<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Parents Blog</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/</link><description>Parenting is a very special job.</description><language>en-us</language><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:39:36 +0000</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:39:36 +0000</lastBuildDate><ttl>60</ttl><item><title>Are You a Closet "Twilight" Mom?</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/are-you-a-closet-twilight-mom</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:33:22 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/are-you-a-closet-twilight-mom</guid><description><![CDATA[What is it about a vampire-werewolf-teenage schoolgirl love triangle that turns some moms to mush?


"Some" moms... hmmm... make that millions of moms.]]></description></item><item><title>Chubby Babies Don't Make Desirable Cover Models</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/chubby-babies-dont-make-desirable-cover-models</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:58:59 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/chubby-babies-dont-make-desirable-cover-models</guid><description><![CDATA[In my opinion there's nothing more delicious than a marshmallow-cheeked baby with Michelin Man arms and chunky monkey thighs.


Unfortunately, my penchant for chubby infants is one of the reasons why I would never make it as a magazine editor in Britain.]]></description></item><item><title>Deciphering Teen Speak: Derogatory Words Boys Use About Girls</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciphering-teen-speak-derogatory-words-boys-use-about-girls</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:23:31 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciphering-teen-speak-derogatory-words-boys-use-about-girls</guid><description><![CDATA[In a previous article Deciphering Teen Speak: Words parents should know I discuses a list words that teens use that parents need to know. I also wrote Deciphering Teen Speak: Drug Related Words Parents Should Know.]]></description></item><item><title>How Often Do You Argue With Your Kids?</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/how-often-do-you-argue-with-your-kids</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:56:17 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/how-often-do-you-argue-with-your-kids</guid><description><![CDATA[Raise your hand if you NEVER argue with your kids.


Scores of childhood experts claim that parents should take the high road and never quarrel with their kids.]]></description></item><item><title>Deciperhing Teen Speak: Sex Words Parents Should Know</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciperhing-teen-speak-sex-words-parents-should-know</link><pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:45:43 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciperhing-teen-speak-sex-words-parents-should-know</guid><description><![CDATA[In a previous article Deciphering Teen Speak: Words parents should know  I discussed a list words that teens use that parents need to know. I also wrote Deciperhing Teen Speak: Drug Related Words Parents Should Know.]]></description></item><item><title>Parents Peeved Over School Scare</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/parents-peeved-over-school-scare</link><pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:49:09 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/parents-peeved-over-school-scare</guid><description><![CDATA[My kindergartner freaks out when she sees a speck of blood, so I can only image her reaction to seeing bloody concrete, police tape and a chalk outline of a body on her way into school.


Fortunately, she doesn't attend class at Foxhill Primary in the UK.]]></description></item><item><title>Deciperhing Teen Speak:  Drug Related Words Parents Should Know</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciperhing-teen-speak-drug-related-words-parents-should-know</link><pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:02:01 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciperhing-teen-speak-drug-related-words-parents-should-know</guid><description><![CDATA[In a previous article Deciphering Teen Speak: Words parents should know,  I discussed a list words that teens use that parents need to know. The words were mostly fun and pretty harmless. Teens also have code words for things that are not quite as harmless.]]></description></item><item><title>Is High Fashion Hurting Kids?</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/is-high-fashion-hurting-kids</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:53:03 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/is-high-fashion-hurting-kids</guid><description><![CDATA[Strappy sandals, rhinestone-studded belts, and racerback dresses look great on the catwalk, but wearing them to school could lead to developmental problems, according to a new study.]]></description></item><item><title>Deciphering Teen Speak: Words parents should know</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciphering-teen-speak-words-parents-should-know</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:08:14 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciphering-teen-speak-words-parents-should-know</guid><description><![CDATA[An alert parent will know about about text speak and message board code, and we may even be able to decipher it.  But we still get lost when we are talking to our teens. Yes, even with my suburban homeschooled teens, sometimes I have no idea what they are talking about.]]></description></item><item><title>Santa and the Swine Flu</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/santa-and-the-swine-flu</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:54:56 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/santa-and-the-swine-flu</guid><description><![CDATA[Santa has one wish this Christmas:  He doesn't want to get swine flu from your kid.


S.O.S.  Spare Our Santa!  


