A random collections of blog posts, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.

Hands-Free Mamma: Loving a Child Through The Challenges of Life

Whole Health Designs: Starbucks is Why You’re Fat (harsh, but true)

House of Joyful Noise: Adorable Stretch Jewelry for Little Girls (oh…we will be making some of these!).

Penn State Live: Time With Parents Is Important for Teens’ Well-Being

CNN Living: Going Public With Depression (This explains a few things about a few people I have known.)

New York Times: Raising the Ritalin Generation (Seriously, medicating our kids to “behave” is a serious problem. Perhaps kids just learn differently.):

If “accelerated” has become the new normal, there’s no choice but to diagnose the kids developing at a normal rate with a disorder. Instead of leveling the playing field for kids who really do suffer from a deficit, we’re ratcheting up the level of competition with performance-enhancing drugs. We’re juicing our kids for school.

We’re also ensuring that down the road, when faced with other challenges that high school, college and adult life are sure to bring, our children will use the coping skills we’ve taught them. They’ll reach for a pill.