Blog Posts by Parents.com

Follow our foolproof plan to get a modern, delicious turkey dinner for eight on the table -- and look relaxed the entire time.

By Jennifer Iserloh

Even if you've never made a turkey or only have one child-free arm to stir the gravy, our step-by-step plan will make you seem like a Thanksgiving pro. The secret: Prep most of your dishes the day before the meal so you can focus your energy on the turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Our delicious menu feeds eight adults and a couple of young kids, but feel free to buy a bigger turkey and double the side dishes if your family is larger. Then gobble up all the compliments!
Make grocery shopping a snap. Click here to see our organized list.

The Day Before: Make the Cranberry Sauce
A little balsamic vinaigrette gives great flavor to this sauce. Whip it up today right in the serving bowl you plan to use, and tomorrow you'll only have to take it out of the fridge. Another reason to start with cranberry sauce: You'll need a cup for the Thanksgiving

From acupuncture to yoga, our experts weigh in on so-called natural fertility treatments.

By Donna Christiano

Seven million women of reproductive age have undergone fertility treatments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Acupuncture, hypnosis, and other complementary therapies are touted as an alternative to costly, high-tech fertility treatments--but do they really work? Although there isn't any conclusive research on the topic, some experts say they're worth a shot. "Personally, I think the best way for women with fertility issues to increase the chances of conceiving is an integrative approach," says Alice Domar, Ph.D., executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Waltham, MA. "If you have a medical problem, seek medical help. But if these alternative therapies can help your mental state, I say they're worth doing."

To avoid a scam, ask your doctor to recommend a qualified practitioner for the therapy you'd like to try. Here, we

Parents.com blogger and new dad, Nick Shell, shares how his priorities have changed since becoming a father.

By Nick Shell

After becoming a dad last year, I quickly learned that certain things in my life which were previously important had become nearly irrelevant. The funny thing is, I'm so used to my new state of normalcy that I actually forgot that at one point these things even mattered at all. So to celebrate my recent maturity as a dad and as a human being, I now share the top seven things I stopped caring about when I became a dad.

1. Drool: Today at work I looked down at my jacket and saw what appeared to be dried slobber. It's amazing how much I didn't care. Maybe there's something about changing so many diapers in those first couple months that caused me to not even think twice about something as harmless as a little bit of baby drool -- whether it's wet on my hand or dried on my clothing.

2. Sleep: At this point, my son sleeps from 7PM until 6:30 AM every day; but I'm so

Mental health experts are debating whether extreme temper tantrums and irritability should be considered a psychological disorder.

By Richard Rende

There is debate swirling around a proposed new diagnostic category in child psychiatry: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder or DMDD. The online conversations illuminate a phenomenon that makes me worry: when parents and clinicians can't control a child's behavior, there is a tendency to diagnose a disorder, and then use the diagnosis to justify medication.

Look, I sympathize with every parent who has difficulties in managing their child, especially one who is highly irritable and has extreme outbursts and tantrums (which is the territory of the DMDD label). The reality is that some kids are much tougher to parent than others. I also understand the frustrations of practitioners who find that conventional behavioral treatments are not as effective as we'd like them to be for some kids. And I fully get that some kids do benefit from

Parenting can have a huge impact on friendships. But you can maintain your bond -- with some insight into the childfree point of view.

By Jillian Mackenzie

My boyfriend and I don't know yet if we're going to have children -- but over the last few years, the majority of our friends have taken the plunge. During that time, I've learned a few things about how to keep friendships strong when you don't have parenthood in common. Here are 10 things not to say to your friends who don't have children.

1. "When will you finally have kids?"
Once you have offspring, you want your friends to share the experience. But please don't loudly ask this question across the table at Thanksgiving dinner or at a baby shower. Although many people are happy to be childfree or waiting, the situation may be more complicated. A friend could be facing infertility, in the agonizing position of having a spouse who doesn't want children, or otherwise in a complex struggle over the issue. Bring it up privately with

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. The CDC estimates that 1 in 691 babies are born with Down syndrome each year, in which a baby is born with an extra chromosome (47 instead of 46), an occurrence that results in mental and physical challenges. Amy Julia Becker's daughter was one of those 691 babies. Read about Becker's parenting experiences with three children, one of whom has Down syndrome, below.

By Amy Julia Becker

When our daughter Penny was diagnosed with Down syndrome two hours after she was born, I immediately worried about her future, her health, our ability to take good care of her, and our community's willingness to accept her. I thought my world would shrink into a closed room with four walls labeled disability, special needs, developmental delays, and early intervention. But by the time she was one year old, I wanted to introduce her to strangers on the street so that they could share in her infectious smile and ready wave. I'm only five years into

We gave 150 of the largest cities a checkup, and found that these park-filled, low-crime towns are golden.

By Karen Cicero

Who hasn't rolled her eyes at her kid's school-lunch menu or thought twice about drinking her town's tap water? Parents gave 150 of the nation's largest cities a checkup, examining 40 criteria to see which ones are making your family's well-being a top priority. We were looking for schools that have frequent gym classes, kid doctors and specialists galore, businesses that don't pollute, parks in every neighborhood, and more. Check out these ten healthy havens.

1. San Francisco
The City by the Bay rose to the top of our list in part because of its gutsy moves to bring healthier foods to schools. San Fran booted soda and high-fat, empty-calorie food out of its schools in 2004 (five years before the state did) and was one of the first places in the country to push for school gardens. Salad bars -- stocked with California-grown produce and whole-grain breads --

Don't let your kids drag their feet about doing household chores. Instead, inspire them to make the dull routines enjoyable and entertaining.

By Christine Carter

The best way to inspire kids is to work with their natural, intrinsic drive to be productive -- even creative -- contributors to the household. Kids will feel like they are a part of something larger than themselves. "Here's why household chores are good for kids," writes Dan Pink, author of Drive. "Chores show kids that families are built on mutual obligations and that family members need to help each other." Here are five ways to activate your kid's natural drive to get chores and other boring tasks done.

Download Chore Charts

Make It Playtime
Turn "kitchen time" into a dance party. Appoint one child to be a chef and another to be a DJ. The chef chooses what she would like to help make for dinner, such as a simple salad or mashed potatoes. The DJ chooses what appropriate dance tunes he'd like to include on a playlist.