Parenting

Men and women, if you think by helping your grown children and grandchildren, who have addictions, no jobs and no understanding of the words, accountability or responsibilty, by buying, baling, and supporting them, you are creating people who will not, cannot, and refuse to grow up. Not only are you destroying their lives, but you are destroying their childrens and their partners lives. You are teaching them that blame is laid at others feet and no matter what they do, they will be protected and helped.Their children learn to go without, because these grown children cannot share, they cannot love, and they cannot live with others because they have learned, they are the important ones and everyone else is on their own. If you have a partner who is enabled by parents that cannot or will not see the truth and the damage they are causing, RUN. RUN far and fast because you will be sucked into this way of life and more than likely, it will be you thrown under the bus when things start fal

I love holiday decorations. But cookie-cutter crafts are not my thing; being an art teacher, I prefer "artistic" over "crafty." This even applies to the Fourth of July! Why make a red, white and blue pre-designed craft, when you can create a one-of-a-kind, patriotic abstract painting? Using simple materials and classic painting techniques, you too can make perfectly patriotic artworks (that are kid-friendly too; trust me, my three-year-old made one). Here's how:

Required materials:

- watercolor paper (or other heavy white paper)

- paintbrushes

- watercolor paints (not the dollar store variety)

- salt shaker

- painting supplies (water, towels, etc.)

- optional: tape, cardboard, scrap paper, scissors, acrylic or tempera paint, decorations (red, white and blue sparkles)

How to make patriotic abstract paintings:

Even if you've never painted with watercolors, you can easily achieve great artistic effects with these classic watercolor techniques. Before you begin your abstract p

Do you feel out of the loop when it comes to what is fashionable for kids these days? Heading to the mall may not even help since seeing separates and random accessories can be more than confusing. The following overview will help you make sense of what you see and get you up to speed on summer fashion for kids.

Fashion trends for kids generally hold true for tots to teens. The age division is just not as clear these days. In fact, the trendiest looks for kids are not too far from what is popular with adults.

1. Unmatched patterns My daughter has always loved mixing and matching patterns, the bolder the better. Now this trend has gone mainstream. Wearing stripes with floral patterns, graphics and polka dots, skull and crossbones with gingham, really anything goes. It seems creative children were simply far ahead of their time. You can try to keep a continuing color theme between the patterns to give the outfit a cohesive look, or simply let your child go with the flow. The f

Years ago when a child went through puberty, parents simply recognized it as puberty. Today, children get labeled with oppositional defiant disorder, bipolar disorder and any number of other disorders classified by behaviors or mood. How do you, as a parent, know whether your child has a disorder or is just experiencing puberty? This is an area every parent should explore before they medicate their child for a disorder they don't have. Your doctor has a medicinal and psychological education, but you are the one who knows your child best.

Look for signs of puberty. If your child is showing the signs of puberty, then the mood swings my come from the hormonal roller coaster they are riding. The problem is that bipolar disorder can also be detected around the same age. Bipolar disorder includes moods of depression as well as mania and is generally thought to be due to a chemical imbalance, but may also be brought on by outside influences. Thus, it is hard to differentiate between th

When I found out that July is National Ice Cream Month (according to the International Dairy Foods Association), I got a little too excited. As ice cream is my favorite guilty pleasure, well, this was just another reason to indulge in my favorite dessert. But that doesn't mean it's all about the sweets, it can also be about the crafts too. Since my kids are also ice cream lovers, we've collaborated on some special ways to celebrate this tasty month - no tooth-brushing required. Here are five ice cream-themed crafts for kids:

1. Ice cream cone potato prints

Cut a large potato in half. Kids can use a toothpick to draw a large cone on one half of the potato, and a scoop of ice cream on the other half. Adults will then carve away the edges of the potato around the drawings, which will create a stamp of each image. Pat each potato half dry, then dip in paint and stamp each cone and ice cream scoop onto paper. Try making lots of prints in a pattern to create unique ice cream-themed wrapp