Good job!
The scene was comical.

Leave no child inside
Playing outside seems like such a simple thing.

Growing up Green
Green seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. Readers shared on ChicagoParent.com

Going green
Recently my 7-year-old encouraged me to buy the reusable shopping bags at our grocery store.

Green kids
You can talk yourself blue in the face, begging your kids to separate the garbage for recycling

Throw an environmentally-friendly birthday party
Between paper plates, decorations, crumpled gift wrap and the newest plastic toys and electric gadgets, birthday parties have a carbon footprint that far exceeds your kid’s size fives.

Parenting on two wheels
For almost a decade, Michael Burton and Gin Kilgore have been living without a car and getting around the city

The mistakes good parents make
It’s impossible not to cringe as family therapist Michael Maniacci describes the typical parenting style:

Pediatrician pointers for parents
You wait 40 minutes to see your child’s pediatrician, only to have a short 15 minutes with him.

Tame your child inner beast
Frank is sweet and thoughtful but stands just a little too close. Susie has a wonderful laugh, but her voice is so loud

Can-do kid
Breast cancer has been a part of Jessica Brand’s life since before she was born.

Seasoned parent:
Modifying recipes has become a way of life for Shorewood mom Jodi Limacher.

Help close to home
Angela Johnson’s job is to help families in crisis find the services they need is.

Everyone’s a winner
As Zach Clark dribbles the ball down the court, his friends from the varsity football team scream "Go Zach, go."

What’s in your neighborhood?
South suburban resource guide

Confessions of a paper plate mom
I diapered my kids in thousands of disposable diapers imprinted with Barney and Disney princesses

Letters

Predator hysteriaMen needed in kids lives
Having the right to be dad
Dads important
Breaking bad stereotypes
Managing ADHD
Commenting on parenting
Easter Seals a great resource

Chicago Parent’s efforts recognized
A year ago, Chicago Parent set out to share the stories of families living in what many call a national epidemic:

The greener parent
My husband and I are environmentalists the way some people are artists or Christians or Democrats.

What kind of mother am I?
Getting into college is different these days.

It Happened to Us
Our beautiful baby girl, Candace, was born Sept. 8, 2000. My husband, Robert, nicknamed her Candy

Someone you should know
Sandra Burkhardt’s days are anything but routine. Burkhardt, a professor of psychology at Saint Xavier University,

Spring has sprung
It’s finally getting warm enough to get outside without bundling up.

Danger in the aisles
Last October, 5-year-old Gigi Zinkel of Homer Glen was accidentally pushed into a metal display hook

Taking the sting out of vaccines
For most parents, routine visits to the pediatrician for a child’s vaccination have become a game of Russian roulette,

FAB mama
As responsible parents and consumers, it’s always wonderful to find a little help in the shopping department.

Eating green can save you money
Our foremothers were "green" cooks before it was fashionable to do so—mainly out of necessity.

Second baby blues
Cradling my newborn should have brought me nothing but joy, right?

Mommy, daddy, are we rich?
My girls have asked many times, "Are we rich?" Each time, I would answer that we were very rich because we had each other

Go Green games
Celebrate Smart Money Week through these Economic Awareness Council activities and more at ChicagoParent.com

No evidence that vaccines cause autism
Recently the ABC legal drama "Eli Stone" featured an episode where a parent was suing the makers of a vaccine

Bring on the birds
From our backyards, to the forest preserves, and even the lakefront, Chicagoans are lucky to be surrounded

Mommy connections
With school programs, afternoon activities and weekend events, managing children’s schedules

Head to the moon
Kids can literally be a fly on the wall as they head to outer space with three tween-age fly stowaways on the Apollo 11.

The joke’s on us
Every year, ideas of grandiose April Fools’ pranks flow through our heads but never come to fruition.

BUILDing a future
Every Wednesday, 10 teen girls gather in West Town to piece together jewelry.

Adolescent social success
Remember those awkward days when you had trouble relating to just about everyone?

A new approach
The fact that literacy is a priority for public libraries is not unique. However a new approach the Waukegan Public Library

Go get dirty
With the temptation of TV, the computer and video games, it has become increasingly difficult to get kids to connect

Spreading the laptop love
Through the help of the One Laptop Per Child Program, it’s not hard to pass on the gift of learning to children in developing

Major reform passes Congress
Baby and kids’ products will likely be held to a higher safety standard thanks to a new bill that recently passed the Senate.

New study warns of chemicals’ potential harm
Some baby products, including lotions, powders, sippy cups and wipes, may expose babies to chemicals tied to potential

Girls who feel less popular may be more likely to gain weight
Adolescent girls who rank themselves on the lower rungs of their schools’ social ladders might be more likely to gain

Bring the world into your home
I recently asked a group of my students—all of them bright juniors and seniors at the Chicago public high school

Poems, Earth love and Horton
April 22 is Earth Day so this story could be used in connection with it.

Mystery, intrigue and spies will keep you reading
Natalie waits everyday on one corner for her bus to private school.

April 3, 2008
Get out there and play. It seemed so far away mere weeks ago, but spring has finally arrived, kind of. To celebrate, we have a few ideas to get in tune with our planet Earth and its inhabitants. From flowers to scales, we have you covered this weekend.

April 10, 2008
Get out there and play. Although you may not have a great love for scaly and slithery creatures in your house, that doesn’t mean your kids won’t enjoy seeing and touching them for a few hours this weekend at Reptile Fest, held at the University of Illinois Chicago Campus, Physical Education Building, 901 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Your kids will be able to feed, touch, hold and take photos with snakes, turtles, alligators, lizards and a few other amphibians and reptiles at this fest, hosted by the Chicago Herpetological Society.

April 17, 2008
Get out there and play. Tuesday is Earth Day, which means there will be plenty of Earth-friendly activities for your family to celebrate this amazing planet we call home. Learning about and taking care of the environment doesn’t mean you have to hug a tree—although it would be just fine with the tree if you did—but there are plenty of Earth-related crafts, hikes and other activities that will keep your family busy.

April 24, 2008
Get out there and play. Bug out this weekend as giant creepy, crawly bugs have taken over the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, for the summer. The “Big Bugs” exhibit is made up of 12 bugs—including an Assassin Bug which rises up three feet high and weighs 700 pounds. These bugs are made out of trees, which is a fantastic way to celebrate Arbor Day on Friday.