strategies:
Take younger siblings trick-or-treating. This is “always an out,” says family therapist Carleton Kendrick. It gives teens an excuse to dress up and collect candy.
Ask your teens to hand out candy at home. Challenge them to dress up and outdo you in entertaining the visitors.
Have them set up an elaborate Halloween scene at your house. Kit Bennett, founder of amazingmoms.com, suggests asking your teen to rig up a graveyard scene with sounds and lights.
Help them arrange to volunteer that night at a nursing home or homeless shelter. They can pass out candy or perform a Halloween-related skit. Public Halloween events also need volunteers and will often accept the help of teens.
Host a Halloween party. “That gives you the control,” Ms. Bennett says. She suggests a pumpkin-carving party or a scary movie party. If you’re more ambitious, you can order mystery party kits online and have the guests solve a “crime.” Or arrange a Halloween-related scavenger hunt in your yard. Or hire a psychic to give readings.
Take them to a Halloween-related event such as a hayride, corn maze or organized festival hosted by your town, a local museum or school.
Associated Press
For many parents, the most frightening thing about Halloween is dealing with all the candy kids bring home. Here are five simple strategies for what to do with all those treats.
Buy it back. Offer a nickel apiece for candies your children are willing to sell you.
Look for the chewy, sticky stuff that’s hard to brush off or rinse away.
Recycle it. Wrapped candy has a long shelf life. Save that leftover Halloween candy for goody bags and pinatas.
Appropriate the chocolate. Beg, buy, or, as a last resort, steal (that is, quietly confiscate) the choicest chocolates from your children’s haul, and save them for yourself.
Bring the leftovers to work. Here’s a well-known magic trick: Put all your Halloween reject candy in a bowl, leave it by the office coffee machine, and watch it vanish.
Ration and discard. Tell kids they can pick out a few candies to have each day, and impress upon them the importance of brushing their teeth.
Associated Press
It’s Halloween night. The room is dark except for a candle flickering from behind the grotesque face carved into a jack-o’-lantern. There’s an eerie quiet in the room, and a chill is in the air.
Now it’s time for a ghost story.
Tess Gerritsen, author of The Mephisto Club (Ballantine Books, $25.95) shares her tips on how to tell a good ghost story:
“It all starts with ‘the chill.’ While reading the news, or listening in on a conversation, I’ll hear something that makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and I know this will be my next plot.
“Reports of a corpse who woke up in the morgue inspired my novel ‘Vanish.’ Ancient accounts of demons described in the Dead Sea Scrolls launched ‘The Mephisto Club.’ Both books started with ‘the chill.’
“But no matter how outlandish the premise or ghoulish the monster, the threat must be something that readers believe could actually happen to them. Because what grabs us and pulls us into the story isn’t the ghost or the villain, but the victim — the most vulnerable character in the story.
“It’s the victim we identify with, and a truly scary story reminds us that we are all potential prey.”
Associated Press
BabyGap is searching for models ages 4 and under. From now until Nov. 3, parents can visit babygap.com to upload their children's photos. Judges will narrow the pool of contestants to 10 boys and 10 girls and then the public will vote for their favorite male and female models.
But wait! There's more. Not only will the two winners' photograph appear in the window of their local babyGap store, but they will also appear in Child magazine. Prizes also include a $5,000 college fund and a year supply of babyGap clothing.
It's that time of year again. Homecoming.
We asked members of the Dallas Morning News Teen Advisory Board to share their thoughts about high school tradition. Samantha Kidd, 16, a junior at Plano West Senior High School, writes about mums.
Homecoming mums used to be simple corsages — a live flower, streamers in your team’s colors and the school’s initials spelled out in pipe cleaners. They’ve evolved into a tradition a lot more garish and quite expensive.
Corsages favored at my school — Plano West — consist of one to three white mums made of fabric. Mounted on each is a bear. (The mascot is a wolf, so why the bear?) Depending on the guy’s bank account, the bear can be dressed in a sports uniform or carrying a ball.
The streamers vary — braided, sequenced or looped. You can add charms, whistles, bells, hearts, stars, mini footballs, helmets and even rabbit’s feet for luck. Some corsages sport flashing lights. They are so ridiculously heavy and large, we — meaning the girls — have to don a heavy jacket and make sure there are enough pins on hand just to harness it.
The average mum costs over $100, and they’re worn as badges of honor — the bigger, the louder, the better.
I prefer the simplicity and class of the homecoming corsage. Heck, I’m just rooting for a homecoming victory.
What do you think about mums? Is it an outdated tradition? Post a comment. Read more about homecoming from our Teen Board Members in tomorrow's Family section.
Pictured: A mum from an area high school.
Seven years ago I assured my nephew that I would write an article about him. He was set to make an impact on the high school football field. At 12, Blake had the physique of a teenager. And a football was always under his arm.
"You stay on track, and I'm going to write a front-page story on you one day," I said, laughing and messing his hair. It was the last thing I ever said to him.
Four years passed before I would see him again, this final time looking at his lifeless, hulking 17-year-old body draped in his football jersey, lying in a casket.
He had been riding in a car with friends on their way to a party after a football game. The car flipped over. There was no bad weather that day. No alcohol involved. It was one of those freak accidents.
Hovering over his corpse, I apologized to him for never fulfilling my promise.
