
A child of the 70s, Esprit, Guess, Polo, Keds, and Kappas were about the only "cool" trends that hit my elementary school. These days, kids are inundated with loads of fabulous options. From
designer jeans to
Little Marc by Marc Jacobs, parents and tots are paying much more attention to their youngster's apparel.

I fret over the small things, like my son getting restless at restaurants or my daughter elbowing her brother in the backseat of the car, but parents in Daytona are dealing with more drastic issues when it comes to child rearing: felonies. According to an
MSNBC report, police officers have attributed some of the Florida city's rise in crime to minors. The city known for racecar driving has a crime rate that is double that of the state.

A substitute math teacher in Connecticut didn't put two and two together. Under her supervision in math class, two eighth grade students at Pulaski Middle School in New Britain engaged in an oral sex act. As classmates watched, one supposedly taped the act on a camera phone.

I remember getting my first manicure before my eighth grade dance. It was a big deal and I appreciated how special the gift was from my mother. I didn't notice my eyebrows were bushes to be reckoned with until my first year of college.

Use your tween's texting obsession to your advantage. Parents who wish their kids independence, but need to remind them to take their meds can quit the nagging and turn to technology. When children are preoccupied with school, friends, dating and Hannah Montana, they tend to forget to take the pills and injections that regulate their asthma, diabetes and other ailments.