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In the Martin household, last Christmas Eve was typical, for a family with two children under six. Marci and Dan got the kids to bed as early as they could manage- which really wasn't early at all, considering all that pre-school adrenaline pumping at the thought of actually catching Santa in the act of dropping down the chimney. Then the young parents spent the next three hours assembling dollhouses and bicycles, installing batteries in video consoles, pushing their inquisitive dog, Jazzy,...

You got up at 5:30, just so you could have a few quiet minutes to slap yourself together and down a cup of coffee, before waking the kids and waging the morning wars: Getting them dressed, fed, gathered and off to school. You got to work, miraculously smiled your way through the day, then rushed to soccer practice, arriving just in time to fulfill your duty as today's end-of-practice carpool mom.

By the time you get all the other kids home, and finally head back to yours, the sun is s...

You really lucked out, in the child lottery, didn't you? Just look at her, that daughter of yours. She's beautiful, obviously-everybody says, she's going to have movie star looks, when she grows up. She's healthy-just the usual childhood illnesses, and she's in the ninetieth-percentile of height, for her age. It goes without saying that she's smart-she was the best thing in the kindergarten Thanksgiving pageant last year, (O.K., so she flubbed a couple of lines; at least you could hear he...

According to some polls, upwards of 40 percent of Americans purchase video games to give as gifts during the Christmas holiday season. Clearly, these items are hot commodities.

But not all video games are appropriate for children, which is why a rating system, similar to movie and television program ratings, is utilized by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). This system lets parents know which games contain adult content and which games are appropriate for little ones.

Your five-year-old's at that stage-you know the stage-where he's discovered his own brain. And he realizes that the world around him is full of stuff he doesn't understand. But, like the genius you hoped he'd be, he sees no reason why he shouldn't know everything there is to know-today. And naturally, he expects you, since you're older, presumably wiser, and the donor of half his DNA, to explain everything to him. Today.

You faked your way through the explanation of why leaves chang...

Santa's elves make all kinds of toys at the North Pole. From lavish electronic devices to simple board games, those in St. Nick's employ are a versatile group. Unfortunately, however, not all toys are safe for all age groups. In fact, children under three or four years of age are particularly prone to choking on small objects (they put everything in their mouths!). For this reason, it's imperative that parents of tots in this age group closely monitor what Santa places in the stocking and und...

The popular saying goes like this: "Breaking up is hard to do." Yet, when it comes to marriage in the U.S., a large percentage of us do it. Divorce, however unpleasant, is commonplace in today's society, and dealing with it during the holidays is a fact of life with which adults and children alike must deal.

A divorce - especially a fresh one - can be particularly trying during the holidays. The Yuletide season is one of giving and family, and the dissonance of a divorce can greatly thr...

Each and every Christmas season we deck the halls with boughs of holly. We put up and decorate Christmas trees. We sing Christmas carols and make eggnog. We bake Christmas cookies and make peanut butter fudge. We buy, wrap and exchange gifts. We roast chestnuts. We build a snowman and name him Frosty.

And we hang mistletoe, then loiter beneath it hoping for a kiss. But this plant is more than a kissing enticer. In fact, it may well one day spread more Yuletide cheer than any lip-lock c...