Read the entire column by Mikki Kirby in the Family section tomorrow.
U.S. students perform worse in math than children in many Asian and European countries yet find the subject more enjoyable, a Brookings Institution study concluded.
Brookings, in an annual report from its Brown Center on Education Policy in Washington, says a “happiness factor” could help explain the failure of U.S. math students to perform at the test levels of Singapore, China, South Korea, Japan and other countries.
The report criticized groups including the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics for urging “the development of personal self-confidence” in students while paying insufficient attention to actual achievement.
The study involved the most recent fourth- and eighth-grade test results and student questionnaires from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, conducted in 2003, which allows for comparisons among students in 46 countries.
Bloomberg News
Woman's Day columnist and mother of four Paula Spencer shares her parenting experience in tomorrow'sFamily section and talks about her new book Momfidence!: An Oreo Never Killed Anybody and Other Secrets of Happier Parenting (Three Rivers Press, $12.95).
Mickey and the gang are going to have to search a lot harder for junk food.
The Associated Press reports: The Walt Disney Co. says it will begin serving more nutritionally balanced meals at its domestic theme parks and will sign movie and other endorsement deals only with restaurants that limit fat and sugar in menu items. The company says trans fats will be eliminated from meals at domestic parks by the end of next year, and will not be included in licensed and promotional products by 2008.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free Texas has well, uh, a new partner. It's Happy Bunny. Yes, we're not kidding. Although the Happy Bunny, in it's true form, isn't saying such pleasant things. But meth, smoking and alcohol addiction don't really send out any positive messages either. Texas Partnership hopes this irreverent critter will appeal to the 10-14 year-old set.
Here are some quotes from our anti-drug friend:
"Meth. Finally a simple way to become a twitchy idiot in no time."
"Smoking. Just pay for the lung disease and keep the yellow teeth as our free gift."
Click here to see more of It's Happy Bunny and its anti-drug messages.
HOUSTON - Despite Texas' conservative reputation, gay couples living here are more likely to have children than in almost any other place in the country, according to a study published in The Gay and Lesbian Atlas. The study, based on the most recent U.S. Census data, found that San Antonio has the highest percentage of gay couples raising children in the nation. Houston is fourth and the Fort Worth-Arlington area is fifth. As a state, Texas ranked seventh.
Associated Press
Read more of this story in today's Dallas Morning News.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that more than one-third of American singles 18 to 29 say they aren’t looking for a romantic partner. In 1970, only 15 percent of Americans 25 to 29 were unmarried. Now nearly half are, according to 2005 census numbers. Census statistics suggest that young adults living in states where there is a high cost of living and a competitive career market often wait longer to marry. Statistics also show that today’s young adults are making less, when adjusted for inflation, than people their age did 30 years ago.
Washington, D.C., has the highest median age for marriage in the nation: 30. Florida has the oldest age of marriage for the South (27 for men, 25 for women).
Delaying marriage has its benefits, research shows. The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University reports that, while divorce rates hover near 50 percent for all Americans, couples cut that in half by waiting to marry after 25.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Lands’ End Inc., know for its rugged outwear and tailored clothing, has recently expanded into an area not exactly in sync with its image: lacy bras and camisoles. The lingerie debut is one of several holiday launches from the catalog retailer, marking its biggest expansion in several years.
Starting in November, the Dodgeville, Wisc.-based catalog retailer will be launching Lands’ End Baby and making a big push into cashmere sweaters. “It’s less our push and more the customers’ pull,” says David McCreight, who became president of Lands’ End in August 2005.
Associated Press
Here is an interesting story about young people placing family first.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Gina Cadogan started her own business to work more flexible hours.
Justin Chan quit his job to be Mr. Mom.
Megan Smith pulls weekend shifts so her kids don’t have to go to day care.
Amanda Allen persuaded her boss to let her telecommute from home.
These parents have very different lives but one similar goal. To put family first. After watching Baby Boomers spend their lives on the corporate treadmill, divorce in historic numbers and often lose their jobs to downsizing, studies show that today’s 20- and 30-somethings want something different for themselves and their children.
Read this complete story from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
The unit of Sears Holdings Corp. is sharpening its high-tech outerwear offerings this holiday season. It just launched Cool Blue, a patented line of clothing and accessories for children and pets that has illuminated strips to keep the wearer visible up to 1,000 feet. The garments — which feature a rechargeable battery pack and are based on technology used for airport landing strips — builds on a line of children’s wear featuring reflective tape launched a few years ago.
Associated Press
If you're thinking Elmo for the kids this holiday season, you better start shopping soon.
White hot demand for T.M.X. Elmo — the latest version of the red furry character from Mattel Inc.’s Fisher-Price that has a more pronounced laugh and body movements — is creating a halo effect for other Elmo toys. Toy sellers such as KB Toys Inc. and Toys R Us Inc. are reporting a sales surge in Elmo games, Elmo chairs as well as older versions of the plush doll like Hokey Pokey Elmo.
“A rising tide lifts all Elmo,” says Chris Byrne, an independent toy consultant.
Harold Chizick, vice president of global marketing at Spin Master, says the toy maker has sold out its supply of 500,000 plush Elmo chairs to retailers, and noted that it won’t be able to ship any more this holiday season.
Associated Press
It's Friday the 13th -- a day to dec
