Saturday, March 2, 2013
You don't have to be a parent to know that there are very real dangers for young people lurking on the Internet.
Editor's Note: Mom is tired and she is going on a much-needed vacation. While she's at the spa, Moms Talk is going on hiatus too. Moms Talk is a Patch forum in which we ask members of Patch communities across the Lehigh Valley to weigh in on an issue that affects parents, children of all ages, and, quite frankly, people in general. You don’t have to be a Mom, or even a parent, to have an opinion on our Moms Talk topic of the week. And, we, in fact, encourage people of all genders, ages and life situations to share their thoughts on our weekly Moms Talk question in the comments section below so that our “discussion” can become as broad and, hopefully, as useful as possible. In this week’s Moms Talk, we’re exploring kids and Facebook: You …
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Are babies with earrings just another way in which kids today are growing up too fast?
Moms Talk is a Patch forum in which we ask members of Patch communities across the Lehigh Valley to weigh in on an issue that affects parents, children of all ages, and, quite frankly, people in general. You don’t have to be a Mom, or even a parent, to have an opinion on our Moms Talk topic of the week. And, we, in fact, encourage people of all genders, ages and life situations to share their thoughts on our weekly Moms Talk question in the comments section below so that our “discussion” can become as broad and, hopefully, as useful as possible. In this week’s Moms Talk, we’re exploring the right age for ear piercing: Some say getting baby girls’ ears pierced when they are a few weeks old is the right move because they don’t feel the pain …
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Getting a child to sleep through the night is the aim of all parents, but what's the best way to do it?
How do you and your baby get a good night’s sleep? When you hear your baby cry, letting him or her cry it out is one of the hardest things to do. Your instincts tell you to go and soothe your baby. A study out of Temple University says that parents should let their baby cry it out. Psychology Professor Marsha Weinraub says in an article on the Temple website that babies need to learn to self-soothe, which they don’t learn if a parent is doing the soothing for them, such as nursing the baby back to sleep. "The best advice is to put infants to bed at a regular time every night, allow them to fall asleep on their own and resist the urge to respond right away to awakenings." There are many critics of the cry it out method, who will hopefully …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
In today’s technology-driven world, moderating the amount of “screen time” our kids are exposed to is a never-ending battle. What do you do to try to keep that “TV Monster” at bay.
Moms Talk is a Patch forum in which we ask members of Patch communities across the Lehigh Valley to weigh in on an issue that affects parents, children of all ages, and, quite frankly, people in general. You don’t have to be a Mom, or even a parent, to have an opinion on our Moms Talk topic of the week. And, we, in fact, encourage people of all genders, ages and life situations to share their thoughts on our weekly Moms Talk question in the comments section below so that our “discussion” can become as broad and, hopefully, as useful as possible. In this week’s Moms Talk, we’re exploring tips for controlling screen time and taming the TV monster: It’s a topic that comes up in just about every parenting circle. And, as our lives become more …
Monday, February 4, 2013
The principal of a Lehigh Valley high school writes a letter to parents beseeching them to stop supplying alcohol and party space to teens before tragedy strikes.
Moms Talk is a Patch forum in which we ask members of Patch communities across the Lehigh Valley to weigh in on an issue that affects parents, children of all ages, and, quite frankly, people in general. You don’t have to be a Mom, or even a parent, to have an opinion on our Moms Talk topic of the week. And, we, in fact, encourage people of all genders, ages and life situations to share their thoughts on our weekly Moms Talk question in the comments section below so that our “discussion” can become as broad and, hopefully, as useful as possible. In this week’s Moms Talk, we’re exploring Teen Alcohol Abuse: Underage drinking and who’s to blame became a hot topic in the Lehigh Valley this week, when the principal of Freedom High School in …
Sunday, January 27, 2013
A Patch blogger's post about not helping her children on the slide is being debated across the country.
Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics. This week’s Moms Talk question relates to a Patch blog post called “Please Don’t Help My Kids.” Originally posted on a California Patch site in September, the blog has taken on a life of its own in recent weeks, thanks to the power of social media. At the time of this writing it had 124,000 Facebook recommendations and 833 people had tweeted the blog. Written by Kate Bassford Baker as an open letter to other parents at the playground, the blog centers on Baker's request that other parents not help her girls on the slide. Baker says that getting up the …
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Three six-year-olds have been suspended in Maryland this month for playing with guns made from their thumbs and index fingers at school. What are your thoughts?
Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics. This week’s Moms Talk question relates to distinguishing between child’s play and real danger. Three 6-year-olds have been suspended this month in two separate incidents in Maryland for playing with pretend guns “made” from their thumbs and index fingers. The parents are upset. In one case, a school psychologist says there was no malicious intent. Other mental health professionals say that at the age of six, children cannot even understand why adults are upset when they point a finger and go “pow, pow.” One school district reversed the suspension after…
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Comic Sarah Silverman says her depression played a role in her decision not to have kids. What do you think?
Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics. This week’s Moms Talk question relates to depression and parenthood. Depression runs in families. That’s a scientific fact. Women are more likely to experience depression than men. Another scientific fact. That’s why comic Sarah Silverman says she has made a conscious choice not to have kids – she doesn’t want to pass on her issues to her children. And that brings us to this week’s Moms Talk question: Should people who suffer from depression avoid having children? Our Moms Council members include: If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council…
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Some recent research is indicating that is may not be so terrible if a pregnant woman consumes alcohol while pregnant. What do you think?
Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics. This week’s Moms Talk question relates to drinking alcohol while pregnant. Drinking alcohol while pregnant has pretty much always been taboo. Yet, a series of studies conducted in Denmark earlier this year may be indicating that a little sip of wine - or perhaps even a whole glass - during pregnancy could be OK. Howevery, the results of the studies are far from definitive and surely don't help mothers-to-be draw the line between what's safe and what's not. And that brings us to this week's Moms Talk question: What are your thoughts about drinking …
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The new year is just around the corner. What are your goals as a parent for 2013?
As 2012 comes to a close and we look forward to 2013, people around the world are making lists of New Year's Resolutions about everything from weight loss to retirement investing. In this week’s Moms Talk we are asking local parents, caregivers and other members of the community to tell us about their Parenting New Year's Resolutions. Do you vow not to “yell” as often? Hope to cook more balanced meals? Aspire to schedule a monthly family outing? Whatever your goals as a parent for 2013, we’d like you to share them with us. Our Moms Council members include: If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.
Anonymous Poster
10:32 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
That all depends on the kids. Parents should use their own judgment as to whether they think that their kids have the common sense necessary to turn their nose up at online bullies, not meet strange guys in trenchcoats in empty parking lots, and not tell the entire world every detail about their lives. Some kids may not have that common sense, but I think that you'll find that many do. It's all … more ›