Here's a collection of articles from South Florida Parenting that address both the important and not-so-important issues involved with raising children.

Kids really do want to help, just ask them
Extended phone conversations with my sister are extremely rare. A mother of five (ages 9, 7, 5-year-old twins and a 2-year-old), she doesn't have much time for idle chit-chat. So, when we rattled on for more than 15 minutes the other day, I assumed the kids were not at home. "No," she said. "They're all present and accounted for. Sorting laundry, dusting, setting the table and the baby's pretend vacuuming."

Practical potty training
South Florida Parenting's Toddler/preschooler Columnist answers all your questions
When she started the project, early childhood expert Karen Deerwester said she had no idea there were 200 questions about potty training.

A simple holiday
With all the preparations, parties and presents, remember that sometimes the smallest things make the best memories
The winter holidays roll in and you get to work. You bake the right cookies, buy the right gifts, attend the right parties, and host aperfectly righteous holiday feast.

Holiday Ex-Etiquette
How to find peaceful solutions within a fractured family
When a family is fractured by divorce, it creates added stress during the holidays with regard to child visitation, gift giving and attending children's programs. But it doesn't have to be that way. If divorced parents can set aside their differences and focus on communication, cooperation and compromise, the holidays can be a little less stressful for everyone. This was Ted and Linda Carlson's goal when they separated in the fall of 2002.

The Thankful Tree
My sons, ages 3 and 5, have 57 dinosaurs, 24 action heroes and 214 army men. My kids do not have more than most other children we know. I often commiserate with other moms over the growing monster that comprises their children's toys. This fiend is fed every birthday, holiday and even on an occasional grocery-shopping trip. Yikes.

Parental Guidance Strongly Suggested
How many times has this happened to you? You're in another room while your child is watching television. Suddenly they scream frantically for you to "come here, quick." You drop what you're doing and rush breathlessly to your child's rescue, only to be greeted with pleading eyes and your child's finger pointed at the next "must have" product on the television screen. If a one-minute commercial advertisement can evoke that sense of urgency, imagine the impact of the barrage of media content children are subjected to today from television shows, movies, video games and the Internet.

Why we're not reading to our kids
It's already 8:45 p.m. and you have a long way to go.

The Buck Stops Here
When Shari Graham's family embarks on a shopping trip, a battle often ensues, with her 7-year-old daughter Mackenzie aiming straight for the heart. "We'll walk into a store and she'll ask me if we can go to the toy section," says the Coconut Creek mom, who also has a 9-month-old son. "I say, yes we can look. But as soon as we get to the section, she starts with, 'I want that! Oh, can I have that? I want that Barbie.' I feel bad saying no to her."

Celebrate Family Stories: Give the present of your family's past
It's holiday time again, which means 'tis the season to spend with family. This holiday season, consider sharing the gift of family stories. While many of us know details of our family history, such as where our families originated, or our ancestors' professions, family stories are so much more. A form of virtual time-travel into the past, family stories can acquaint or reacquaint us with relatives living and dead, connecting us to our past in a way that mere facts cannot. They take us on a journey into the life and mind of both the teller and the hero of the tale. Family stories even transmit our family's values in a subtle and long-lasting way. For example, in our family, love relationships and marriage are pretty important. I guess I always knew that, but I didn't really know it. Not until I heard the following story:

Affirmative Dad: At Home Father Breaks Domestic Barrier
I have a hard time describing what I do for a living. I don't have a top-secret government job. What I do isn't technical or intricate. I just have a hard time confessing my profession. But, they say confession is good for the soul, so I might as well just come right out and say it.

Ten Tips for TV Turn Off Week
TV Turnoff Week is April 24–30. If you've never tried going cold turkey off the television for a week, then maybe now is the time to try. Why? Because television reduces the amount of time you spend interacting as a family, it may decrease your children's ability to read and succeed in school, and it contributes to obesity. According to the TV Turnoff Network, children will spend more time this year watching TV (1,023 hours) than in school (900 hours). But it's not just television. Video games, the Internet and computers in general also have increased the amount of time children spend sitting in front of a screen rather than playing and being active.

Tips to Encourage Left-Handed Children
Throughout history, left-handed people have been viewed with curiosity and apprehension.