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Family

Chicago youngsters turn up the heat in 'School of Rock'

When "School of Rock" took Louisville, Ky., by storm recently, 11-year-old Chicagoan Vincent Molden was leading the charge.

Family

Project fashions prom dress dreams into reality

It took Kiersten Lofton only three tries before she found her perfect prom dress: a floor-length, navy chiffon gown with a jewel-embellished halter neckline.

Family

Parents @ Play: Women's wear daily

It's been a long winter, but now that the weather is starting to warm up, we're looking forward to taking our workouts outside. Here are some of our ready-for-Spring-fitness faves.

If you're passionate about photography, you already know there are better ways to take pictures than with your phone. And if you haven't yet upgraded to a digital single lens reflex camera, what are you waiting for? The amount of control over your images you'll gain with a DSLR will be worth it. We've got four great DSLRs here for the enthusiast photographer.

Family

Living with Children: Don't go down the road of ADHD testing

Q: Our son, age 8, did fine in school in first grade, but has struggled in second. We've taken your advice and not helped much with his homework other than occasional and brief "consultations." He's making average grades but his second-grade teacher – she's fairly young, by the way – tells us that he is actually slightly behind in both reading and math. We met recently with the school counselor, school psychologist, and his teacher, all of whom recommended that he be tested for ADHD (they told us that he's easily distracted) and a learning disability. We really don't want to go down that road, but they're making it seem like that's the only responsible thing for us to do. What are your thoughts on this?

Family

Ex-etiquette: Things get rough when his daughter visits

Q: My husband and I have a yours, mine family with kids ranging from 20 years old to 4 months old. Some are out of the house, plus we have two little ones at home. My husband's daughter is 12 and lives with her mom nearly 2,000 miles away.

Family

Ana Veciana-Suarez: With age comes great wisdom, along with a need for continued independence

I may be making more of this than I should. It's probably nothing, but there it remains, a trivial thought, a burrowing disquiet that gnaws at me in unlikely moments. I suspect the concern is as common as a runny nose in kindergarten.

Family

Lori Borgman: To answer, or not to answer, that is the question

We still have a landline. Most of our friends and family routinely call our cell phones, but we keep the old landline because it makes our Wi-Fi cheaper.

Family

Chris Erskine: We can still find him in the little things

With tender hearts, we appreciate the little things more than ever. A field of wildflowers. The jewels in the trees. More than anything, I know our late son would not want us sad.

Family

Ask Mr. Dad: Walking the walk – and crawling the crawl

Dear Mr. Dad: My best friend and I have 10-month-old boys who were born only a week apart. His started walking about a month ago but mine is still crawling and has absolutely no interest in walking. I know I shouldn't compare my baby to anyone else's, but it's hard not to. Is there anything I can do encourage my baby to walk?

Family

Device advice: Which ones are best for kids?

Instead of thinking about which device is best, think through what you want your child to gain from a tech-based experience. Do you want them to learn pre-reading and math? Do you want them to mainly watch videos? Do you want something to read them stories when you're not able to?

Family

Shake up family game night with these board game hits

Level up your next game night with one of these new picks. Bonus: They're all approved by families like yours!

Family

Moms Gear: Keep your spirits lively with a hand-made healing stone mug

Looking for a unique item to add to your mug collection that can enhance that morning coffee of tea? Try a handmade Healing Stone Mug, crafted by Donna Rollins, a New Hampshire-based potter whose philosophy is that pottery is attractive not just for its beauty, but also for its energy.

Family

Game review: 'MLB The Show 18,' just misses knocking it out of the park

Parents need to know that "MLB The Show 18" is a baseball simulation that's the latest installment in the popular sports franchise. Players will have options for multiple control settings, as well as options to tweak player settings to fit personal game preferences. There's no objectionable content, although there's heavy product promotion throughout. Unlike previous years, players can't upgrade player stats directly by paying for enhancements; instead, purchased baseball packs with either earned in-game tokens or real money frequently include new baseball players and stadium cards. Players can also be exposed to inappropriate content in online games, because these matches are unmoderated.

Family

App review: Danger Mouse: The Danger Games, fun and free cartoon racer for tweens

Parents need to know that Danger Mouse: The Danger Games (TDG) is a free-to-play racing game based on the popular 2015 reboot of the 1980s "Danger Mouse" cartoon series. Though it's a multiplayer game, it contains no chat, friending, or other social aspects, and players choose from randomly-generated, G-rated user names. Optional purchases are truly optional, thanks to a generous freemium game model. While there's some violence, it's cartoonish in nature, and is no worse than characters getting bonked on the head. The app's easy-to-ready privacy policy details the kinds of information collected and shared. To read the privacy policy in its entirety, visit the developer's official website.

Family

Music program strikes the right chord in changing neighborhood

MaKhi Haynes runs his fingers down the keyboard as instructor James Shealy looks on.

Family

9 awesome apps for kids on the autism spectrum

Technology has the power to unlock learning for kids of all ages and stages. And sometimes exploring and learning on a device first is less intimidating than trying out new skills with real people. Check out these apps that help kids with communication, organization, and even social-awareness skills – and watch the video to learn more about how to choose media and tech products for kids with learning differences.

Movie News & Reviews

10 Earth Day movies that teach kids about climate change

Climate change is tough to discuss with young children, but these kid-friendly movies are an excellent way to start the conversation. Documentaries like "A Beautiful Planet" and "To the Arctic" offer elementary-aged kids a vivid window into the forces that shape the planet and give them a deeper appreciation of Mother Earth. Animated treats such as "Ice Age: The Meltdown" and "Happy Feet" are a healthy and effective way to introduce young kids to the concept of global warming. Kids of all ages can learn something and get inspired to make a change from these terrific flicks for Earth Day.

Family

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