» Parenting

March 5th, 2010

Tales Of A Stand-Up Dad

Comic spins hilarious stories from ups and downs of family life

Al Madrigal burst onto the comedy scene in 2004, winning an award at the prestigious US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Nicknamed “The Latin Breeze” for his casual storyteller tone onstage, Madrigal talks openly about cultural and parenting issues, squeezing painfully funny details from his  Read more

January 29th, 2010

A Chat With America’s Worst Mom

Vilified by the media, NYC mom has inspired a parenting movement

Two years ago in New York City, Lenore Skenazy handed her 9-year old son a subway pass, twenty bucks, and said good-bye, leaving him to take the subway back home. Is this the heartbreaking story of a child’s abduction? Nope. Her son was fine—in fact he loved it. But when Skenazy wrote about the experience, angry parents wanted to see her locked up for child abuse, and she was dubbed “America’s Worst Mom” by the media.

Cut to 2010, and Skenazy has become the “Generalissimo” of the Free-Range Kids movement, which she calls “a common sense approach to parenting in these overprotective times.” We recently spoke with the always funny and outspoken Skenazy.

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December 10th, 2009

Why is Santa’s Nose So Red?

Awesomely strange photos show shopping mall Santas of another era

Nowadays, when taking the kids to see Santa, there’s a level of quality you’ve come to expect. The Santas all have real white beards, sport fresh-pressed red velvet outfits, and sit in front of perfectly decorated trees that put Martha Stewart to shame. Sit the kids on the jolly man’s lap? Of course! Santa has surely been Read more

December 1st, 2009

Lose All Your Baggage

A simple way to help you become the Dad you want to be

For new and about-to-be Dads, there’s a whole crop of books that offer monumental statements (“It’ll be the greatest adventure of your life!”) mixed in with a few funny Hey-I’m-doing-the-best-I-can stories. While the overall quality of Read more

November 17th, 2009

Food with a Face

One dad makes sandwiches like you’ve never seen

Take a stroll through the “Parenting” section of any bookstore, and you’ll find countless books all promising to cure your little picky eater. Some offer monthly menu planning, while others show you ways to sneak veggies into your kid’s diet. Well, it turns out that Read more

November 17th, 2009

Honey, I Lost the Kids

Simple solutions to make sure your little ones stay close

“She was just here a second ago…”

It happens to all parents at some point: you look away for one second, and your child is nowhere to be seen. It’s not foul play; your little one just found something bright and shiny and wandered away. But in that insane moment, Read more

November 13th, 2009

Blast Off with Kid-Friendly Science

Inventive experiments makes science fun for all ages

As an author, teacher, toy designer, and Emmy-winning science TV-show host, Steve Spangler was already well accomplished. Then one day, he dared to mix Mentos with Diet Coke, and created a phenomenon.
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November 6th, 2009

Hack Your Way to Being a Better Dad

Site provides countless tips and tricks from other parents

Are you one of those dads who laughs whenever you see a limited-edition $800 bamboo play fort, because you know an empty box would be a lot more fun? Then head over to  Read more

October 15th, 2009

Be the Smartest Dad on the Block

Nurtureshock offers surprising insight into children’s behavior

Two years ago, Po Bronson made a big splash with his article “How Not to Talk to Your Kids” in New York magazine. In one of those everything-you-know-is-wrong moments, Bronson argues (with the research to back it up) that parents’ never-ending praise — “Great job, Timmy!” — is actually hurtful for a number of reasons. Read more