Jean Illsley Clarke honored on Wall of Discovery. To read more...

Dads want the very best for their children, but often they go overboard in their ambition and get it very, very wrong, argues David J. Bredehoft, Ph.D., chairman of the department of social and behavioral sciences at Concordia University, in St. Paul, Minnesota. To read more...
 

An unreal 'Sweet 16' party - What it's like to be one of the rich kids who gets to have the bash of a lifetime

Rodney Thrash / St. Petersburg Times

I t was this month's premiere of "My Super Sweet 16," the MTV reality series that documents lavish coming-of-age soirees. Cher Hubsher and 12 of her closest girlfriends in Palm Harbor, Fla., were gathered in the basement of her family's $2-million castle -- yes, they call it a castle -- to relive Cher's birthday on the big-screen television. To read more...

AMY DICKINSON: ASK AMY
Old-fashioned rant on spoiled kids
DEAR AMY: I want to add my voice to those who have commented on overindulged children.
If people haven't figured it out, we live in a child-centered universe. This is a form of self-inflicted punishment.
I wonder how many grandparents will identify with some of the following:
1. We get lots of Christmas cards with a splendid picture of the child or children. No parents. They aren't in the family?
2. Parents are caught in a never-ending war to prove to the world that: "We love our kids more than you love your kids." To read more...

When Kids Play the Guilt Card

Before you put your children on the payroll and give them a stake in the company, here are some things to consider

by James Olan Hutcheson

A client of mine had worked long and hard for many years to start her own business and build it into a success while at the same time raising two children in a happy marriage. That's what made it frustrating to see how she responded to what I call the "guilt card" when her children fell on hard times. To Read More...

Permissive parents not doing kids any favors by Layne Zolninger San Antonio Christian High School

R.J. Nalbach, a junior at Health Careers High School, admits he is a bit overindulged. At 15, his parents buy all of his clothes, clean his room and do many of his chores, such as taking out the trash.

"They assign it to me, and I do it when I get around to it," he said, adding that his dad usually gets mad waiting, and then his mom may do it for him.

R.J. is not alone. In fact, this kind of parenting has become a trend for his generation. "Helicopter parents" like R.J.'s can be seen hovering over their children from preschool to the workplace. To read more...

Thanks to Research Assistant Chelsae Armao who contributed by finding stories to include in this edition of the newsletter.