Actor, comedian and some-time eyedrop commercial maker Ben Stein, who once offered America the chance to win his money, has written a funny and telling article over at the New York Times. Most of us know by now the man who is most famous for asking over and over again, "Bueller?" is an economics genius, but did you hear what he has to say about love? Well, according to Mr. Stein, there is an economics to love, too.

Take for example what he says about junk bonds: "High-quality bonds consistently yield more return than junk, and so it is with high-quality love." I think we can all agree we've had that junk bond love experience and Ben perhaps knows what he's talking about. They're great for the short term, but they won't--and don't--last. Stein likens this to dating someone with a ton of problems and thinking you can change that person. Of course, he also notes that it's impossible to do that unless you control the market.

Stein also said something that is sure to stick, at least with me. That is that one should "fall in love in haste and depart at leisure." This means that once you've found a winner, whether in love or in a stock, that you stick with it. Commitment is everything, as is nurturing. This is true of love of and for adults, but I would bet the same is true of parenting. Fall in love with your spouse, fall in love with your children, and do everything you can to stay in love with them. Good advice? I'd say so--and take that payout to the bank.

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A recent letter from the Vice President of Communications at Nike, which was perhaps inappropriately shared, has controversy brewing. Apparently, one Amanda Miller contacted one New York Times writer Joe Nocera in an attempt to pitch him some sort of stroller. Nike Communications is a public relations firm that sells expensive stuff. Joe, and everyone else who responded in the comments section of his blog about the letter, was offended, or at least annoyed. You see, Ms. Miller referred to children as accessories. This is nothing new--people have worn their babies since, well, since they've been having them. What we carry them in, as opposed to on us, has changed, but little else.

Oh, perhaps there was a time not so long ago when women didn't really leave the house and therefore, when with child (in or out of the womb) they didn't leave either, which meant no one really saw much of children until they were working age. But now, all that has changed. Now celebrities can be seen with their spawn doing whatever it is they do when they're not busy making the millions required to purchase the kind of stroller Ms. Miller is suggesting to the tune of $1,000.

Celebrities procreate--many of them doing so two at a time--and then they show them off to the world. The question is no longer what those celebrity moms are wearing, but what their babies are IN. That's right--out with Halston, and in with the Phil & Ted's chic stroller, and their new Traveller, which is actually just a playpen. Clearly Ms. Miller should be fired. Not for attempting to sell people stuff they don't need at a ridiculous price--after all, it's a PR firm, that's what they get paid to do!--but because Joe Nocera is clearly not her target audience. I can think about at least ten people, all of them women, who would eat up the letter from Ms. Miller and barely wash it down with an iced decaf skim latte before immediately setting out to purchase one. Did I mention I live in New York City? Joe Nocera? Clearly not interested.

Stroller pic by Ed Yourdon.

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We've been taught for ages now the importance of reading to our children. From the earliest age, and even in the womb (your child can hear as soon as her ears form, even if she can't see the pictures from in the womb), parents are being instructed to read to their little ones.

Why? Well, it's supposed to make 'em smarter. Now, apparently, it makes them more tolerable nicer too. Just when you thought you couldn't possibly read Goodnight Moon ONE MORE TIME comes reason to celebrate doing so. Researchers reported to The Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology that kids whose parents gave them plenty of intellectual stimulation--that's reading to them, talking to them, etc.--during their first year of life were less likely to have behavior issues such as bullying and disobeying their parents. The study was conducted on 1,863 U.S. children and their mothers (but not their fathers, oddly enough).

Naturally, that theory only goes so far. The temperament of the child during her infant stage also plays a large part in determining how she'll be later. The actual article, however, deflects back onto the parenting skills and makes a case for giving parents the skills they need to do the job right.

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Turn off your cell phone.

Brad Pitt, who starred in tinsel town's The Mexican with Julia Roberts has allegedly contacted his former co-star to ask for some very particular advice. Pitt is due to have twins with partner Angelina Jolie in the impending weeks. Roberts has already tackled that project with twins Hazel and Phinnaeus (who are three if you can believe it!).

