Our Favorite Parenting Stories Of The Week

The consequences of having a favorite child—what can happen if you admit it publicly and the mental health effects of being cared for by less-favored children. (Slate)

When Beth Bernstein broke up with her boyfriend, she wanted to keep seeing his children. If it’s what everyone wants, is it okay for an ex-girlfriend to keep visiting? (Babble)

Check out this quick and simple video by Kin Community, an online group of women who record YouTube vids for tips on style, food, and DIY. This one shows you how to whip up some homemade popcorn for after-school snacks. Yum! (YouTube)

Nameberry releases their list of top 20 unusual baby names gaining popularity this year. The results may surprise you! (Huffington Post)

Megan Fox, Claire Danes, Gisele Bunchen, and Drew Barrymore are just some of this week’s featured pregnant ladies of Hollywood. (JustJared)

In parenting, there are no easy answers, especially when it comes to dealing with loss. Read one mom’s tips on how to help your children cope. (ABC News)

In the months before he passed away, Jim Flanagan, gifts his grandchildren with one last letter, full of lessons for a life well lived. (Huffington Post)

After Congress-approved calorie limits on school lunches went into effect last month, kids are complaining of mid-day hunger. Could the solution be more snacking? (ABC News)

Apparently Ben Affleck “excels” at girlie things, especially tea parties with his daughters, Jennifer Garner admitted on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” (People)

Reese Witherspoon welcomed her third child on Thursday. Both mom and baby boy are healthy. Tennessee James Toth is the first child for Witherspoon and husband Jim Toth. (E! Online)

Retired military leaders are taking up arms against childhood obesity. Mission: Readiness, the group of retired generals and admirals, aims to get rid of junk food in school vending machines. (USA Today)

New online privacy rules to protect children in the U.S. are expected within weeks. One of the rules suggested by the Federal Trade Commission would require parental consent before children under 13 could upload personal information to certain websites. (New York Times)

Cells from fetuses can stay in the mother’s body for years and can even migrate into the mother’s brain, according to new findings. It remains unclear whether these cells are helpful or harmful. Who knew? (Huffington Post)

Have you heard of any of these children’s books by renowned authors such as James Joyce, Mark Twain, and Virginia Woolf? Neither had we! (Brain Pickings)

Bullying has received enormous attention as of late. But what if your child’s tormentor is not the stereotypical tough kid, but his or her best friend? (Huffington Post)

Baby Bjorns are everywhere! Not only are they all over the streets, through a savvy product placement strategy, they are unavoidable on screen as well. (New York magazine)

New York Society of Play Summer Camp and Classes

Summer Game Camp There are many who do not feel safe sending their children back out into the world with summer camp, this year. To serve those parents and keep the children connected and stimulated during this challenging time, we are offering NYSP Digital Summer Camp. The name of the game with NYSP Summer Camp is community. We have made a large effort to make our camp feel like a living space, with features including &ndash; - Role-Playing games familiar and new, led by our master storytellers! - Enriching electives such as Chess, World Building, Character Acting, Crafts, Drawing, and more! - Discussion and media screening rooms during lunch! - A digital campus! - Moderated chat hours! &nbsp; Join us for a summer of games, friends, and more! Mon - Fri 10am - 2:30pm &nbsp; Roleplay Expeditions: Dungeons &amp; Dragons No experience is required to join one of our Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our game masters have pre-made character sheets, so you'll be able to start playing the game right away! We adapt the rules of traditional Dungeons &amp; Dragons to make them more approachable to children of various ages. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop!&nbsp; &nbsp; Public games meet once per week, with different groups every time. Private games meet 1 to 2 times per week with the same group of kids. Since the players and the storyteller in the group are consistent, this enables us to tell epic tales of adventure together! &nbsp; Dungeons &amp; Dragons Junior No experience is required to join one of our drop-in Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our Dungeons &amp; Dragons Jr. game provides a D&amp;D storytelling experience without character sheets. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop! A great way to introduce young children to D&amp;D so they can eventually move onto the main game.

Athletic Association of Yorkville Youths

Serving the families and children of NYC for over 50 years with high-quality recreational activities that foster life-lessons which empower young people to succeed beyond sports. Our programs encourage positive attitudes and growth through teamwork and sportsmanship, attendance, fair play, respect, hard work, integrity and fun. Your child can participate in clinics and leagues in such sports as baseball, basketball, flag-football, lacrosse, soccer, hockey, wrestling, track, and tennis. We also offer weekly dodgeball tournaments, drama and musical theater workshops, and after school programs.

Brooklyn Robot Foundry - Virtual Classes

Brooklyn Robot Foundry offers super fun online robot-building classes for children 2-13 years old!&nbsp;&nbsp;Each week, students are introduced to new engineering concepts and components while building that day&rsquo;s robot in their own &ldquo;workshop&rdquo;.&nbsp;&nbsp;All classes maintain a very low student-to-teacher ratio, allowing for plenty of individualized instruction and socializing. The supplies are shipped in advance and classes are led by amazing instructors, taking all the pressure off parents.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Foundry&rsquo;s main focus however, is that kids have fun, get creative, and enjoy being part of this STEAM-loving community!&nbsp;