What about the harassment and anti-social behavior that goes on, unchecked, outside of school? I’m talking about the behavior that we actually witness going on but about which we’re hesitant to reprimand someone else’s kid. There’s a fear that if you do that, you’ll be socially ostracized, hollered at, or, worse, threatened with legal action by the kid’s parents.

Lost, the ABC drama about a mysterious island, which ends its wild six-year run this month, has provided its rabid fans with much to ponder during its tenure. While Lost devotees may debate its overarching story line – good vs. evil, destiny vs. free will, whether redemption is possible – one thing’s for certain: The consequences of bad parenting are long lasting, especially in this saga.

Smooth talking disk jockeys, or on air personalities as they’re called (some of them older than me), who reside on the far end of the FM dial are now telling my kids what’s hot.  Ryan Seacrest’s recommendations about what’s hip are sacrosanct while I’m a mildly annoying fogey who my 8-year-old recently informed dances like “an old lady.”

It’s been nearly seven months since our family adopted  “Max.” Little did I realize that, by adding  a dog to our family, which includes twin 11-year-olds and an 8-year-old, it was akin to bringing a teething, rampaging baby into our home.

Around this time of year, people make all kinds of vows to do things differently now that we’re in a new calendar year. Here’s where this article can come in handy. I can provide you with alternatives to those “healthier” resolution lists you’ve likely been seeing, at least when it comes to parenting.

Watching the flawed and funny Parker family would help me place my family’s holiday foibles into a different context, one far removed from the one peddled by all forms of media everywhere advising me, the mom, how to create perfect holiday memories with my kids -- something which I never seemed to be quite able to achieve..

My son just started high school and it seems to be going really well for him. I don’t know what I expected, all the years leading up to this point, certainly nothing positive, and I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s my perception of my own high school years. Perhaps it’s the big build up in my head about my little boy growing older. Perhaps it’s a combination of both.

I tried not to look too skeptical. She had kind eyes, bright and blue, with a star of creases fanning out to the sides. And she was certainly no nutcase. In fact, just by speaking with her for a few minutes, I liked her.
 

This whole getting a family dog thing didn’t quite work out like I imagined it would. Adopting a dog has, like parenting, become a lot more complicated than it used to be. You need a lot of patience, a fierce sense of humor and friends who’ll tell dog shelters that you’re not an axe murderer.