Do-it-yourself safety for back-to-school driving
A woman checks her car's tire pressure.
/ Cooper TireSafety on the road seems like a no-brainer, but considering how much parents drive -- especially when school rolls around -- now might be just the right time to check out your vehicle.
Dad comes clean about "miserably hard work" of parenting
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One father, Allen Greenblatt, has just said what may be on your mind right now about raising kids: It's "not all lavender and honey."
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Visiting America's endangered historic sites
A view of the Greater Chaco Landscape in New Mexico.
/ National Trust for Historic Preservation/Jonathan PostonThough not every site on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places is open to the public, there are a few gems you and your family may want to check out. From historic Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island, Ala., to the Greater Chaco landscape in New Mexico, the sites are rich with history - and scattered across the country.
Pictures: America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
Check out our gallery of the sites to see if you have some endangered history nearby.
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Public school student performance by state
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The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest national continuing assessment of what America's public school students know and how they can do in various subject areas. Assessments are conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history.
"Eye on Parenting" recently put together a ranking of each state's scores -- and Washington, D.C.'s, based on average NAEP results in reading and mathematics for fourth grade. The scores were taken from the 2009 NAEP, the most recent year for which the numbers are available.
Find out where public school kids in your state stand in our "Best Performing Public School Students by State" gallery.
Kid fall fashions for less than $100
A model wears an outfit for the 2011 back-to-school season.
/ CBSLooking for great back-to-school clothes you - and your kids - will love? Check out lifestyle expert Tara Vera's wardrobe choices for less than $100 in our "Eye on Parenting" back-to-school fashion show.
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Click on the video below to check out the chic looks she put together for school-aged kids.
Kidnapping survivor talks child safety tactics
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Imagining them out of your sight for the first time -- or again after a summer at your side -- can be scary, indeed.
However, you can prepare your kids for the larger world by teaching them what kind of behavior is safe and OK -- and what is not. "Eye on Parenting" recently sat down with child safety advocate George Molho to discuss ways parents can equip their kids for dealing with threatening situations.
Molho is the author of "Scarred," a memoir about his abduction by his father when he was 7 and yearlong torture before he escaped. Molho says he wants to teach parents how to teach their kids to be survivors.
So seize the back-to-school moment. Click on the video below. You might be surprised by what you didn't know. We were.
Families of triplets, quads convene
The 5-year-old Bockey triplets, from left to right, Zane, Luke, and Andrew, from Lima, Ohio, dress like the 'three little pigs' during the Triplets Connection Convention parade and picnic at Valley Forge National Historical Park, on Saturday, July 30, 2011, in Valley Forge, Pa.
/ AP Photo/ Joseph KaczmarekThree dirty diapers, five runny noses, six crying kids.
Families with multiple births face a unique set of challenges every day that many parents cannot imagine taking on.
Parenting triplets, quadruplets and higher multiples was the subject of a recent convention in suburban Philadelphia.
The event, called "Let Threedom Ring," was held in King of Prussia, Pa., by Triplet Connection, an information website for multiple birth families.
Pictures: Triplets: Growing up in a set
At the event, the triplets, quadruplets and higher-order multiples ranged from babies and younger children to teenagers and college-age young adults.
Workshops were held to help adults with parenting issues, while the kids took part in entertainment and social activities.
Butter sculptures: A family affair at the local fair
Parents and kids are learning that, when it comes to art, butter isn't just for spreading on bread.
Yes that's right: Good, old-fashioned butter can make masterpieces.
And while the creative medium may not be cholesterol-free, it draws thousands of visitors each year across the country to local fairs, including the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, Ohio.
Photos: Butter sculptures that will make you melt
Video: Butter sculptures at the Ohio State Fair
In celebration of the dairy product, each year there's a cow and calf made of butter. But this year, the adorable butter sculptures have some company. The American Dairy Association has added a space shuttle and astronaut in honor of the shuttle program's 30-year legacy.
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How long did the exhibit take to make -- as long as it takes to go to the moon and back? Nope, but it did take a while: 475 hours, with 1,550 pounds of butter, about 6,200 sticks to make.
The 158th Ohio State Fair is open until Aug. 7
Miley Cyrus to team up with mom for comedy
Singer and actress Miley Cyrus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 13, 2011.
/ AP Photo/Silvia IzquierdoLooks as if teen star Miley Cyrus is teaming up with her mom Tish Cyrus for a new movie - about God.
According to HollywoodReporter.com, Paramount Pictures has decided to back the untitled comedy project that Miley and her mother will produce, along with Andrew Panay, who helped produce "Wedding Crashers."
The project is said to be about a broken promise to God.
Go back to school with flair
Boots like these worn by "Gossip Girl" star Jessica Szohr should be top on the list of fall purchases
/ Pascal Le SegretainIn our "Eye on Parenting" "Back-to-school Fashion Guide 2011," you can get a look at fashion-forward styles seen on some of the hippest young stars your children emulate, and learn how they can be worn in everyday school life in versatile, budget-friendly ways.
Pictures: Back-to-school style
Special Section: Back to School
From accessories to shoes, dresses and jeans, we have all your kids' style needs in our gallery. Here are some highlights:
Hair Accessories: They're not just for keeping your hair in place any more. Today's accessories - from headbands to barrettes - make a fashion statement. And you can even adapt pins and necklaces for use in the hair.
Jewelry: Adding some new jewelry to last year's clothes can give you a whole new look. Consider big, chunky rings, cuff bracelets, bangles and long chain necklaces.
Shoes: If your budge is limited, consider investing in a basic boot, either in low or mid-heel, depending on the child's age. If you can splurge on a second pair, make it black patent flats.Jeans: The jeans may be distressed, but the look doesn't have to be. Consider pairing them with low heels and snug jackets.
