What a sweet picture: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees lifting his one-year-old son, Baylen, in the air following the Saints’ win in the Super Bowl yesterday.

And it warmed my heart even more to see that Mom and Dad had decided Baylen would be wearing noise-reducing headphones for the occasion.

Consumer Reports’ Tobie Stanger has a great post about this, with lots of links to info on how to protect your hearing and your kids’ hearing.  (Full disclosure: I’m the social-media reporter for Consumer Reports.)

Check out the post, then talk with your own kids about the importance of protecting their hearing. And be sure to tell them that Drew Brees is one cool dad.

I was talking with a friend who works in an orthodontist’s office recently, and the subject of retainers came up. I mentioned that Matt, my son, will get nagged to wear his retainers, which we picked up today. And then I said “but you probably hear that from all the parents, right?”

“You’d be surprised,” she said, and she went on to describe moms who say things like “Well, I can’t make her wear it. It’s her mouth.”

(Insert screeching-tire sound here.)

Wait a minute. Who’s the mom? Who’s the kid? Who is paying for those braces, that roof over the kid’s head, etc.? Who is supposed to be the mature adult who knows more and who is in charge of making good decisions for the sake of this kid’s health and future?

Do I sound a little fed up? Good.

I see so much of this in my community, and I can only assume that the “kids-in-charge” trend is spreading across the land:

“My kid will only eat fast food.”

“My three kids like three different things, so I have to make three different meals at dinner.”

“My kid won’t go to bed on time. I explain to her that she needs sleep, but she just won’t.”

Seriously?

Your kid has enough friends. He doesn’t need you to be his buddy — despite how much you don’t want him to be mad at you for acting like a parent. He doesn’t need you to never frustrate him. To tip-toe around and make three dinners every night and pay the ortho bill while that retainer sits on the bathroom counter.

He needs a parent. Be one. He’ll fuss and fight and complain. But secretly? He’ll be glad that you care enough to be the adult, the person who helps set him on the right path in life.

And when he looks in the mirror when he’s 25? He might even see straight teeth.

Just another happy family-travel pic, huh?

I remember that day.  On a family vacation, we stopped at Four Corners, the only place in the United States where four states (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado) come together at one place.

My brother and I (AKA, the hormonal pre-teen) were obviously underwhelmed and Mom had probably had it up to HERE with both of us.

Now that I’m the mother of a teenager, I crack up even more when I see this photo.

Ever wonder what your kid’s pediatrician would say if he or she had a chance to vent? I found out.

Little did I know, when I asked to interview several doctors, that they all had a mental laundry list of the things they’d like parents to know. (But they’ll never tell you to your face.)

Check out my article in Little Rock Family magazine for pediatricians’ pet peeves.

Who says we have to celebrate Valentine’s Day just on the 14th? It’s fun to find creative ways to show our kids we love them — throughout February and all year long:

°         Brag a bit. “Let your child overhear you bragging about her to your spouse, friend or relative — but make sure your other child isn’t within earshot!” suggests Carol Weston, author of Girltalk: All The Stuff Your Sister Never Told You (HarperCollins).

°         Spend time in the kitchen together. Whether you’re baking Valentine’s cupcakes with gooey pink icing or simply cutting up veggies for a Thursday-night stir-fry, include your child in age-appropriate kitchen tasks. It’s a great time to catch up with him after the school day. Older kids can cut the snow peas or man the stove, with supervision. And kids ages toddler to teen will enjoy helping you spread that icing. Don’t forget to lick the beaters!

°         Make Valentines together. A few days before the big day, visit your local crafts store and pick up construction paper, glitter pens, stickers, etc. Then sit down with your child and have some special time together, whether you’re making 30 Valentines for school or a special one for Grandma.

°         Say “I’m thinking of you.” Put fresh flowers on your child’s desk or other homework area with a note that says, “I know you had a hard day” or “I’m so proud of you!” suggests Weston.

°         Watch a Valentine-themed movie together. “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” (available on DVD) is a great one to rent. This classic and much-loved Peanuts story centers on the romantic yearnings of Charlie Brown. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Lucy tries to get Schroeder to give her a card, Sally chases after Linus and poor Charlie Brown dreams of getting just one valentine. Even Snoopy’s mailbox is stuffed with red, heart-shaped cards!

°         Go for the unexpected. “I like to surprise my kids with their favorite dessert for no reason at all. I love to see the look on their faces,” says Manhattan Beach, California mom Lina Moy.

°         Jazz up your communication. “Send your older child loving emails now and then, complete with bold or colorful letters,” suggests Weston. “Or after a big event, send an email to your child saying, ‘I didn’t want to embarrass you in public after the game, but I was sooo proud of you that I just have to gush: You were awesome out there! Four serves in a row! You’re a *star*!’”

