Parenting

Back in the 1980s, I became a latchkey kid in the fourth grade at nine years old and no one seemed to care or think it was odd. Today in Illinois that would be considered technically illegal. So how old do you have to be to stay home alone in Missouri and Illinois...

"Nope, nope, nope. You're raising a brat there.  They eat what they're given or they go hungry.  I would never have done that with the girls, never!"

What do you tell your kids in order to keep them from misbehaving? Or what little lies did you parents tell you in order to keep you in line?

If the children are indeed our future, then be prepared to be afraid. Very afraid.

The recurrence of teen parenting is something that's become a reality all over the world, and it's happened here in Sedalia, too. These young people can often feel scared, alone, intimidated, and lost when faced with the reality of being a young parent. The Amigos De Cristo and VISTA are working to help these young people through the process.

You think your dad embarrasses you in public? Wait'll you see this guy.

We've seen parents use unique methods to punish kids in the past -- through Facebook and by making them carry signs on busy streets, for example. But a Utah woman punished her stepdaughter in the most creative way yet by forcing her to wear ill-fitting thrift store clothing for being a bully.

A Massachusetts father gives his children a reason, beyond the possibility of string cheese, to look forward to lunch. David Laferriere of Attleboro has been drawing on his kids' sandwich bags for the past five years, posting pics of each doodle to his flickr account.

I was talking about this on the air this morning and there was so much response that I decided to post it here too.  My friend's young son called her "the B-word," so she said he couldn't go trick-or-treating for Halloween. Is that too harsh? Should she let him go? Or should she be consistent and make her threats of punishment have merit?