Like a lot of moms, I have a love-hate relationship with the holiday season. I love baking (okay, mostly eating) gingerbread cookies. I love decking the halls with lights and garland and bright red bows.

The most important lesson I've learned this holiday season is that life is as precious as it is fragile.

A friends of mine who is due to give birth to a girl later this month recently told me she and her husband had finally agreed on a name for their precious bundle of joy. And that they had made it up.

Welcome to Mom's Happy Hour, in which we sort through the latest news about parents, parenting and pop culture so you don't have to. And then we add a little bit of snark and a whole lot of judgment.

Stockings are a death trap

With the holidays upon us, it’s time to weed out all the dangerous toys from our children’s shopping lists and replace them with cotton balls (no wait, they can swallow them!) and feather pillows (no wait – allergies!). The U.S. Public Interest Research Group has released its “Trouble in Toyland” report featuring toys equivalent to a Bag o’ Glass. A number of products like Littlest Pet Shop sets are mislabeled and can offer up choking hazards while the Captain America Soft Shield has 29 times the legal standard for lead. For a list of harmful toys, check out the full report.

Your son is by far the smelliest

In the movie Big Daddy, Adam Sandler is honored to hear his kid is the smelliest in the class. In real-life, a preschool teacher in New York is under fire for sending home a note to all of her parents

Each year, more than 900 young people suffering from the emotional and psychological damage of abuse, neglect and other traumas find an open door and a helping hand at Marygrove, the second largest

It’s beginning to look a lot like the holiday season in St. Louis! As we look ahead to the December holidays, many beloved area attractions are celebrating with amazing seasonal events that offer festive fun for the entire family.

'Tis the season for holiday lights! And for the first time ever, St. Louis families have the opportunity to see the Missouri Botanical Garden transformed into a glowing holiday wonderland.