Blog Posts by Parents.com

Although many important studies were published this year, some stand out because they not only offer new information, they also affect our way of thinking about parenting and child development. Here are my picks for the most important studies of 2011 -- and what lessons they hold for parents.

By Richard Rende

Study: Parents' Depression Corresponds with Children's Depression

Study name: "Remission of depression in parents: links to healthy functioning in their children," Garber et al., 2011, Child Development, Volume 82 (1), p. 226 - 243.

What was found? By conducting six observations across two years of parents (70 percent were moms) in treatment for depression, along with their kids, this study revealed that kids' symptoms of depression mirrored their parents' symptoms closely. These included decreases in symptoms that corresponded to treatment effects, increases in symptoms once treatment effects ended, and lack of improvement in depression if parents didn't respond to treatment.

Why

Rule #1 of buying toys for kids with special needs: Make sure it's their idea of fun. Just like any other child, kids with special needs won't play with a toy unless it's interesting to them (no matter how therapeutic you think it could be).

By Ellen Seidman

Whether a child likes funny noises, blinking lights, things that go fast or all of the above, you want to keep his or her fascinations in mind when you're looking for a toy that might give them a developmental boost. That doesn't mean they won't find the box the toy comes in more compelling, of course… like any child!

I know a thing or two about buying toys for special kids because I've spent 9 years getting them for my son, Max -- not just for birthdays, but often when a therapist has recommended something. I've also done a couple of toy guides on my other blog, including this year's Best Toys For Kids With Special Needs. A few pointers I've picked up along the way for buying toys for kids with special needs:

2. Make sure the

Ho, ho, ho, HELLLLLLLLLLLP! Holidays may be the season of good cheer, but they're also one of the more insane times of the year. While I can't help you deliver gifts or deal with a mother-in-law who always complains the turkey isn't moist enough, I do have some ideas for having a more sane season.

By Ellen Seidman

1) Outsource. I'm not talking to India -- I'm talking to your husband. A lot of us (and I am definitely guilty here) tend to take the brunt of the holiday to-dos. But Santa has his elves, and so can you! Rope your husband into buying gifts and doing the home decorating. Get the kids to wrap presents -- who cares if they don't look perfect! You'll be a lot more merry if you're not a one-woman show.

2) Make a list, buy it twice. The idea is to come up with one or two great presents you can give to a whole lot of people -- say, a bunch of candles wrapped in ribbon for neighbors. Obviously, you'll want specific presents for your family but there's no reason the mailman and

You can't turn off all electronic devices for good, but there is plenty that parents can do to keep kids safe online.

By Linda DiProperzio

According to Pattie Fitzgerald, founder of Safely Ever After, Inc., cyberbullying is using computers, cell phones, or other electronic devices for the purpose of harassing, threatening, embarrassing, or taunting another person. It can be done through emails, text messages, postings on blogs or chat rooms, social networking sites, and sending photos or images online with the intention of physically or emotionally hurting another person.

In a poll by Care.com, cyberbullying has eclipsed kidnapping as the greatest fear parents have regarding their children's safety. As a result, 75 percent of parents are now monitoring their children's text messages and social media activity. "Mean kids and bullies are not new, but the access to social media networks and cell phones that can make bullying both anonymous and seemingly innocuous is the new danger. And

Richard Rende, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School and Butler Hospital, discusses why we should stop talking about birth order and start enjoying our kids.

By Richard Rende

Parents have lots of things on their mind when they are thinking about having a second child. If I could deliver one message to them, it would be to stop worrying about the effects of birth order and birth spacing on development. Why? Simply put, the statistical effects are so small that they are of no practical value to any parent.

Here's a case in point. I just read this post in the NY Times Motherlode column, which is very well-written. It refers to yet another study on birth spacing, with the idea being trying to come up with an optimal space between siblings to promote cognitive development. The research was well done (it analyzes data collected from a large and informative longitudinal study) - I certainly don't have any issues with it. The analyses were

Bask in the joys of Christmas with these classics and spin-offs that are sure to keep your holiday merry, busy, and bright.

By Samantha Mellone

Merry Manners
'Tis the season of stress, so it's a great time to teach kids about the importance of being polite. Emily's Christmas Gifts, a story by Peggy Post and Cindy Post Senning, will help your kids learn that the best gifts of all are kindness and consideration.
Buy Emily's Christmas Gifts here.

Wild Card
Count down to Christmas, while trying to count your cards with this Charlie Brown Christmas Edition of Uno.
Buy Charlie Brown Christmas Uno here.

Santa's Coming to Town
Ho! Ho! Oh no! When Santa's sleigh gets separated from his reindeers, it's up to a farm full of animals to make sure kids wake up to their gifts on Christmas morning in Michael Garland's Oh, What a Christmas!
Buy Oh What a Christmas! Here.

Red Nose
Everyone's favorite red-nosed reindeer makes this old-fashioned game more fun. The super bright colored pieces are sure

The tree is the centerpiece in your family's deck-the-hall efforts. With our creative ideas, decorating the tree with family and friends can be one of the most memorable events of the season.

By Melody Warnick

Tree Timeline
Each year, choose new ornaments for your children that represent some part of their lives in the last year: a ballerina for a budding dancer, a water-skiing Santa to remind your child of a family trip to the beach. Wrap the new treasures up and let your children open them to kick off the tree-trimming. Bonus: The yearly additions add up to a personalized ornament collection that your kids can take with them when they're grown up.

Friends-and-family Plan
Arrange a tree-trimming round robin. Invite two or three families to share in the fun, and go from home to home to hang ornaments and drape garlands. (It's best to take care of the lights beforehand.) Make sure each family provides a little something to munch on, too, like savory appetizers at one stop, steaming

Parents.com blogger and mom, Allison Winn Scotch, discusses how she's using the Penn State scandal to talk to her kids about tough topics.

By Allison Winn Scotch

Tough subject matter today. But important subject matter today too.

If there is any positive to be found in the Penn State atrocities -- which I blogged about last week -- it's that it made me realize that I need to talk to my kids about the possibility of a stranger violating them. To be honest, it hadn't occurred to me. Sure, I'd read and heard of horror stories of molestation, etc., but it hadn't really hit home that this could happen virtually anywhere (even though I understand that it can) and that it could happen to my own kids. And this weekend, as DC and I were looking online for a new sports league for him, it dawned on me that I'd be sending him out into the arms of strangers, just as the parents had done at Sandusky's foundation…and that, as delicate as the subject may be, I needed to raise it with my kids.

Now,