Teachers Bring More Than Academics in Time of Tragedy: Parents Talk

As you give your child an extra hug, send out your thoughts to Oklahoma and share what makes the educators in your child’s life special.

Last week, I had the opportunity visit with a few children at the Excelsior Farmers Market. Not surprising, they knew the exact number of days left until summer break. While many of our kids in Minnesota are eyeing the calendar with anticipation for summer break, I was reminded this week how much we owe our educators. As parents, we send our children off to school each morning expecting another typical school day until we pick them up. It becomes a parents worst nightmare when unexpected tragedies and circumstances hit a school – situations that seem to have been all too common nationwide during the 2013-2013 school year. Yet, time and time again, we hear about educators that put their life on the line to save those students they are …

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Parents Talk: My Kid's Bedroom Is a Mess—Now What?

Do you intervene or leave it to children to keep their rooms clean?

Almost any kid can make a room messy. It seems it's only a special, rare breed of child who consistently keeps a bedroom or other kid-area clean. What do you do about messy kids' rooms? Strictly enforce a cleanliness standard? Or let them learn a lesson by not getting involved? Or do you periodically do the dirty work yourself to help your kid start from a clean slate? It's "Cleanliness is next to godliness" vs. "She didn't make her bed, so let her lie in it." Which side are you on? Leave a comment below.

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Parents Talk

Parents Talk: Speeding Up the Adoption Process

Parents adopting children in England are to be given extra support and a "more active role" in the adoption process. Should the United States do something similar?

Most adoptive parents or those waiting to adopt, will likely tell stories of the long and sometimes difficult process they go through to bring a child home. According to BBC News, England's government is attempting to speed their own processes up and provide more support for adopting parents. Government officials want more adoptive parents to come forward to increase the number and speed of adoptions. According to the article, the number of children approved for adoption rose from 3,000 in 2010 to more than 4,000 in 2012, government figures show. But there are still about 4,000 in care waiting to be matched with prospective parents. In the article, Children's minister Edward Timpson said up to 25,000 people asked about adopting each year, …

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Parent’s Talk: Finding Activities for Kids During Winter Break

The winter break hiatus from school is coming up soon for kids. How will you embrace the break?

I’m assuming most youth attending school – from elementary to high school – are ready and waiting anxiously for the upcoming winter break. While kids of all ages tend to look forward to a break from school, sometimes it can be a little challenging for parents. From finding alternate daycare to combating the “there is nothing to do” phrase or just being the sole source of transportation, winter break from school can be both a blessing and a curse for parents. This week, we’re asking parents to help out each other this holiday season. SHARE: What ideas do you have for kids and families to do during winter break? What are your favorite “go to” places in the winter months? How do you handle daycare challenges? Share your ideas and thoughts in …

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Parents Talk: Fighting On and Off the Field

Are parent’s attitudes from the stands rubbing off on players?

During one of the first years my son played baseball, I remember a parent from an opposing team who routinely sat as close as he could to the field and constantly yelled at his son. No matter what his 9-year-old son did, apparently it was wrong in his father’s eyes. I felt bad for the kid, his teammates and, well, pretty much everyone that had to listen to it. I couldn't wait for the game to be over.  Fast-forward to recently and we hear of incidents of player infractions such as recent fighting on the field during a Totino-Grace High School and Prairie Seeds Academy boys varsity soccer game. The competition in youth sports has seems like it is at a point where more parents are trying to “coach” from the stands and players might be taking …

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Parents Talk

Parents Talk: What Do You Do About Kid Attitude?

Sass, talk-back, rolling eyes—what's a parent to do (or not do)?

What do you do when your kid (or worse, someone else's) gives you a heaping helping of attitude? Maybe it's a three-year-old prodigy in the Art of Sass. An 11-year-old whose default reaction to any situation is to roll her eyes. Or a kid from seven to 17 who actually knows 100 times what you know about a given topic and doesn't mind flaunting it. What's the best course of action or reaction for a mature adult? Let it slide, or share a piece of your mind with the young whippersnapper? Answer our poll and leave your worst experiences or best advice in comments below!

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Parents Talk Poll: Should Parents Be Held Accountable for Their Children’s Delinquent Behavior?

If a child is convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, should the parent be held accountable as well?

As I check out the news each week, it’s not uncommon to hear news about juveniles being cited for breaking the law. Whether it’s allegations of underage drinking, drug possession or a variety of other crimes, there is no ignoring that some of our juvenile population are causing some trouble (as are adults). According to the U.S. Department of Justice 2009 data, U.S. law enforcement agencies made an estimated 1.9 million arrests of persons younger than 18 years old. In this week’s Parent Talk, we ask for you to take our poll and share in comments – should parents be held accountable for their children’s delinquent behavior?

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Poll: Parents Talk Curfew for Kids

In this week’s Parent Talk, we ask you two questions: Do you think Minnesota youth should have a curfew? Should police treat curfew violations uniformly?

As a parent, sometimes it’s hard to remember the details regarding curfew. I’m not talking the self-imposed, parent “you better be home before 10 p.m. or you’ll be grounded” curfew, but the curfews mandated by many local counties and cities. Both Dakota County and Hennepin County, for example, have different curfew rules for kids, depending on their age and day of the week. For some areas, the curfew times for youth might be limited to a public place or establishment.  Of course, there are usually exceptions as well. If your child violates a county or city curfew? The penalty could be different as well. In this week’s Parent Talk, we ask you two questions: Do you think Minnesota children should have a curfew? Should police treat curfew …

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Parents Talk

Parents Talk: What Changes When a Child Turns 18?

Overnight, we have an 'adult child' and 3 grownups at home.

There are many milestones of parenthood—but for me, today, three stand out:  Number 1 took place 18 years ago this week. So Number 3 is very fresh.  I couldn't put a finger on my feelings the day our oldest son turned 18. Was it a sense of accomplishment, love, pride, relief, maybe the mysteriousness of life? All I knew was I felt shaky and it wasn't from too much (or too little) caffeine.  The night before, over a very late dinner (don't ask), I heard myself say, "Well, you have two and a half hours of childhood left." That was weird.  In the morning, the other two kids and I were sitting in the kitchen. Down the hall we heard a door open and a groggy voice grunt, "I'm an adult." Now what?  We now have something in the house called an "…

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Parents Talk: Should Kids Be Doing Door-to-Door Fundraising?

We teach our children about “stranger danger” but some organizations and schools encourage kids to sell products door-to-door to raise money.

Each year at this time, we get the knock at the door. It’s the Girl Scouts, selling their cookies. Don’t get me wrong, I can chow down a Thin Mint like nobody's business. But, the selling process leaves something to be desired. In fact, I tend to turn away most youth fundraising requests that appear at my doorstep for two reasons: I don’t think I’m alone in my safety concerns. In fact, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says that while door-to-door solicitation may be a confidence builder for children, it causes “potential risks for child safety, even within the confines of your own neighborhood.” The safest thing is to prohibit your children from participating in door-to-door solicitations, the organization says on its …

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