My partner has never spent a single Christmas away from her mother.  In the contest between making my eighty-something-year old mother-in-law hate me and doing Christmas in my own preferred, low-key way...well, it was no contest.

Last month was a month devoted to promoting awareness about what Down Syndrome REALLY is. About how amazing people with that little extra chromosome are. About how we’ve spent centuries treating them as if they can’t do anything simply because they do it more slowly & deliberately. Because they look different than neurotypical people. But they’re showing us “normal” people every day that they can do far, far more than we know.

Ever since I became Leo's mom and Leo became Leo, there is one special day I look forward to, every year. It's not Christmas, as the winter holiday season trumps even summer on my family's trepidation scale. And it's not the first day of school, despite how gleefully I usher my children into their teachers' care.No, it's the day of Leo's annual birthday party. Because on that day, every year, my son gets to be his own exuberant self, unreservedly.

'Tis the season for those of us whose children tromp off to school two or three or five times a week to start thinking about the dreaded holiday teacher gifts. Why dreaded? Do we not appreciate our teachers? I know I can't speak for every parent, but I feel pretty confident speaking for most of us when I say it's really, really difficult to come up just the right teacher gift.

For those of you who have ever wondered, would Darwin take Xanax? - and I know that you're out there - there's finally an answer: no, because depression is a sign of strong evolutionary adaptation. Or something. Maybe.According to a report discussed this week in Newsweek, depression may be an "adaptation" in human beings - and, oddly, rats - that provides for selection of stronger, fitter humans:

Each week, we're sharing our favorite links from our friends at Planet Green and TreeHugger. Enjoy! Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot? Paris Hilton builds a $325 mansion...for her dogs. Here's a cheat sheet—complete with pictures!—of the world's healthiest, sustainably harvested seafood.

When we first started chatting about covering the issue of online safety, it was like stepping into the WABAC Machine. [Fellow Mr. Peabody addicts, watch here]

It’s about to be “The Holidays” and gift season is upon us. And what to get for the baby who has everything?

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.  I hope this post will provide information and facts about epilepsy, while also showcasing women blogging about life with seizures. Here are some epilepsy facts from CURE Epilepsy...

I remember when I was in elementary school, one of the highlights of the school year was our spring field trip-walking up to the Brooklyn Union Gas Company on Montague Street. The students would line up along the street facing the windows and press our noses to the glass so we could see the chicken eggs in their giant oval incubators. Some of the eggs were already broken and small baby chickens were hopping around. Others were still trying to break free from their shells and still others were just sitting there with nary a crack.

Why are the natives still so restless about adult presence on Facebook? (“Natives” are, of course, the young adults and teens Facebook was originally designed for.) You’d think they would be accustomed to our presence and fully adjusted by now. But alas, they are not. They are sensing what feels to them like a takeover. And they may be right since 35-to-54-year-olds lead the Facebook influx with a 276% growth rate this year. The second fastest growing group is 55 and older. And coming in third is the 25-to-34-year-old age group. Many young folks continue to express discomfort and disdain about, not just our presence, but how we are present.

For the past four years, the World Economic Forum has studied the gender gap - that is, the amount of resources dedicated to boys and girls and women's opportunities to fully participate in society - in over 100 countries, then ranked them. (In 2009, the Index included data from 134 nations. At least 12 of 14 indicators used for the Index must be available in order for a country to be included.) The goal, according to the 2009 Global Gender Gap Report, is: