Long Island Kids

I'm a working mother, it's open enrollment time and I'm confused. I have a child who will turn 13 in 2009. I will still use vacation care and summer day camps to supervise him when his father and I are at work and he's off from school. But I've heard there's an age limit on contributing to a child-care flexible spending account. Am I still allowed to use that benefit for him? What are the current tax rules?

A teenager doesn't wake up one day and say, "I think I'll beat up a Hispanic guy," says Gary Bruschi, a psychologist in Great Neck.

Some parents relax by collapsing on the couch. Others unwind by doing something a bit more creative.

It's always unsettling to get a note home from school saying someone in the class has head lice. But Mariana Verkerk of Manhattan offers a way to prevent the spread of the insect from coat to coat in school closets - the Bug Bag.

When Malia and Sasha Obama move into the White House in January, they'll also move into the proverbial fish bowl.

When Malia and Sasha Obama move into the White House in January, they'll also move into the proverbial fish bowl.

Your poor son.

Are you a mom (or dad) who wants to vote but dreads the idea of dragging your little ones to the polls?

Parental Guidance recently ran a column regarding whether 11-year-olds should be allowed to visit the mall with friends unsupervised (Aug. 10). I have a question about adult supervision at movie theaters. I have a friend who took his 12-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy to a movie theater, sat them in seats and then left the theater alone to run errands and picked them up once the movie was over. My friend seems to think that because he lives on Long Island, it's safe and OK. I was upset and disturbed by this, especially in this day and age. Is this acceptable? Could my friend get into trouble for doing this?

Pirates. Animals. Royalty. Athletes. Dancers. Evildoers.

Pirates. Animals. Royalty. Athletes. Dancers. Evildoers.

Got a little Latin in your blood? Or just in your soul? Share it with your baby by listening to "Baby Loves Salsa: Salsa para Gatitos y Perritos (Salsa for Kittens and Puppies)."

My baby just started sleeping in his crib. I know I'm not supposed to use bumpers or a blanket, but can I put any toys in his bed? What about putting a pacifier in his crib? What are the current guidelines?

Since professional photographer Christine Sullivan's daughter, Mona, was born a year ago, Sullivan and her husband have snapped her in all sorts of poses.

Anybody who's been in an Abercrombie Kids store knows that it's like walking into a dance club - the dim lighting, the pulsating music, the cologne smell.

I'm about to return to work full time, and I've been breast-feeding my baby. I want to pump at work. How can I best go about asking my company to provide a room or other private space for me to pump during the day?

"The economy will collapse."

Is your child allergic to peanuts? Eggs? Dairy products? Are you constantly scouring the ingredient lists of cookies and snacks looking for allergy warnings?

This will be my daughter's first Halloween with braces. Is there any easy way to remember what goodies she can and can't eat?

I'm a 30-year-old mom with a 9- month-old baby. I'm confused about all the changes this year in flu shot recommendations. Should I get a flu shot for my 9-month-old? What about me? The baby doesn't go to day care and so is less exposed to other children. Does that make a difference? What are the current guidelines?

Could your baby - or child - be a model?

Everything's the best, the worst, the most, the least. Life is a disaster. Every problem exaggerated. Melodrama reigns.

One of 10 college admissions officers checks applicants' social networking site pages when deciding whether to admit, according to a survey of 320 admissions officers done by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.

Frequently, people stare.

My 2-year-old daughter won't go to sleep until she drinks a cup of milk. She drinks it, gives me the empty cup and then rolls over and goes to sleep. But then she wakes up in the middle of the night screaming for another cup. She just freaks out until she gets it. Do I just say no and let her scream for an hour?

At the start of a child's birthday party at Huntington Gymnastics Center, owner Sharon Zink sometimes gives a little speech about good behavior - to the parents.

Got young twins, triplets, quadruplets even?

My grandson is 4. When he sleeps at our house, there is no problem with him going to sleep and he doesn't get up until morning. He also goes to sleep well if it's my son who is putting him to bed. But when my daughter-in-law puts him to sleep, she has to lie with him in his bed until he falls asleep. Then my grandson gets up several times during the night, climbing into his parents' bed. Sometimes my daughter-in-law then lets him sleep with my son and goes into his bed. She wakes up to find my grandson back in his bed with her. What gives? How can she stop this? She has tried stickers and other treats. Nothing works. Please help.

Kerry Patten's son, Connor, is only 5 months old. So Patten still has time to solve her family's dilemma: What should Connor call his maternal grandmother?

Once kids enter middle school, a locker becomes a part of their world. Many want to personalize it, turning it into their "room" at school.