Best Of The Web: September 7-September 13

Here’s our weekly roundup of parenting articles that piqued
our interest. Enjoy! —

The first in a series of “How I Do It” essays, Kerry Lyons
writes as the mother of five (very young) children and the holder of a
full-time job—on Lisa Belkin’s Motherlode
blog. Her best piece of
advice? Treat your kids more like colleagues and clients…and the reverse! (NY Times)

Through the prism of the 9/11 anniversary, USA Today
columnist Bruce Kluger reflects on how
being a sibling is like being an American: “if there’s one thing that we as
a nation have demonstrated over the past decade, it is this very
resilience—this ability to bicker and cohere, to bellow and console, to raise
fists and join hands.” (USA Today)

One divorced father talks about spending weekends with his
girls…and overbooking them: “bowling, ping pong, basketball, swimming, ice
skating, magic show…and hula hoop lessons?” Here are six
things he learned from hula hooping. (HuffPo)

No such thing as a non-awkward
baby shower game? Babble’s Being Pregnant blog found one! (Babble)

Last week, New Jersey’s new
antibullying law took effect. Being dubbed the nation’s toughest law of its
kind, NJ is now requiring rigorous oversight and quick response mechanisms for bullying
in schools. (TIME)

The teen doctor is in. Dr. Barbara Greenberg dispenses
advice on what to do when
your teenager hates her teacher. (Psychology
Today)

Parents unite! Did you forget to take pictures on your children’s
first day of school? If so, there’s still time to catch them these first few
weeks. Follow
Lady and the Blog’s lead. (Lady
and the Blog)

A new study indicates that children who live with smokers miss
school more often than their classmates with non-smoking parents. The
reason for it? Most likely because of a higher rate of respiratory infections.
(MSNBC)

We haven’t had much time for TV lately, but this scene from Modern Family
makes us swoon. (Dooce)

When’s the last time you’ve written a poem
about your child? Arianne Segerman has us inspired with a
touching post about her son. (To
Think Is To Create)