According to a "source" (and you know how we feel about "sources"), Brad contacted Julia to ask advice on how to deal with raising twins. The source claims Brad was "frantic," which I find hard to picture, about whether or not the rules or parenting twins are different than parenting a singleton.

The alleged response? No, it's just harder. I don't know if that is true or not--I think it depends on how you look at it. I know several couples who had twins and they've said since they never had kids before (the twins were their first) it wasn't any different or any harder because they had nothing to compare the experience to. Brad and Ange, however, already have a brood going with daughters Shiloh and Zahara and sons Pax and Maddox.

Julia Roberts(click thumbnails to view gallery)

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As an elementary teacher, I get lots of the same kinds of questions from parents every year, and all of them fall into ghe general category of "How can I help my child to do his or her best in school." With Smart Start I'll be adressing a frequently asked issue realting to education. Feel free to respond in the comments with other questions you may have. My goal is to provide you with answers, tips, and insights to help you support your child as a learner at every stage.

Where I live, the air is fragrant with flowers and newly cut hay right now. It is July, and officially summer. Summer in a child's mind is a time of adventure and family, of lazy mornings and lazier afternoons.

But summer also marks the beginning of an important time in your child's academic career: a time of maintaining skills and progress. Children who do not spend time reading over the summer often show significant losses in their reading skills at the start of the new school year, and boys, specifically find it challenging to sink into a good book over the summer months.

Young boys who have just started reading chapter books often struggle with finding books that engage them. Many tend to prefer nonfiction texts or comics: stuff with a wow-factor and humor rather than character development and plot. Boys are often inclined to put the book down mid-way through and zip off to something more engaging if the book hasn't fully drawn them in, and nonfiction reading or comics caters to this style of reading.

But strong comprehension strategies are built and sustained by reading fictional chapter books that require readers to keep track of characters, monitor plot changes, make predictions, and build on prior knowledge. And it's a worthy summer cause to try and find at least one or two chapter books that belong to a series that your son likes, so that he can practice and build on some of these important reaching comprehension skills.

Summer reading for boys ages 6-9(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Diplomats in Geneva recently set new limits on the amount of certain kinds of bacteria allowable in baby formula as well as the level of natural toxins in some types of nuts. They also tackled the amount of gluten permissible in products labeled 'gluten-free.' The safety standards will apply to all internationally shipped foods.

The outcome of the standards is to hopefully affect hygiene practices and therefore reduce the amount of contamination of two kinds of bacteria in powdered formulas which have been known to cause illness and death in infants. Foods labeled gluten-free would not be able to contain more than 20 milligrams of gluten per kilogram, nor could they contain wheat, rye, barley or oats. Regulations were also set for the amounts of aflotoxins in almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios. Aflotoxins are known carcinogens in lab animals.

Over 170 countries claim membership to The Codex Alimentarius Commission responsible for making these decision, which also includes the European Union. Other topics for consideration are frozen foods, flavoring, tomatoes (no surprise there given the United States' recent issues with them) and mineral water.

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It's officially summer. To me that means long evenings, watermelon and picnics. Preferably watermelon served all day at the picnic and into the long evening. While I never grow tired of picnic food--burgers, potato salad and pasta salad come to mind--by the end of the summer many people do. The Minimalist over at the New York Times has compiled a list of 101 ideas to ratchet your picnic dining experience up a notch. I was interested enough in trying something new to give the menu a glance, but my critical eye looked for easy, simple recipes and ingredients I'd be able to both pronounce and unearth at a local supermarket while still tending to my number one job, being a mom.

