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Why dads should practice skin-to-skin contact with their babies
As a new dad, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to bond with your newborn baby. One simple way to establish a strong connection is through skin-to-skin contact, also known as “kangaroo care.” This practice involves holding your baby against your bare chest and has been shown to provide numerous benefits for both the infant and ...Read more
He went from a stroke to a heart transplant to an Ironman finish line
Two months before his wedding, Vang Her had a cough he couldn't shake.
For weeks he'd hacked incessantly. How could he walk down the aisle or enjoy his honeymoon in New Zealand that way?
But his doctor couldn't find anything wrong.
With rest, Vang improved. His wedding went off without a hitch. In New Zealand while cave exploring, Vang couldn...Read more
Bonds of sisterhood tested in thrilling amateur sleuth mystery
The shocking murder of her boss — and the sudden disappearance of her sister — sends Portland paralegal Beth Ralston on a dangerous, dizzying quest to find answers that she may not be able to manage in Mary Keliikoa’s smart thriller, "Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow."
At a holiday office party for her father’s prestigious law firm, Ralston,...Read more
Eulogy for a Mentor
A mentor of mine died last night.
She'd been sick, with leukemia, and had undergone both a stem cell transplant and chemo, but her cancer had been in remission, and it seemed as if she was traveling rapidly down the road to recovery.
She must have had a turn for the worse, though, because her mother said her death was unexpected and quick. ...Read more
Overly Cautious or Overly Crazy?
"Soooooo, it happened. The police were called because my 8 year old was riding her bike on our street."
That's the email I got from Kay Eskridge, a Kentucky mom, former Child Protective Services worker, and fan of the Free-Range Kids movement. Over the years, she's written to me several times about our shared passion for childhood ...Read more
Debra-Lynn B. Hook: Sleeping with books
Some people sleep with pillows and blankets, and, if they’re lucky, a cuddle bunny of a sort.
I sleep with books.
Not a book, singular, but multiple books of multiple genres, heaped in a long pile between me and the other side of the bed.
I find this to be easier than trying to keep books strategically stacked on a bedside table, which is ...Read more
Lori Borgman: Rising to the sourdough challenge
I made my first loaf of sourdough last week. It took less time to give birth to our first child than it took to make one loaf of bread.
Why did I make sourdough? Because I'm weak. I succumbed to peer pressure. We have granddaughters making sourdough. They nudged and prodded and threw flour in the air until I agreed to give it a try.
The first ...Read more
Ex-etiquette: Son has moved on, but mom hasn't
Q. My 21-year-old son who lives with me recently broke up with his girlfriend of two years. This was not a mutual split. He has found another, moved on and his past girlfriend is very hurt. I understand his decision, but I dearly miss his former girlfriend. She was part of our family for two years and I feel like I've lost a child. I would like ...Read more
Son's heart diagnosis may have saved dad's life
After Cecilia Galeana gave birth to her second child, Elias Soto, a pediatrician performed standard newborn tests. Listening to his heart, the doctor heard a whooshing and swishing sound. Elias had a heart murmur.
It could be hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, the doctor said. It's a condition in which abnormally thick heart muscle makes it ...Read more
New tech falls in the wrong hands in heart-stopping medical thriller
Drexel Hospital prepares to launch its vaunted new Electronic Health Records (EHR) system when a series of inexplicable deaths at the hospital raises questions for a cadre of Drexel employees committed to patient privacy and safety in "Coded to Kill" by Marschall Runge, M.D.
A decade in the making, the Drexel EHR is the most innovative ...Read more
One diet might significantly increase a woman’s lifespan, study finds
The Mediterranean diet is an a roll this year. U.S. News and World Report ranked it the best diet for the seventh consecutive year. Now, according to a massive study, the eating regimen may also have added benefits for women.
“For women interested in longevity, our study shows that following a Mediterranean dietary pattern could result in ...Read more
Is a safe male birth control gel on the way? Study shows progress
If trials continue to go well, a teaspoon of gel rubbed on the shoulders once a day might be all men need for contraception.
National Institutes of Health Contraceptive Development Program chief Diana Blithe has been leading the research on Nestorone, a synthetic hormone-based male birth control, since 2018. Speaking recently at ENDO 2024, the ...Read more
Family guide to new movie releases
'LONGLEGS'
Rated R for bloody violence, disturbing images and some language.
What it’s about: A young female FBI agent tracks down a mysterious serial killer.
The kid attractor factor: This is a creepy and terrifying horror thriller — not much appeal for kids.
Good lessons/bad lessons: Sometimes the answers we seek are within.
Violence:...Read more
Billboards seek to reunite decades-old kids' drawings with their now-grown creators
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The two Sanford, Florida, students used crayons to draw self portraits, then turned their artwork over to Crayola, the famous art-supply company, which 20 years ago was collecting kids’ drawings to display in galleries across the country.
“I hope one day to be in an art gallery or in a famous museum,” wrote Emily, then a ...Read more
Survivor, Marine: One man’s incredible journey to inner peace
There’s a unique beginning to "The Guide: Survival, Warfighting, Peacemaking" — Greg Munck‘s moving and uplifting memoir of his fascinating journey that took him from a nightmarish childhood to becoming a war hero as a U.S. Marine and finally finding peace in his life’s work as a man of God.
The book opens with a dramatic forward from ...Read more
Heroine’s satirical self-improvement quest from body-building to poetry
What do gluten-free communion wafers and arugula-eating snails have in common?
Well, if you’re a bodybuilder, it turns out these are two powerhouse secrets to a ripped physique — along with other, shall we say, less conventional methods. Debut novelist Ruth Bonapace takes us through an epic workout of the imagination in "The Bulgarian ...Read more
Family guide to new movie releases
'DESPICABLE ME 4'
Rated PG for action and rude humor.
What it’s about: Supervillain Gru and family have to go into witness protection after a threat from a rival. Wacky high jinks ensue.
The kid attractor factor: It's animated and it features Minions.
Good lessons/bad lessons: Try to find the root of the problem before things spiral out of...Read more
Ex-etiquette: Your ex is a narcissist? Probably not
Q. My co-parent is a lost cause. They are a narcissist! I looked it up on the internet and they check all the boxes. They think they are perfect, always right, and try to manipulate me and the kids to get their own way. They act like they care, but they obviously don’t. They can’t be a good influence. What’s good ex-etiquette?
A. I can’...Read more
Too much screen time harms children, experts agree. So why do parents ignore them?
LOS ANGELES -- Parents are bombarded with a dizzying list of orders when it comes to screen time and young children: No screens for babies under 18 months. Limit screens to one hour for children under 5. Only "high-quality" programming. No fast-paced apps. Don't use screens to calm a fussy child. "Co-view" with your kid to interact while ...Read more
A Fun Way to Fight Childhood Anxiety
Wouldn't it be great if there was a new, fast, even cheerful way to fight the tide of anxiety engulfing this generation of kids?
It sure would. And darned if the latest Journal of Anxiety Disorders doesn't feature one. It's called independence therapy: having kids do new things, on their own, without their parents.
A pilot study conducted by...Read more
Inside Parents
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