Blog Posts by Parenting.com

Check out which popular names for baby girls and boys topped the Social Security charts in 2011.

By Kate Goodin
Although it's always fun to see which baby names the celebs are choosing, the yearly release of the topThe Top Baby Names of 2011

10 boy and girl names from Social Security is the ultimate authority on baby naming, because it shows what parents are actually naming their kids. So which names topped the charts in 2011?

For boys, Jacob still reigns supreme-and has since 1999, when it hit the number one spot. Sure, the Twilight craze may have contributed to its enduring popularity, but it's also a strong, easy name for boys, with Jake as a cute nickname option. Stay tuned for 2012, though: the name Mason may usurp Jacob next year for the top spot, probably thanks to Kourtney Kardashian, who chose it for her son. Mason, which ranked 12 th in 2010, zoomed onto the top 10 list in 2011, and is currently the second most popular boy name.

Another boy name on the upswing: the slightly formal but

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by Jeana Lee Tahnk

You wake up from a deep slumber, open your eyes and immediately grab your phone off your nightstandFacebook.com

to check Facebook…Something happens to you and your first instinct is to post it on Facebook. Sound familiar? If so, you may be addicted.

PLUS: Parents Disciplining Kids on Facebook --Funny or Not Fair?

A research team from the University of Bergen in Norway, led by Cecilie Schou Andreassen, recently conducted a study on how addictive Facebook is and found this to be a growing phenomenon among the millions of Facebook users out there. The results which will be published in Psychological Reports, found that Facebook addiction occurs more regularly among younger users and that women are more at risk for becoming dependent on this social network.

PLUS: Is Your Personal Information at Risk?

People who scored higher on anxiety and insecurity levels, and those who were more disorganized, tended to be more at risk for Facebook addiction as well.

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Graceful ways to handle unsolicited parenting advice, even if it comes from your family

By Barbara Rowley

As a baby, my daughter Anna refused to wear her shoes or socks. Not a big deal if we lived on a sunny

How to Handle Annoying Advice

beach. But we live in Montana -- and she was born in late October. So the first line of the mother-daughter battlefield was drawn: I put her shoes and socks on, she worked them off. If she was lucky, she'd push them off when we were in transit and they'd be lost forever. Score: Anna 1, Mom 0.

Then one day, while we were on vacation, a stranger wandered into the crossfire. She was older, better rested, better dressed, and apparently a self-proclaimed authority on baby podiatry. She took one look at Anna in the hotel lobby and screeched, "Ooooh! Look at the tiny little baby with the cold feet!"

"They aren't cold," I said, instantly defensive. "Feel them!" I thrust my daughter's feet, dangling from my chest as she hung in her front carrier, toward the woman's hands.

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Tips and destinations for a stress-free getaway with your girlfriends

By Laura Sullivan

Valeriano Della Longa on Flickr (CC Licensed)

You're swaddled in a robe, lounging with your pals, fruity beverage in hand, watching the sun set over a pool. No, this isn't a dream, ended by the wallop of your kid throwing himself on you. It's your next vacation. Here's how you can make it reality:

Set the date. It'll never happen if you don't! Strategically pick a downtime with your partner, taking his schedule into account, and he'll be less likely to balk later. A long weekend is a good choice, so you won't worry about whether the homework's getting done or who's picking her up from preschool. But lower midweek rates may justify the trouble of working out those details. Whatever time frame you settle on, consider making the trip a tradition, so it becomes an annual question of where you're going, not if.

Sort out finances. The earlier you plan, the more money you'll be able to save. Or target Mother's Day, your birthday, or

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I love being spoiled by my kids, but something's missing: a chance to hug my own mother

By Melanie Monroe Rosen

Courtesy of Melanie Monroe Rosen

"Mama, what did you used to do with Grandma Heather on Mother's Day?" asks my four-year-old as we sat down to brunch. Pause. Swallow. Breathe deeply.

"Well, we did lots of things," I reply. "We were lucky to have a lot of Mother's Days with her. Sometimes we used to take her out to brunch or make her a special meal at home… Sometimes we went to a jazz concert with her, since that was one of her favorite kinds of music…" I trail off.

"Jazz? I don't like jazz," he sniffs, and then turns to his dad to ask for the syrup. The moment passes without my dissolving into tears, a minor triumph for me.

The last Mother's Day I got to celebrate with my mom was May 10, 2009. She was in a rehabilitation center after several weeks in the hospital, following the discovery that her breast cancer had metastasized and necessitated a colostomy. Her illness aside, it was a

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Character cruises aren't just for kids anymore. The grown-up perks on Disney Cruise Lines and other epic ships will float your boat

By Sascha Zuger

Disney Cruise Line
WHO: Princesses, Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Nemo, Woody…plus Mickey

SHIPS: Disney Dream, Magic, Wonder, Fantasy

GROWN-UPS LOVE: Stretched out on a cushy chaise, I sip a frosty mudslide and watch a pair of dolphins cavort in the distance. The faint sound of steel drums is interrupted as a barista pops over to offer a plate of brie, raspberries, and warm cinnamon cookies. Being a single mom means time to myself just doesn't happen, yet here I am, wavering on whether to turn the page of my book or not. Suddenly, a steel hook reaches over my shoulder to flip it for me. I call out a thank-you to the passing mustachioed nemesis of Peter Pan, marveling at yet another Disney cast member who can, apparently, read minds.

The ships go practically everywhere, from Alaska to the Mediterranean. Kris Griffin of Homewood, AL,

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7 top hot-button issues -- and how to solve them.

By Margaret Renkl

in-laws

Love 'em or hate 'em, every mom clashes with her in-laws. Scroll down any message board and you're bound to read hair-raising tales like the ones on Parenting.com's in-law board. As one mom writes, "My MIL comes over once a week to spend time with my son and uses that day to tell me what I am doing wrong -- I'm feeding him too much, he's not ready to walk yet, it's too cold outside, it's too hot outside, it's too windy outside, his feet are cold, his feet are hot. Apparently I'm an idiot and she is Dr. Spock. My husband and I have fought so much over her."

Writes another mom: "Most of the time, we visit my in-laws at their house or at a restaurant, where we pay for their meal (even though I stay home and we are on a limited budget -- they never even pretend to offer). One time my MIL handed me a 'gift' for my daughter and said, 'I'm not sure what this is, but here.' Hey, nice to see you put some thought into

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Few of us practice complete honesty in our relationships about everything. And that's perfectly okay…most of the time.
By Jeannie Ralston

hiding secretsWhen my husband is out of town and the phone rings after 9 p.m. , I'm sometimes scared to answer.

Husband: "Hi. How was your…"
Crash in the background.
"Hey, are the boys still up?"

Me: "No. I mean, they're having trouble falling asleep."

Husband: "What?! It's nearly 10:00!"

You see, we have different ideas on bedtime. I also conceal my dollar-store toy purchases (he hates "landfill junk" in our home) and the amount I spend on their birthday parties.


I don't think of myself as a liar; I think of myself as a normal wife, sidestepping and spinning to keep the peace. And I'm not alone: "I keep things from my husband all the time," says Angela, a mom of two in Connecticut. "I just don't want him thinking I'm too much of a softie, say, if the kids broke something or didn't do their chores."

Plus: Meet the Married Single Mom

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