By: Staff Report Protecting our children is what we – as parents – should be doing best. We want to make sure they’re childhood is free of any pain, fear or harm. It’s the reason why we go to great lengths to enroll them in the best schools, programs and activities. We want the best of this and that and that, and all to make sure

By: Carolina Pichardo During one of my frenzied periods of reading nothing but parenting books, I remember finding this quote: "Parenting is a long goodbye." I don't remember where I read it, or what exactly was the topic, but it stuck to me through the many years ahead. When my daughter took her first few steps, her 1st birthday, the tooth fairy and hearing of course - her

By: Carolina Pichardo So I have a diva of a daughter. She's sassy, active and loud. Most importantly, she's healthy and sharp. Because of her personality, I've been accused of everything in the book. I give her too much. I give her too little. I'm too overprotective. I shouldn't be so overprotective. She's spoiled. There's even the dire prediction that she's going to go and become a young

By: Edward Almonte Being a step father wasn’t something that I aspired to do. In my late teens and early twenties, my mother warned me to not get involved with someone who already had children, as it complicates every relationship. Taking into account the fact that this was coming from someone who already had a child herself by the time she met my father – I

By: Carolina Pichardo Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com If the Kim Kardashian Kardashian and Kris Humphries proves anything, it's that most Hollywood marriages are doomed from the start. Unfortunately, these brief marriage - as ugly/odd as they end - often bring about some beautiful kids. Let's take a look at some of Hollywood's young, famous parents and step-parents, their kids and how they've managed it all. Britney Spears: We've followed this

By: Carolina Pichardo We’re told that we have it as soon as we become moms. Although at first we doubt it, it’s there when we need it the most. It helps us navigate the mystifying terrain of parenting. This young moms, is what we call - instincts. The other day I was talking to a friend. She has a young step-daughter that she’s been raising and caring for

By: Carolina Pichardo Through the years, television has opened up the way people interact, understand each other and the world around them, and apparently how kids learn about accents. Heck, I've had relatives learn English from spending a summer watching sitcoms and cartoons. It's with this same power that we have to look at how television affects our children and their sense of diversity. When there's a

By: Carolina Pichardo According to a recent survey by Self Magazine/Today, 84% of respondents claims to have had a "toxic friend" at some point in their lives. Out of a pool of 18,000 women, that's a large number. Which only makes us wonder, are our daughters susceptible to these types of friends too? With the rise of cyber bullying and mean girls' stories, the answer to that is more

By: Carolina Pichardo I am a slow, drag my feet into the back-to-school scene sort of shopper. And by that description, I mean that I wait until the last minute and usually after scouring every store for ideas, reminders of what I have to get this time around, and most importantly - finding some big sales. Big sales are the smart, quick and simple buys that make

By: Staff Report When you think of corporal punishment  in schools, it's easy to think of a time from long ago or a place completely foreign from here. However, that topic is a reoccurring, still-recent phenomenon affecting children worldwide - including the U.S. And by recent, we mean very recent. Well, to give you a little history lesson, it was only in 1977 that the Supreme Court weighed