Some of the recipes are familiar or simple enough. Make egg salad and add curry powder to make curried egg salad. That sounds yummy. If I had kids old enough to eat egg salad they might freak out though. The cornflake chicken bites seem more the kid-speed. If you're going to take the time to make fried chicken you might as well throw cornflakes on it and make it bite-sized for your little ones. I would definitely give that one a try. Other recommendations include some that can be store-bought, which is simpler and easier if not cheaper. My aunt never arrives to any event without a deli-bought relish tray. Does it really make a difference if she or someone else is cutting up the vegetables? I don't think so--they crunch just the same.

The 101 ideas provide something for everyone and some recipes are easy enough to make, to modify or to buy at the store. That makes for a good picnic. The kids might be confused by the non-picnic basics though. Worst case scenario? Make some of these for the adults and stick with the hotdogs and burgers for the kids. But perhaps try to get them to try some egg salad with curry in it, just for fun. Jsut don't forget the watermelon.

What about you? Any great ideas for a little something different at the picnic that even the kids will enjoy?

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Sound good? It is. Still, the new concept has some consumers fuming, or at least perplexed. The problem with the new milk jug is that it SPILLS. Kids drink more milk than anybody, and this new design, being favored by places like Wal-Mart and Costco, which is becoming more available by the day, is not easy to use.

Kids have trouble pouring anyway, but the new milk jug, so foreign in its design to many, makes that simple task more manageable. Some sellers have taken it upon themselves to educate consumers on the how-to, to make pouring from the jug easier. Folks still are a little unnerved by the square shape of the jug--and they're not convinced the same old milk is in there. I had the same problem with Parmalat. Now I love it, but it was hard getting used to it at first.

What about you? Had any experience with the new milk? And???

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Back in the days before Eve Ensler, the word 'vagina' was the verboten V-word. Now, it seems, there is another V-word on the horizon that people -- well, guys -- refuse to discuss, let alone think about: the vasectomy. Women have long-regarded the vasectomy as an easier, safer way toward permanent birth-control. Well, it's semi-permanent, actually, because it is a reversible procedure. Men regard it as little more than butchery. Women could get their tubes tied, the men say. Men could wear a condom, the women say. Men say that would reduce their feeling. Women say, well, tough!

But what about the vasectomy, really? Modern medicine would say it is a simpler and safer procedure than tubal ligation. It's also cheaper. There's also a new non-scalpel version on the market (my husband says don't even think of mentioning the words 'scalpel' and 'penis' in the same sentence; it turns him green). The result of unwanted pregnancy after a vasectomy is also low at 1 in 1,000.

It's also a procedure no one is really using. Why? Well, there is the obvious concern that my husband put so well. Then there are the myths that having a vasectomy reduces testosterone, etc. that still float around us like so much hot air. There's also the fear of having a needle stuck in one's weewee, which has been replaced by jet-powered anesthesia.

What about your family? Once you reached the optimal number of children (or no children!) what method of birth control did you or are you employing? Was vasectomy an option, or was it verboten?

Pic by Marshall Astor-Food Pornographer.

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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have donated $1,000,000 to charities in Iraq and the United States. Through their Jolie-Pitt foundation, the power couple's donations will focus on the needs of children affected by the war.

$500,000 was given to three charities in Iraq to support children's education. Another $500,000 was donated to give aid to children whose parents were killed in the war or who have a parent in the military. The $1,000,000 will provide educational supplies and counseling to children.

Jolie is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations. Pitt has made a name for himself building homes for those devastated by the flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It's nice to continutally be able to report on celebrities doing GOOD! Thanks, Ange and Brad!

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Time Magazine recently interviewed an editor-at-large from popular magazine Psychology Today. The topic? Children, and whether or not we're turning our kids into wimps. Hara Estroff Marano, the interviewee, had much to say on the subject of children, and how we raise them. Marano, who is also a grandmother and author of a new book titled A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting, says we are turning our kids into wimps. She says we need to let our kids have bad experiences as it's the only way they learn.

