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Internet privacy has been a hot button topic recently. From controversies surrounding the National Security Agency’s surveillance of Internet usage and emails to the monitoring of our shopping habits by retailers (new merchandise return tracking enhancements has this chronic returner hanging her in head in shame), we often feel like we have eyes on us everywhere we go.

While we’re concerned about our own privacy as adults, the thought of someone snooping on our little ones online can bring out the mama bear.

According to eMarketer, 25 percent of kids ages 5 to 7, and 39 percent of kids 6 to 9 have a smart phone or tablet. While limited screen time can offer online learning opportunities for kids (and let’s face it, mind-numbing games when mom and dad need a 10-minute break), it also can expose kids’ information to third party companies.

Is your child's piggy bank a bit empty lately? Maybe those summer lemonade stands didn't quite turn the profit he or she had expected.

As kids head back to class and summer becomes a distant memory, time for fun and family is often harder and harder to come by. Between work, school, and extracurricular activities, fall is a busy season for St. Louis families – making it an excellent time to escape for a relaxing weekend getaway.

YMCA Trout Lodge and Camp Lakewood, collectively known as YMCA of the Ozarks, is the perfect place to do just that. Nestled on 5,000 acres of rolling, tree-covered hills in Potosi, and situated on a private 360-acre lake, the year-round, not-for-profit family resort, conference center, outdoor education center, and summer residential camp is a peaceful destination for families in need of some quality time together.     

Every little girl loves Disney princess movies – they want to be rescued by a handsome prince and live a perfect princess life in a castle surrounded by singing rodents. It’s enough to make a mom cringe every time she turns on the DVR.

But the 1940’s and 50’s patriarchal plots of Walt Disney’s fairy tales are a far cry from the girl power stories collected by the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800’s. In fact, their “heroine journeys” of Rapunzel, Cinderella and Snow White were used to guide teenage girls through the tricky transition from childhood to womanhood, and the lessons of these classic stories resonate in today’s modern world.

In fact, in his new book, Sleeping Beauties, Awakened Women: Guiding the Transformation of Adolescent Girls¸ St. Louis developmental and behavioral pediatrician Dr. Tim Jordan noted Cinderella toiled alone for seven years, becoming independent and self-reliant while Rapunzel traveled in the desert taking care of her children by herself.

With the new school year just a few days away, the lessons Dr. Jordan outlines in Sleeping Beauties, Awakening Women can help girls handle the mean girl drama and stress waiting for them in the hallways, find their inner strength, and guide them in finding the support needed to thrive during the most confusing times of their lives.

We're excited to announce that St. Louis Kids Magazine is now STL Parent. We have a new look and a new name, but we're still dedicated to bringing you the latest information you need to know as you raise kids in St. Louis.

When it comes to entertaining your kids on a rainy day in St. Louis, a trip to the Saint Louis Science Center can’t be beat. Even if you’ve explored this beloved local destination many times before, there’s always a new exhibit to see, or a favorite attraction (in our family, the giant hamster wheel) to enjoy once again. It was with this in mind that my children and I headed there a few weeks ago to check out the Lost Egypt exhibition currently on display.

In my worklife, I’m impeccably organized – in my homelife, not so much. The first week of school, I’m on top of things – the permission slips are signed, the backpack is packed each night, homework is done days before it’s due. By the second week, our dining room table becomes the burial site for school flyers and permission slips. So it’s no surprise MJ comes home once a week, sighing, “You forgot my snack again so I had to eat paste” and with notes from her teacher that remind me again field trip fees are due but subliminally scream, “Nicole – for all that is good and holy, why is it so freakin’ hard to put $5 in your kid’s Hello Kitty backpack?!?”

Whether the impending start of the school year has caught you off guard or you've been preparing for it all summer, the cost of all of those school supplies and new clothes can take anyone by surprise.

So we asked a St. Louis mom who has made it her business to save money – and help others save money – to tell us how she pinches pennies (and a lot more) on all kinds of school supplies for her own 3 kids.

I finally understand why my Mom shot off fireworks the night before the first day of school. I also understand why she talked to herself all of the time.

Whooping cough, (also known as pertussis), measles, and other highly contagious diseases tend to spike when kids go back to school. If you're thinking of skipping vaccines - for any member of your family - read this first.

The heat hasn't made you delusional. "Summer" is almost over and it's getting shorter every year. Here are 6 reasons why starting school in the middle of August is all kinds of wrong.

As any mom can tell you, pregnancy and childbirth do a number on a woman’s body – changes that stay permanent long after that cute baby hits college. Our racks begin their southward descent, our left legs are two inches shorter than our right because our little meatballs ride our hips for two years, and four years after giving birth, I can’t watch my kids spin on a merry-go-round without throwing up in my mouth.

Recently, I took a giant leap to try freelancing on a full-time basis to see if I have what it takes to be in business for myself. But after two weeks juggling work and kids, I realize these children are the most difficult co-workers I’ve ever worked with. Here's why.

Newborn twins, a preschooler and a thriving business keep this St. Louis mom more than busy. But Melissa Mitchell, aka, Sippy Cup Mom, still finds time to walk the blue (yes, blue) carpet at Hollywood movie premieres.

The Saint Louis Science Center has debuted a new star show designed specifically for children who are blind or have low vision. “Feeling the Stars,” adapted from the existing show “The Little Star That Could,” gives individuals with visual impairment an accessible and immersive experience in the James S. McDonnell Planetarium.

St. Louis offers countless ways for kids to connect with nature. Check out some of our favorite area nature centers, parks and family attractions, and solve the summertime 'Mom I'm bored' blues!

Like many little girls, every night I dreamed of one day finding the perfect husband (check), living in the perfect little house (check), and having three perfect little girls (check, check and check).  

The one thing my happily-ever-after imagination neglected to dream up was how said perfect little girls can sit for 30 minutes on a public toilet that smells so bad you feel like you have to brush your teeth, while you make up songs complete with a dance routine about how awesome it is to vacate their bowels, only to have them get up, unsuccessful, and not two minutes later take a massive dump in the swimming pool.    

Potty training may be the single most frustrating thing I've ever done in my life.  

Looking for a cool sprayground to visit with your kids this summer? Lots of area playgrounds now turn into “spraygrounds” during the hot, summer months, combining all the fun of a trip to your favorite park with one of childhood’s most treasured summer pastimes – getting wet. Here’s our list of some of the best ones St. Louis has to offer.

If you're like me, you've spent many a night tossing and turning, worried sick about the day Buddy realizes h