All Blog Posts from Eye on Parenting Blog

Ben Barnhard had reason to be optimistic this summer: The 13-year-old shed more than 100 pounds at a rigorous weight-loss academy, a proud achievement for a boy who had endured classmates' taunts about his obesity and who had sought solace in the quiet of his bedroom, with his pet black cat and the intricate origami designs he created.

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But one month before school was to start, his mother, psychiatrist Margaret Jensvold, shot him in the head, then killed herself. Officers found their bodies Tuesday in the bedrooms of their home in Kensington, Md., an upper-middle class Washington suburb. They also found a note.

"School -- can't deal with school system," the letter began, Jensvold's sister, Susan Slaughter, told The Associated Press.

And later: "Debt is bleeding me. Strangled by debt."

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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

The 2011 Princeton Review survey released Monday has named the top party and sober schools.

The Princeton Review survey is part of its 2012 edition of "The Best 376 Colleges."

It includes 61 other rankings in categories such as best professors (Wellesley College in Massachusetts), most beautiful campus (Florida Southern College), best campus food (Wheaton College in Illinois) and highest financial aid satisfaction (Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania).

Pictures: Top Party, Sober Schools
Special Section: Back to School

Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, took the top party school ranking. Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, took the No. 1 spot for sober schools. Check out the rest of the schools in the ranking in our gallery, "Top Party, Sober Schools."

Looks 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.

Pictures: Miley Cyrus

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Back-to-school shopping can be a nightmare for both kids and parents -- but it doesn't have to be.

In 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.

(CBS) Former "Hills" star Audrina Patridge is the new face of the clothing company Bongo's back-to-school campaign.

Patridge, 26, will begin to appear in TV commercials late this summer and in magazines for the teen fashion line. The clothes will be sold at Kmart and Sears stores.

Pictures: "The Hills" meets Broadway

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By Lynn Berger

As a parent, you watched your child face a rigorous course of study during college and now, he or she is encountering an uncertain future. Your son or daughter endlessly dreamed of achieving their independence and presently they may be a statistic -- an unemployed college graduate. How do you help them overcome falling into a slump?

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Teens apparently aren't taking a break from texting during the summer months, according to a recent survey by GOGII, Inc., the maker of textPlus, a mobile social messaging app.

The poll, conducted in June on 944 teens ages 13-17, found a whopping 88 percent of teens say they text everywhere they go, including camp, vacation and even at summer jobs.

Among the teens surveyed, 70 percent said they're keeping up with friends through text messaging - quite a change from the long summer separations kids of generations past experienced. In fact, the poll found 55 percent of teen respondents said they text more frequently with their friends over the summer than during the school year.

And just how much are teens staying in touch? Fifty-three percent of teens said they text more than 51 times a day with their friends.

However, the survey seems to indicate Mom and Dad aren't getting as many texts during the summer, with 72 percent of teens saying they text more frequently with their parents during the school year.

Though the survey doesn't specify why kids are texting parents less, there could be many reasons for fewer messages, including the possibility that teens and their parents could be spending more time together less time with their friends.

What do you think of this poll's results? Do your kids text their friends more in the summer? How often do you text your kids in the summer?

Are 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.

(AP) CHICAGO - Kids may be safest in cars when grandma or grandpa are driving instead of mom or dad, according to study results that even made the researchers do a double-take.

"We were surprised to discover that the injury rate was considerably lower in crashes where grandparents were the drivers," said Dr. Fred Henretig, an emergency medicine specialist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the study's lead author.

Previous evidence indicates that car crashes are more common in older drivers, mostly those beyond age 65. The study looked at injuries rather than who had more crashes, and found that children's risk for injury was 50 percent lower when riding with grandparents than with parents.

The results are from an analysis of State Farm insurance claims for 2003-07 car crashes in 15 states, and interviews with the drivers. The data involved nearly 12,000 children up to age 15.

Henretig, 64, said the study was prompted by his own experiences when his first grandchild was born three years ago.

"I found myself being very nervous on the occasions that we drove our granddaughter around and really wondered if anyone had ever looked at this before," he said.

Reasons for the unexpected findings are uncertain, but the researchers have a theory.

"Perhaps grandparents are made more nervous about the task of driving with the 'precious cargo' of their grandchildren and establish more cautious driving habits" to compensate for any age-related challenges, they wrote.

The study was released online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Northwestern University Professor Joseph Schofer, a transportation expert not involved in the research, noted that the average age of grandparents studied was 58.

"Grandparents today are not that old" and don't fit the image of an impaired older driver, he said. "None of us should represent grandparents as kind of hobbling to the car on a walker."

Grandparents did flub one safety measure. Nearly all the kids were in car seats or seat belts, but grandparents were slightly less likely to follow recommended practices, which include rear-facing backseat car seats for infants and no front-seats. But that didn't seem to affect injury rates.

Only about 10 percent of kids in the study were driven by grandparents, but they suffered proportionately fewer injuries.

Overall, 1.05 percent of kids were injured when riding with parents, versus 0.70 percent of those riding with grandparents, or a 33 percent lower risk. The difference was even more pronounced -- 50 percent -- when the researchers took into account other things that could influence injury rates, including not using car seats, and older-model cars.

Kids suffered similar types of injuries regardless of who was driving, including concussions, other head injuries and broken bones.

The study does not include data on deaths, but Henretig said there were very few. It also lacked information on the types of car trips involved; for example, driving in busy city traffic might increase chances for crashes with injuries.

Schofer, the Northwestern professor, said other unstudied circumstances could have played a role. For example, grandparents could be less distracted and less frazzled than busy parents dropping their kids off at school while rushing to get to work or to do errands. Driving trips might be "quality time" for older drivers and their grandchildren, Schofer said.