It's the battle cry shared by mall owners around the world.  If your kid is sneezing, coughing, has a sore throat or--GASP!--a fever, keep him far away from Jolly Ol' St. Nick.]]></description></item><item><title>Parents Outraged After School Imposes Late Fee</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/parents-outraged-after-school-imposes-late-fee</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:54:26 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/parents-outraged-after-school-imposes-late-fee</guid><description><![CDATA[The monetary penalty is not being imposed on students who don't return their library books on time or on those caught chewing gum in class.  Rather, an elementary school in Portland, Oregon, is slapping parents with a fee if they are late picking up their kids from school.]]></description></item><item><title>Deciphering Video Game Ratings</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciphering-video-game-ratings</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:01:24 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/deciphering-video-game-ratings</guid><description><![CDATA["Video game ratings are not a game." They should be taken seriously, and Activision (an American video game developer) is working to make sure parents know what the ratings mean. 

The first thing, in my estimation that parents must realize about video game ratings is that they are suggestions.]]></description></item><item><title>Parents To Blame For Kids' Bad Driving</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/parents-to-blame-for-kids-bad-driving</link><pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:27:04 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/parents-to-blame-for-kids-bad-driving</guid><description><![CDATA[Is your kid a crazy driver?  Is he to blame for sending your car insurance premium through the roof?  Before you hold a grudge and withhold the car keys, you may want to take a good look in the mirror.  According to a new study, your child's maniacal driving habits could actually be your fault.]]></description></item><item><title>Do You Use Your TV as a Babysitter?</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/do-you-use-your-tv-as-a-babysitter</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:58:09 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/do-you-use-your-tv-as-a-babysitter</guid><description><![CDATA[Don't be ashamed if you answered "yes."


My BFF in Hawaii pays a TON of money to get Noggin, Nick Jr. and the Disney Channel, which is one of the reasons she unabashedly refers to her satellite provider as Diego, Dora and Kai-Lan's pimp.]]></description></item><item><title>Teens and The N Word</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/teens-and-the-n-word</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:48:03 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/teens-and-the-n-word</guid><description><![CDATA[Miriam Caldwell wrote about Saying No especially when people are asking for favors.  Her blog post was primarily discussing requests for service in the church and knowing when to draw the line so that we can care for ourselves.]]></description></item><item><title>Should Kids Move Out at 18</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/should-kids-move-out-at-18</link><pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:05:06 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/should-kids-move-out-at-18</guid><description><![CDATA[A blog post at timberdoodle.com asks Is it time to kick the kids out of the house? 

Moving out at eighteen is a fairly recent, definitely cultural idea, one which regardless of the spiritual implications makes no economic or ecological sense...]]></description></item><item><title>Christmas Music in October?!</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/christmas-music-in-october</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:52 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/christmas-music-in-october</guid><description><![CDATA[I rarely listen to the radio while driving, but my 5-year-old insisted on hearing some tunes as we navigated our way to yet another Halloween event last week.]]></description></item><item><title>Do You Discipline Your Child in Public?</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/do-you-discipline-your-child-in-public</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:53:44 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/do-you-discipline-your-child-in-public</guid><description><![CDATA[When it comes to disciplining a child, consistency is key.  However, these days when screaming is the new spanking and swatting a child on the butt could land you in jail, some parents feel forced to ignore their tot when he has meltdown in public.]]></description></item><item><title>Defending Your Teens Bad Behavior</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/defending-your-teens-bad-behavior</link><pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:00:55 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/defending-your-teens-bad-behavior</guid><description><![CDATA[Four teens pull up to a McDonald's Drive through and attemp to Rap their order.  Apparently, they had spent too much time on YouTube watching different McDonald's rap videos.  They apparently didn't watch the whole video to see that no one actually understood what the rappers wanted.]]></description></item><item><title>Kids, Swine Flu and Trick-or-Treating</title><link>http://parenting.families.com/blog/swine-flu-and-trick-or-treating</link><pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:50:01 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://parenting.families.com/blog/swine-flu-and-trick-or-treating</guid><description><![CDATA[My friend's young children will be missing out on trick-or-treating this year.


Thank you swine flu.


Actually, one of her kids has chicken pox and the other has swine flu-like symptoms, but has not yet been tested for H1N1.]]></description></item></channel></rss>