Moms Talk: How Do You Give Graduation Gifts Without Breaking the Bank?

Post a comment to share your tips on how to buy presents during this busy party season without busting your budget.

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Birmingham Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families here in Birmingham. As high school graduations approach, many parents, friends and family members are preparing to shell out cash for those pricey graduation gifts. However, spending on graduation gifts is dropping across the country. A National Retail Federation survey estimates that Americans will spend $3.87 billion in graduation gifts this year, down from $4.5 billion in 2007. The average amount spent per graduate is $90, federation spokeswoman Kathy Grannis said. What about you? How much are …

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Moms Talk

What Do You Think of the Racial Climate in Birmingham Schools?

Three racially motivated incidents in less than two weeks have the Seaholm community reeling.

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Birmingham Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families here in Birmingham. Seaholm High School is currently investigating three racist notes discovered during the last week and a half: one written on a bathroom wall, one stuffed in a teacher's mailbox and the other found in a student locker. All three targeted African Americans. Principal Terry Piper held a special meeting for parents Tuesday night, allowing them to voice their concerns and share their children's experiences. What do you think of the racial climate at Seaholm and at Birmingham Public …

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Moms Talk

Should Birmingham Use Pesticides in City Parks?

One Birmingham mom claims the pesticides are bad for our children. Are her fears legitimate, or are the chemicals safe?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Birmingham Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Birmingham. Yesterday, we brought you the story of Heather Carmona, a Birmingham mom who's campaigning to get rid of pesticide use in city parks. As Carmona says: "Since I've reached 40 and become a mom, I'm even more aware about being the best and healthiest I can be. I focus on things I can control, like health and making sure Hope (her daughter) doesn't walk on sprayed grass." What about you? What do you think of the city using pesticides in the parks where children play and …

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Moms Talk

Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?

A BabyCenter.com report says 51 percent of moms admit to being addicted to their mobile devices. Are you?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Birmingham Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Birmingham. While some household technology, such as programming the VCR, may still be a mystery to many, for some moms, smartphones have become an indispensable tool. Well, maybe they're a little too indispensable. According to BabyCenter.com's 2011 Mobile Mom Report, 51 percent of moms say they're addicted to their smartphones.  Overall, adoption of smartphones among moms has risen 64 percent during the past two years. Moms are using their phones to keep in touch with family, friends…

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Moms Talk

What's an Appropriate April Fools' Day Joke for Kids?

Friday is April – will you be confiscating your children's tricks and gags before they go to school?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Birmingham Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Birmingham. April 1 is Friday and for many in the younger crowd, it means one thing: April Fools' Day jokes and pranks. While some parents may enjoy getting in on the fun with their kids, others may worry about the effect "harmless" tricks and pranks may have on their children or their peers. So, how do you talk to your kids about playing fun and safe pranks on April Fools' Day? Where are the limits and how old do kids need to be to recognize them? What about yourself — do you set the …

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Moms Talk

How Far Should Tough Love Really Go?

A mother made her son stand on a street corner with a sign announcing his poor GPA draped around his neck. Is this a good way to motivate children?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Birmingham Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Birmingham. This week, we have a question from from a true story about a mother in Tampa, FL, whose eighth-grade son came home with a 1.22 GPA. She made him stand on a street corner, wearing a sign that advertised his low grades and asked passing drivers to "honk if I need education." The son said he felt humiliated, but admitted he needed to work harder in school. So, does this kind of tough love really work? Or does this kind of discipline border on bad parenting?

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Tamara

12:23 am on Monday, March 21, 2011

In my experience Tough Love stinks. The only time it is effective is if your child already knows you love them more than anything in the world and would do anything for them. And then, in only very limited and well targeted instances. Without that basis, it is just making them feel more that you don't love them.   more ›

Moms Talk

How Do You Help Children Deal With Tragedy?

When a tragedy is in the news, what can parents to do help their children understand and cope with it?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Birmingham Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Birmingham. Birmingham woke up Monday morning to a terrible shock: the suicide of a Cranbrook junior. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death in adolescents, and statistics show a spike in teenage depression and anxiety in recent years. How, as parents, do you help teens deal with the stresses of the high school years? How do you recognize depression or even suicidal tendencies? And how do you talk with your children about such tragedies when they happen in their school or …

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Nancy Hanus

6:46 am on Friday, March 4, 2011

The first time my daughter showed major signs of anxiety and stress was when she was in just third grade. Her great-grandma had just died, as had a close friend and colleague that she adored, and our dog, which was around since she was a baby, died. A school counselor put it this way: There's only so much you can put in the cup before it overflows. For her, it was overflowing. And another thing …   more ›

Moms Talk

Is It Important to Send Your Child to Preschool?

Can your child go straight to kindergarten, or does he or she need schooling even earlier?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Birmingham Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Birmingham. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with a question from local mom Kathy Sullivan: Is it important to send your child to preschool? Do you even need to, or is kindergarten enough?

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