The Portsmouth Herald reported that a University of New Hampshire professor who’s studied families for three decades told a group of educators, law enforcement officers and parents that, “This generation that’s coming up, the generation in school right now . . . they are the meanest generation of kids we’ve ever had, and they have more ways to be mean to each other than any other generation.” more

Citing a study that found that three out of every four mothers says she feels “misunderstood” by marketers, Wal-Mart’s lead strategic planner, a mother of two, said today’s ads aimed at moms have it all wrong. more

Writer KJ Dell’Antonia wrote a humorous post about the tens of thousands of mothers living in regions of the nation which have been pounded by snow so hard that schools have repeatedly closed their doors for the day lately, joking about whether Mother Nature has it out for working parents. more

Writer Peggy Orenstein dissected her daughter’s love affair with all things pink and princess-y in her new book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter and, when reviewing the book about the “princess problem,” Slate’s Myla Goldberg said she asked herself : “Who is to blame for this pink menace? more

In a Washington Post piece entitled, “Women’s success tied to household help,” writer Edward Schumacher-Matos asserted that “hard-charging professional” women have one thing in common: Hired household help. more

In an attempt to boost the number of parents who actively participate in their children’s public school educations, a Florida state representative has filed a bill that would require teachers to grade their students’ parents on the “quality” of their contributions to their children’s schools, reported the Orlando Sentinel. more

University of Massachusetts researchers have released a study which found that married, white, college-educated professionals/managers receive the largest salary increase when they became fathers and that "fathers of all racial and ethnic groups get a salary bump," Time Magazine reported. more

A former newspaper reporter who quit her job to become a freelancer and do a few other part-time jobs in order to be home with her two young sons, wrote in Salon that she now regrets her decision to leave the full-time workforce now that she has divorced and is trying to find a full-time job. more

Minivan producers are trying to convince today’s young families that the vehicles are no longer lame soccer mom behemoths, and are instead hip. A Toyota ad dubbed a “Swagger Wagon,” the New York Times reported. more

Is the notion of a 12-month “gap year” gaining traction in the United States? The Wall Street Journal says yes. more