My friend calls us superwomen – I think the title applies. As women, we certainly are busier than ever these days – raising families, making a warm and inviting home, creating successful relationships, and having fulfilling careers. But is all of this making us happier?

Research conducted by the University of Southampton in England has produced some fairly compelling evidence that combinations of six artificial food colorings appear to cause noticeable increases in hyperactivity and decreases in attention span. The good news is that three of these food additives are currently NOT approved for use in the United States. The bad news… well, the other three may be lurking in your fridge and pantry.

A recent poll of 13-24 year olds conducted by MTV in association with the AP once again supported the age old saw that the more things change the more they stay the same. When asked who it is that they most admire, the age group that lives on a diet of Paris Hilton, fake news and text messages picked their parents as the clear favorite.

It’s not what you were hoping to hear, and certainly not what my mother used to say, but when it comes to self-esteem, sometimes it is the external that matters. Read more.

In 1998 Judith Rich Harris wrote The Nurture Assumption which made a very simple argument. When it comes to how kids develop parents matter less and peers matter more. Could this be true?

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In case you haven’t heard, researchers at the University of Washington have published a new article in Journal of Pediatrics regarding the effects of television viewing and language development in children under 2 years old. For every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs (such as “Baby Einstein” and “Brainy Baby”), infants eight to sixteen months knew six to eight fewer words than children who didn’t watch. I’m a big fan of science leading the way for parents (and relationships), but sometimes a word of caution is in order. What this study does not show is whether these effects are lasting. The researchers did not find these effects in infants 17- 24 months of age no matter what they watched.

No doubt a baby fundamentally changes the relationship. And at 4AM when the baby is screaming again- and your partner isn’t waking up and it’s not your turn- it’s completely understandable to start reviewing those wedding vows to see where you got scammed. But what’s going on in that scenario besides the fact that you aren’t getting sleep? Your global expectations about “life with baby” are being questioned or even violated now that reality is literally screaming right at you.

At what point after a divorce do people start dating again? How many relationships are typical? When do kids generally find out about new dating partners? There are several great lay literature sources for divorced parenting, and here are some results from articles that I’ve found…

Most of us think of evolutionary fitness and think of the young, fit, lean and mean. But now we need to add the care and nurture provided by grandmothers to our understanding of how evolution works.

A report released last week by the Pew Research Center has gotten a lot of press questioning Americans’ changing values about marriage and parenting. But what do the results really say?

I could sum up in a few words Mehl and Pennebaker’s work on gender and daily word use, but hey, it’s a blog! I’m allowed some extra room in electronic conversation. Besides, I’m feeling up for the challenge (via writing- which makes one wonder what would Pennebaker say about that?) and the female stereotype of talkativeness has just been silenced. Sort of.

Recent studies published in Science and Intelligence reveal that firstborns usually develop higher I.Q.’s than their siblings, solving a debate I’ve had for years with my younger sisters about who’s right. Although, I’ve apparently traded some creativity points in the process- much to my chagrin.

Father’s may not have a lot of time to spend with their children, but as look as they spend it well, their children will benefit. And the same goes for step-fathers: good relationships with stepchildren can and often do develop.