children

It's often pointed out how fit and healthy President Barack Obama is — he plays basketball with a passion, goes to the gym six days a week, and when on vacation chooses to bodysurf over lounging on the beach. It was even reported that during his presidential campaign he hit the gym for 48 days in a row. In light of his struggle to kick a nicotine habit — something he says he is 95 percent cured of — Obama lives a pretty fitness-focused lifestyle.

Last night the first couple was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for the holiday special, Christmas at the White House, which gave viewers a peek into how the first family spends their holidays together. While watching, I was struck by a few things that the president said on Christmases past and thought to myself that particular gifts he received as a child helped shape him into the health conscious man that he is today.

To find out what the president's favorite childhood gifts were, read more

Nothing makes a mother's day like seeing her mini me's mug. Share pictures of your kiddos by adding them to your profile! And let us know what makes your tot unique from their favorite foods to their first words and what they like to do for fun. Follow these simple steps to add your child or children to your profile. The bonus of adding your children to your account is an automatic membership to the Kids group in the LilSugar Community where you can meet other mamas and their youngsters!

Maureen Dowd asks why women seem unhappier today than ever in her New York Times column over the weekend. Are they unhappier? Women today seem way happier than the defeated and bitter Betty Draper on Mad Men. But the General Social Survey, which has tracked Americans’ moods since 1972, along with five other major studies, show women have become more dissatisfied while men are becoming happier. (Black women, interestingly, are a little happier since 1972, but still not as happy as black men.)

The number of distractions we have today correlated with women's rising unhappiness. The biggest distraction? Children. “Across the happiness data, the one thing in life that will make you less happy is having children,” Betsey Stevenson, professor and coauthor of a paper called “The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness" told Dowd. “It’s true whether you’re wealthy or poor, if you have kids late or kids early."

Stevenson concedes she doesn't know one mother who said she wished she never had kids, but knowing kids aren't all bundles of joy could make you feel more confident should you decide to opt out. How do you feel about having children?

Source: Flickr User Naso3

Well-intentioned parents who want their kids to grow up in a colorblind world avoid discussing race. But a new study involving white families reveals that when parents keep quiet about skin color, young children will discriminate based on race.

The findings from the Children's Research Lab at the University of Texas are featured in this week's Newsweek. Here's an example of how researchers gauge the children's attitudes about race:

Asked how many white people are mean, these children commonly answered, "Almost none." Asked how many blacks are mean, many answered, "Some," or "A lot." Even kids who attended diverse schools answered the questions this way.

The researchers then asked parents to discuss interracial friendship with their children every night for a week straight. When the kids came back to be questioned again, almost none of the opinions changed. Only six of the children dramatically improved their racial attitudes. What was it about these children? The researchers found that every family, except for these six, avoided talking explicitly about race. Instead, they sent their kids the vague message that "everybody is equal." To find out why parents tended to be so vague, read more

We've all been there — on a plane, at the store, trying to watch a movie, and the screeching, wailing or whining begins. I always feel for the parents of children who, in public, are causing a big ruckus. It's annoying enough, I imagine, but then having strangers either glare or silently seethe must be tough. You'd probably either never want to leave the house again or you'd become militant about your rights as a parent to be out and about, annoyed strangers be damned! (Check out the hilarious video above and watch until the end — she admits the kid, though annoying, is cute!)

One crazy old dude took matters into his own hands on Monday by slapping a stranger's crying toddler at Walmart. Uh, wow. Hopefully, most of us are not cruel (or crazy) enough to do something like this, but how do you handle a situation when a baby, toddler or child is making a fuss? The child's age and the parent's reaction probably make a huge difference.

All they need is love? The British documentary Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go airs tonight on PBS, taking a yearlong look at the the Mulberry Bush School in Oxford, England, where 40 emotionally disturbed children board. The three-year program centers on patience and kind human interaction as a last resort for these youngsters. According to the summary:

The kids ages five through 12 who attend Mulberry (most of them boys) can broadly be described as having attachment disorders, with some having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).

More than 100 dedicated staffers tend to the students, offering them love, support, and structure. The institution exemplifies the notion that every child deserves a chance. Will you tune in?

I ran into the grocery store for a few items over the weekend. While exiting with my kids, I noticed a baby in the backseat of a vehicle and did a double take since there were no passengers in the front of the parked car. The child looked to be about a year old and was sound asleep. Upon closer inspection, I saw that there was another little girl seated next to him reading a book. Though she was small, I figured she was about seven or eight-years-old since she was engrossed in a thick paperback.

The SUV was packed with presents and a few balloons as if the family was headed to a party, the sun roof was cracked, the doors were locked and the youngsters looked well cared for, but I still worried about them being left in the car alone. Though there is much debate and even laws in certain states about latchkey kids and when it's alright to leave children home alone, when is it appropriate to let them sit unattended in the car?

Famous atheist Richard Dawkins has put his money behind a Summer camp for kids — you can think of it as the anti-Jesus Camp.

At atheist Camp Quest, kids aged 8-17 learn about rational skepticism, moral philosophy, ethics, and evolution — while enjoying traditional camp activities. According to those involved, the project is not about changing what kids think, but about changing the way they think.

Do you think kids should be able to go to camp and just have fun, or is it valuable to include an emphasis on religious or ideological values?