For anyone who loses a parent, a sibling or someone else they love, it can be a heartbreaking experience.

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.

Kids aren't always Smarties

Kids do stupid things. Like the time I walked in to find a stack of pillows at the bottom of our staircase and a four-year-old ready to jump from the top. Or the time when my brother was 16 and tried to leap a plastic construction fence to show off and got his foot caught and broke his arm.

Now kids are snorting Smarties in order to blow the candy dust out their noses or mouths like cigarette smoke. There’s no known high or benefit, just a group of middle schoolers who think the practice will get them the ladies and the respect of their schoolmates who are too scared to ingest the most inedible candy in the world.

There are a couple of huge issues with this. One, it’s mimicking the drug problem we have in this country. Two, the candy is leaving sugary remnants lodged in the nose, increasing the risk for nasal maggots. If we didn’t think our kids could get any grosser, they go and become infested.

When it comes to the future of our children, and the future of our economy, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education has well, gained steam among educators and professionals.

Did you know that January is National Thank You Month?

Join Dorothy in her iconic red shoes - on pointe this time - the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, the Scarecrow, Glinda, the Wicked Witch of the West, the Munchkins, poppies and the rest of Dorothy's friends when Dance St. Louis presents the Wizards of Oz.

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.
 

Tone it down, Mom

Surprising, the “everybody gets a trophy” mentality many parents shower on kids may actually be hurting the very children it’s supposed to “protect.”

When our children are struggling, we think that being their own personal cheerleaders on Red Bull will keep them motivated. However, researchers at Ohio State University found that when we bestow inflated praise on children with low self-esteem, we actually lead them to shy away from taking on new challenges.