°         Make your child the hero. Even uncles can get into the game, says W. Thomas Smith Jr. of Columbia, South Carolina. Smith once took 48 giant football cookies to the locker room after his nephew’s game. “It was a huge hit,” he says. “And Max, my nephew, got the credit ’cause I’m his uncle.”

°         Share a special family word or phrase. When my husband was a young boy, his mother would always say “See you in the morning” to him and his brother after she tucked them in at night. Now I say that same phrase to our son every night — even though he’s now 14 and taller than me! It always brings a smile — and warm thoughts of Grandma, too.

°         Add a little fun to your child’s lunchbox. “When I was young, my mom used to carve a simple face into the apple she placed in my lunch box. It looked a lot like a jack-o-lantern face,” says Sarah Doyle Lacamoire of Isle of Islay, Scotland. “I know it probably sounds silly, but just the fact that she took the extra time to do that made me feel special — and gave me a good giggle.” To add a Valentine’s twist, carve a heart on the side of a big red apple — complete with Cupid’s arrow, of course!

°         End the day with love — and a little silliness. Top off your day with a special goodnight kiss designed just for your child, suggests Susan Newman, Ph.D., author of Little Things Long Remembered: Making Your Children Feel Special Every Day (Crown). “Two pecks on the forehead, one on the nose and one on top of the head, for example, underscores how special your child is to you.”

It seems like not that long ago, my main concerns for my son were potty training and preschool. Suddenly, he’s in middle school, and time is marching forward faster than I can say “SATs, anyone?”

College costs are marching along, too—upward. And parents need to be prepared, says Ron Goldner, a fee-based financial planner with Wealth Strategies Group, Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee.

A 529 plan can help, he says. And while these are tough financial times, even a $25- or $50-per-month contribution can add up to a nice college nest egg over the years, thanks to compounding of interest.

Looking for an easy-to-understand guide to 529 plans? Check out my article over at MetroFamily magazine. To write this piece, I had to make sure I understood this whole thing myself. So I brought it down to the basics. It’s really not as intimidating as the boring term “529 Plan” would make it seem. Check it out, then pick the plan that’s right for your family. Happy saving!

We often think of distracted driving as driving while eating, putting on makeup, talking on a cell phone, etc. Driving with kids in the car can be distracting, too, according to a recent Consumer Reports* blog post, especially if there is crying, whining, or some other issue that warrants attention.

“Usually it’s either a dropped toy, needing a tissue, drink, or snack, that forces me to reach back and try to assist,” says Consumer Reports automotive writer Liza Barth.

My favorite moms and travel gurus, The Traveling Mamas, are now The Vacation Gals.

Have you checked out their new blog? Beth Blair, Jennifer Miner and Kara Williams are three professional travel writers — and moms — who share their favorite destinations for family trips, girlfriend getaways and romantic escapes. They also talk about the latest travel gear and travel news and offer great travel tips.

What I really like about the blog is that it doesn’t just cover family travel (as much as I love family travel!). They’ll also get your juices flowing for that great girlfriend getaway or a romantic weekend when Grandma’s watching the kiddos.

Very cool:  The Vacation Gals is a finalist in the 2010 Bloggies — the 10th annual Weblog Awards.

Voting takes just a minute, and it’s a great way to support your favorite blogs. (Another fave of mine, Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits, is also a finalist.) Check out all the great stuff these gals are doing, then go vote!

I love hearing about families whose kids are donating their allowance money, selling lemonade and collecting donations for relief in Haiti. Our kids need to know they can make a difference in the world, and there’s so much need right now.

To donate money to help Haiti, visit www.redcross.org, 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or mail your donation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter.

Or text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross, through an effort backed by the U.S. State Department. Funds will go to support American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

Thanks to Charlotte Reznick, PhD for sharing a timely and helpful guest post today. Reznick is the author of the L.A. Times bestseller The Power of Your Child’s Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success (Perigee/Penguin, 2009). She’s a child educational psychologist and an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology at UCLA.

The emotional effects of a large-scale crisis or disaster, such as earthquakes, riots, and terrorist events, on children can be tremendous. One of the difficulties experienced by parents is that they have not had adequate time to deal with their own reactions when they are called upon to deal with the impact of the disaster or crisis on their child.

Emotional reactions vary in nature and severity from child to child. Children’s reactions to a disaster are determined by their age, previous experiences, temperament and personality, and the immediacy of the disaster to their own lives. Parents need to be aware that children feel especially helpless when they see horrific images on TV, such as homeless, injured, or orphaned Haitian children following the earthquake. Kids also absorb worry and sadness from their parents, or from classmates who have family ties in Haiti.

Here are some tips for parents to help kids comprehend and deal with such a catastrophe:

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