My son and I have different definitions for his newly-acquired “learner’s permit.” He sees it as an excuse to drive to the store every 10 minutes. I define it as he may learn to drive if I permit it.

Tomato. To-mato. Let’s call the whole thing off. (Please?)

It’s not that I don’t want him to drive. I realize this is an important rite of passage in a young person’s life and I really would like him to learn properly and instill safe driving habits. It’s just the process is has been more difficult than I remember when I went through it.

For instance, the state has determined that he should learn on a real car, but the tools we need are still imaginary. Like a bubble-wrap outside air bag, the scratching post arm rests, and the passenger-side break pedal. I look like I’m doing the Texas Two-Step every time we get 500 feet out of the driveway. ... Read more

Happy news: The Little Koala was released from the hospital after four days. It took her -- and the whole family -- somewhat longer to completely shake The Crud that was stalking us. But it is wonderful to all be under the same roof again.

Unfortunately for the Koala, this was not her first time in the hospital. Not by a long shot. In her first six months of life, she had four hospital stays. The first was two months long, the second was about three days, the third about ten days, and the fourth nearly a month (and over Christmas, alas). It is stressful and scary to have a little one in "the big house," as we called it. Getting information is crucial: It is much easier to be calm when you understand what's happening and why. And a calm and supportive family is crucial for the little one who's ailing.

Here are a few tips for communicating with the medical team caring for your child. They are all things my husband and I learned from experience. ... Read more

Pssst. Don't tell my kid but I'm secretly glad my 12 year old broke his arm this summer.  He'd been begging me for years to play tackle football and I held him off with flag teams for awhile and finally gave in, figuring if this is something he's passionate about, I should support it. I researched the best leagues, focusing on the ones that seem to have the best training of coaches, who understood the importance of staying hydrated in Florida's heat and took head injuries seriously.

Two weeks into it, he broke his arm working with tackle dummies and I'm crossing my fingers that this has cured him, that he has crossed over to being just a big fan like me. Is it hypocritical that I love the game but fret if someone I love is playing it?

I'm even happier we put the season behind us after reading this story by my colleague Michael Kruse about medical studies that are finding that it doesn't necessarily have to be the visibly hard blows that have the most serious long-term ramifications. It is perhaps something even scarier. It could be every hit. ... Read more

I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling like an out of touch old fogey today after reading this  eye-opening story by my colleague Rodney Thrash that many convenience stores sell synthetic marijuana under the brand names Spice, K2 Red Magic, Red Dragon, Diesel, Serenity and Blueberry Meditation.

It's strong, as accessible as soda pop, and it's legal.

I've long thought we had a dysfunctional drug policy in this country and now it seems the laboratories that cook up pills and fake pot are the ones launching another front. It's no longer some shady drug dealer in the backwoods we have to keep our eyes out for.

There are laws being drafted now to outlaw the synthetic weed, but one of the stores that sells it offers another point of view: ... Read more