By Alicia Harper, REDBOOK

A few months ago, I found myself at perfume release party at a swanky venue on Manhattan's Lower East Side. It was for a freelance assignment, and I needed to write about the perfume and the event afterwards. I left my office in Midtown East at 6:00 p.m. and zipped across town to make it to the event by the time it started at 6:30.

As I stood among other media personnel with a cocktail in my hand, I found myself talking about my day job (a Socio-emotional Counselor/ Educational Specialist for teens in foster care). One of the ladies turned to me and said, "You have the best of both worlds. You get to do what you love during the day… and in the evenings. You figured it out!"

Related: 3 Women Who've Learned to Be Happy Living on Less Money

On the subway ride home, I got to thinking. Let's see: motherhood + one full time job + several freelance gigs + a social life = err, anyone have a calculator so that I can tally all of this up?

By GalTime Teen Parenting Expert, Barbara Greenberg, PhD

Is spanking dangerous?

An article published in the July journal Pediatrics has parents all over buzzing about whether or not to spank their kids.

The findings of this major study indicated that physical punishment during childhood is associated with mental health issues such as anxiety,depression, and even substance abuse in adulthood.

No kidding. Being spanked or hit by parents can lead to nothing good except perhaps a temporary feeling of power and control. Yes, I am totally against any form of spanking, hitting, pushing, or shoving your kids, even when they are behaving badly. This viewpoint is not just because physical punishment is associated with a more difficult and painful adulthood.

Let me explain myself a little more with 5 points that will hopefully bring you over to my side of the fence on this issue:

1. Hitting your kids makes a distressing situation even more upsetting. Please tell me when spanking ever made your

Between Shades of GraySo, your kid has heard about Fifty Shades of Grey, and they've been pestering you for weeks about reading it, huh? Your answer is entirely up to you. But here's a little trick that could get you a little more time to think about it ... and get them some education too.

More from The Stir: 6 Great Children's Books Written By Celebrities

Hand them a copy of Between Shades of Gray instead. Then stand back and let literacy work its magic. So what is this? Another novel in the E.L. James canon about sexy billionaire Christian Grey and submissive Anastasia Steele? It certainly sound like it, doesn't it? But nope, this is something even better.

The book by Ruta Sepetys is perfectly clean. In fact, despite its similar title and a host of people who have apparently stormed Sepetys' book signings because they had confused it for the popular erotic series, Between is actually the opposite of the E.L. James book.

It's written FOR kids. Shelved in the YA section of your local

sexting teens

A recent study found that 28 percent of all teens text fully nude photos of themselves, and 77 percent of the girls and 82 percent of the boys who had admitted sexting were no longer virgins. We parents thought phone cameras were used for sending photos of our babies and Instagraming our dinner. We completely forgot that those babies grow up and might think nothing of electronically sending, or posting online, nude or semi-nude images of himself or herself. WHAT? Damn you technology. We've come full nude circle.

More from The Stir: Stranger Danger Tips for a Technological World

As the mother of little girls, this scares the hell out of me. Technologically advanced children have become accustomed to instant gratification. Teens get caught up in a moment; pose, click, send. Poof! Within seconds, that same photo is on FB, Twitter, Instagram, in an email or a sext sent to some unrequited love interest. A nude photo of himself or herself is out there forever. Forever,

By GalTime Teen Parenting Expert, Barbara Greenberg, PhD

Parents need 'me' time, too!

Whenever I am on a plane I am reminded of the importance of the need for parents to take care of themselves in order to be the best possible parents to their kids.

I listen to the safety instructions, which include reminding parents to take oxygen first in the event of an emergency before they give oxygen to their children. You see a parent who lacks enough oxygen can't possibly be in the best possible position to take good enough care of their kids.

I love this analogy and have used it hundreds of times in my work with parents to reinforce the need for parents to take good care of themselves. As we all know, many parents feel guilty taking care of themselves and feel that every drop of their energy should be poured into taking care of their kids needs.

I, too, remember, as a young mother of a toddler getting some secret satisfaction from feeling tired and sometimes even exhausted. What it meant to me was

Mama Phelps with her son.My heart leapt with joy when I read this TODAY.com interview with Debbie Phelps, mother of America's Favorite Swimmer, Michael Phelps. In it, she talked about the importance of backing off as a parent, even when your kid shows Olympic talent.

"Children have to do what they enjoy," Debbie told TODAY.com. "You have to let your kids find what's best for them and what their own niche is."

When the mother of a 14-Olympic-medal-winner says, "Don't push your kid in sports," I'm thinking that's pretty good advice.



Related: 20 things you need to know to be a good sports parent

"Letting kids find what's best for them" is one of the messages of my book Minimalist Parenting (the manuscript for which my co-author Christine Koh and I just turned in to our editor HOORAY). Most kids won't grow up to be Olympic athletes, but most will grow up to face a challenge - be it sports-related, job-related, or family-related - that will require strength and determination to handle. The best shot at success

4 Sweet Summer Treats for Your Baby
Whether it be a family reunion, birthday party or BBQ, food is such a huge part of summer celebrations. From pies and corn on the cob to fresh salads and veggies, there is plenty for everyone to sink their teeth into. But what about our little family members without teeth? You know, those pint-sized cuties who love to sport their shiny gums or, if they are lucky, 2-4 pearly whites? From 6 months and on, most babies are beginning to experiment with a variety of different foods and flavors. All three of my children had different tastes and preferences, however they were all intrigued and eager to try anything that was bright, beautiful and pleasing to the eye. Here are four of my favorite healthy treats that add a boost of nutrition with a whole lot of flavor. They also add a nice pop of color to their dish.





Berries

1. Berries
Two of my sons' all-time favorite foods together in one bowl = heaven. Blueberries and raspberries are nice and soft, making them perfect for babies. Just

When do you tell people you're pregnant?

I know that some people (women and men) are bursting to tell people the MOMENT they find out that parenthood is in their immediate future. They're the ones sending out text messages or emails or making phone calls ten minutes after the pregnancy test shows two lines/plus-sign/"Pregnant"/whatever your pregnancy test uses to indicate a positive result.

I am not that person.

With my first pregnancy, my husband and I told no one (except when I called at 8 weeks to make a doctor's appointment) until I was 12 weeks along. This time, we waited until 13 weeks to tell family and friends (although I did tell my optometrist when I was 6 weeks along because he asked if I was noticing any changes in my vision and vision-changing is a big old pregnancy symptom for me, which is just terrific since what my horrible eyesight needs is even MORE shifting and blurriness).

Related: 12 things every mom-to-be should have in her hospital bag

We don't keep it a secret because we are