Lace: Lace is the big fabric for fall and winter and you can find it in blouses and tops, dresses and even skirts. Learn how to pair lace items to their best advantage.
Dare to ride the world's best roller coasters?
Millenium Force at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
/ AP Graphics BankAre your kids hoping to grow a few inches before the family heads to the theme park this summer? Chances are they're just itching to ride the big rides - and especially the roller coasters.
Rising high over the trees, these steel and wooden structures are the centerpiece of many theme parks. But which are worth riding - and where are they?
Pictures: World's best roller coasters
Check out our "Eye on Parenting" "World's best roller coasters" photo gallery for the best rides, as ranked by readers of CoasterFanatics.com.
Jaycee Dugard's mom shares lesson for parents
Jaycee Dugard speaks with ABC's Diane Sawyer in Ojai, Calif., during her first interview since being kidnapped near her California home in 1991, when she was 11.
/ AP/ABC News(CBS) Jaycee Dugard's story is a harrowing one. Dugard, abducted from her South Lake Tahoe, Calif., home at age 11, suffered for 18 years in captivity, living in the backyard of her abductors, Phillip and Nancy Garrido.
During those long years apart, Dugard's family also suffered - with the unknown. But the first interview with Dugard, Jaycee's mother Terry Probyn, who also spoke, it seems, faced particular pain over a moment the night before Jaycee was kidnapped.
Continue »Sasha Obama's summer of fun
Sasha Obama
/ Debbie YazbekPresident Obama's younger daughter Sasha Obama is having another summer to remember. The 10-year-old recently traveled with her mother, sister and relatives to South Africa, and before that, to Cape Canaveral, Fla., in April for a visit to the Kennedy Space Center to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Pictures: Sasha Obama's Summer Vacation
Check out all of her adventures in our "Sasha Obama's Summer Vacation" photo essay.
Zoo features rare animals in building blocks
A child stands beside the LEGO tiger now being featured the the Bronx Zoo through Sep. 30, 2011.
/ Julie Larsen Maher/WCSDo your children love to play with animals and building blocks? Well, the New York's Bronx Zoo has recently taken those childhood loves and shown how they can become an art form. The zoo is now featuring a rare animal exhibit called "The Great Summer Zoofari: A LEGO Wildlife Expedition" through Sep. 30, 2011. Several of the displays - like the one seen above of a tiger on the prowl - are life-size representations of many of the real animals seen in the zoo's exhibits.
Check out more of the displays in our gallery "Zoo built in building blocks."
Learn more about the exhibit.
Wildlife Conservation Society information
Secret confessions of a not-so-perfect mom
Karina Mitchell
/ Karina MitchellI've always relished this quote from Edward, Duke of Windsor: "The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children."
A practice, quite frankly, I've never been able to get my head around, let alone fall in line with. My kids tell me it probably has something to do with the fact that I grew up in the Dark Ages, in a "democratically repressed part of the world." Personally, I always thought Hong Kong was pretty with-it.
When I was growing up, however, there was never a thought of having a "discussion" with my parents about what an appropriate punishment was when I came home later than I was supposed to... I just didn't get to go out the next time. When I was little, I didn't get a pat on the back, or a "good job, that's awesome" if I ate my dinner, took a nap, did my homework or helped around the house. We didn't get pizza if we lost a school sports meet; heck, we didn't get pizza even if we won a meet. My parents never volunteered praise for things they thought it was my job to do and I never expected it. Things were fine and I thought I turned out pretty well. Then, I got married and had kids of my own, raising them in New York. It's not that I thought I had any special skills to be a great mommy, but I did think I had a pretty good road map, courtesy of my own upbringing.
Boy, was I wrong. Three kids down the road - ages 15, 13 and 3 - I readily admit I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm never going to win a Mother of the Year award (though many of my friends think I deserve one, with two teens and a toddler under the same roof at the same time) and the truth is, I really don't mind, or care to change any of my maternal shortcomings. All I really want -- is a bit of peace and quiet. That, and to have a life every now and again. Here's a list of a lot of the don'ts I'm guilty of when it comes to my kids:
- I firmly disbelieve in rewarding good behavior - unless it's my own.
- I hated breastfeeding. Period.
- Sometime last year, I finally tanked and gave up on the whole "you need to eat a healthy dinner every night" notion. What's wrong with Frosted Flakes for dinner?
- I'm secretly thrilled when one of my teenagers refuses to eat the dinner on the table. Not only do I have to cook for them, now I'm expected to talk to them?
- More than once I've told my 3-year-old the park is closed - for the month. "How long is a month, Mommy?" she asks. "A long, long time," I reply.
- I believe in daily personal hygiene, except when it's me who has to give the baby a bath every night. Nothing wrong with skipping a day - or two. Builds resistance.
- I love hearing about what my little one did and played with at school; I just don't necessarily want to replicate the experience at home.
- Reading to your kids every night is clearly something folks did before the Disney Channel, ESPN and "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" was around.
- Being late to pick up your kids isn't so traumatic... and the shoes I got on sale that made me late... will make me a better mom in the long run.
- More than once, I've screamed, threatened, bribed and blasted each one of my kids. I didn't apologize, either.
- I've hidden things that belong to them that they love, but that irritate me. Then I blame the housekeeper. (Somewhere there is a treasure trove of PlayStation games, noisy toys and short skirts at home.)
- I admit -- play groups weren't really for the kids. They were merely the accessories.
Now that I've come clean, I feel a lot better. Bottom line -- I really do love my kids. I just want to do it from afar sometimes. I also really do want the best for them - as long as they share with me. Think I'll kick back and have that glass of wine now.