Marano pointed out her research on the college campus, noting that her colleagues commented that many of the students they were treating lacked coping skills. Says Marano, "...they have no idea how to manage the vicissitudes of life." Why has this happened? Well, according to Marano we're worried about our kids being successful. We push them too hard to achieve, and we worry more about branding than experience, focusing on sending them to the best schools, etc., when perhaps the brand name of Harvard or Yale is not what they need. Access to information through the Internet makes everything fleeting and transitional and ultimately obsolete before we can even understand it fully.

Marano also argues, along with much of our nation, that our children are being over-medicated and that play time is not valued as it should be. And, shocker, she feels we're too involved in every aspect of our children's lives. So how to deal? Well, according to Marano, we need to step back, let kids prove their competence, let them play, and make sure we eat together five times a week. I don't know if doing these things will save our kids from being wimps, or if they're wimps in the first place, but she does provide an interesting perspective.

Your thoughts? Do you think we overprotect our children and undervalue their ability? Or is that what it takes to get through this crazy modern world?

Pic by summitcheese.

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A recent New York Times article calls attention to a humorous bumper sticker: "I'm spending my children's inheritance." While that sentiment may be a funny one, it turns out to be true in more ways than we know. Our parents, who may have had something to give us at one point, are now spending what they once might have earmarked for us. And it's a trend we'll probably be continuing with our own children. Never mind the Paris Hiltons of the world, who are sure to inherit a fortune if not the earth itself. What about the rest of us? The economy is tanking, and there's no quick financial solution to that. Those of us with retiree parents are finding our parents need what they have just to contend with inflation.

Many parents are doing what my grandparents made a veritable hobby of years ago. They give away their furniture, jewelry and other assets while they're still alive. According to the AARP, 21% of folks interviewed who were born after 1964 thought they'd receive an inheritance, not Grandma's fiesta ware. So what stops the inheritance buck here? Things like the fact that people are living longer than ever, that social security is dwindling and will probably end, that medicare stinks and will probably get worse. Fewer people have pensions and more of them have soaring healthcare costs. All of this and more contributes to a lack of inheritance.

As for me, I'm probably never going to make any money any way, so I won't have anything but a wiener dog and an old Honda CRV to pass on to my kids. I will try to instill in them to instead save, save, save. The American dream is capitalism, and the old American way used to be inheritance. The new American way is to save--because no one is going to do it for you. And while I may not be able to pass on any money to my kids, I've made sure my husband and I won't be passing on any debt either.

What about you? Do you have an inheritance coming, or do you plan on setting one up for your children?

Pic by Tracy O.

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Let's face it--the economy stinks. Or, maybe, we never had any money anyway. Still, we love dad and want to get him something special--or at least useful and not (too) gimmicky--for Father's Day. We don't have the money for the new watch he deserves or the new car he could really use (to haul us around in to our various activities). So, what can we get him that will show him how much we love and appreciate him and that's not another tie or t-shirt without breaking the piggy bank?

Wayne Parker over at About.com has some ideas for frugal--not cheap--Father's Day gifts. I appreciate the fact that this list was compiled by a man. Not that a woman couldn't pick out just the thing for her baby daddy, but there is something appealing about the idea that this man would recommend and possibly actually want--let alone approve of--these choices. I especially like the notion of the baseball cap organizer--I know a dad (massive Angels fan) who could use one of those. Also fun and unique was the secret safe. Who would have thought? My only assumption is that the safe isn't big enough for certain kinds of videos or magazines, but rather for extra car keys and the like. Depends on the dad, I suppose.

Other ideas include buying dad a DVD of one of his favorite movies or TV shows, or perhaps getting him a subscription to his favorite magazine (but not the kind that would go in the secret safe). Honestly, some dads might prefer a gift certificate to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or wherever they get their morning coffee/tea. If dad is athletic, sports socks are actually a good gift--they're not cheap, they're very comfortable and they will be used. Pair them with some wrist sweat bands and you're good to go. Get dad a new water bottle to take with him--just make sure it's free of bisphenol-A.

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