There are few feelings more powerless for a parent than finding your child in a bullying situation.  It is heartwrenching, for both parent and child.  And though the profile of the bullying issue has been gradually raised over the last several years, it's still a situation that often leaves parents and kids wondering what to do next.

The back-to-school adjustment always takes me a little by surprise each August. I think, with hope, that we might slide back in to our normal school routine a little more easily than we did the year before. But then reality hits.

What do you think of when someone mentions school lunches? The first word that comes to my mind is...Yuck.

"Teachers, I believe, are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth."--Helen Caldicott

When the kids go back to school, the germs go back to working overtime. How long does your child have to be back in school before he or she brings a boat-load of viruses home to the family? Have you already had the pleasure? I have. Do you think there is a connection between kids being in school and your family getting sick? Do you think children are exposed to too many germs when they are at school? Do you wish you could minimize your child's exposure to germs? Here are a few of the facts about germs and your child's classroom.

Far be it from me to disabuse people of the tears they shed on the first full-day of Kindergarten. As I exited my children's elementary school today, coincidentally with numerous parents of five and six year olds (and a tiny number of "young fives" who have until Sept. 30 to stop being four), several friends of mine looked anxious, with that expression that makes you ask, "Are you okay????" To which every single one of them (in truth, three) replied, "Oh, yeah. It's the first day of Kindergarten."

Back-To-School Savings As Easy As 1-2-3 August is here, and families across the country are taking advantage of tax-free holidays to get a head start on their back-to-school shopping. Soon the kids will be bringing home another “must have” list from each of their teachers -- markers, pens, paper, notebooks, calculators, and of course, that essential outfit of the season. With back-to-school purchases adding to existing gas, grocery and other non-discretionary expenses, the family budget often feels a real pinch.

Plug "kindergarten readiness" into your favorite search engine, and you'll discover a veritable industry of products and programs aimed at testing and preparing children to enter kindergarten. Clearly, parents are anxious about children's ability to succeed in kindergarten. The level of anxiety, however, seems to have increased lately.