As more parents choose not to vaccinate and vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise, public health officials realize they've got a PR problem.

In September, Dina Martinson got a call from her son's preschool. Three children from two separate families at the Minneapolis center had come down with whooping cough. None had been vaccinated.

Martinson, who asked us not to use her real name, was horrified. Her 2 1/2–year-old son had been immunized, but vaccines aren't always 100 percent effective. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is only occasionally fatal, but children with the disease can cough so hard they turn blue for lack of oxygen. At the very least, if her boy contracted the disease he would likely spend months recuperating. 

More worrisome, Martinson's 4-month-old daughter, who was in a different daycare center, hadn't yet received a full course of DTP [diphtheria tetanus and pertussis] vaccine. The family's pediatrician put Martinson's son on prophylactic antibiotics so that, if he did pick up the disease, he wouldn't be contagious. But the drugs wouldn't be effective for several days. In the meantime, Martinson had to quarantine the children in different parts of the house.
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Minnesota Parent and Delta Dental asked kids to draw the Tooth Fairy and to write stories about losing a tooth.
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Carol Bruess, Phd
Co-author of what happy parents do professor of interpersonal and family communications, St. Thomas married 17 years

Have you childproofed your marriage? The question sounds ominous, but author Carol J. Bruess, a professor of interpersonal and family communications at St. Thomas in St. Paul, wants parents to make sure their unions can withstand the stress and strain kids can put on a couple. In her new book, What Happy Parents Do, Bruess and co-author and fellow St. Thomas professor Anna Kudak interview real parents to find out how they maintain their marriages through daily loving rituals.
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1. Here Come the 123s — They Might Be Giants
On their third CD for kids, TMBG continued what made their first two essential listening: a combination of hook-filled music with lyrics that will get parents and kids cracking up. Here Come the 123s is not really intended as an educational CD, and that's good — instead, it's pure entertainment.
TheyMightBeGiants.com

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The list of topics in which I immersed myself before and immediately following the birth of our first child: nutrition, sleep patterns, attachment parenting and its discontents, the relative popularity of names we favored.

The list of topics I never got around to: epidemiology, toxicology, neurology, genetics… well, that list is very long.

For that stuff, I figured I'd rely on someone who actually went to medical school. Our pediatrician is a brisk woman in her 60s who has seen it all when it comes to parenting and tends to let you know that. I found that comforting in those early days, and I still do.
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The first full month of winter is also the coldest in Minnesota, but that’s no reason to stay indoors! Cure the common cold by doing something different (and outdoors) this month.


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The other day, a friend called to ask whether it was okay to buy my kids Super Smash Brothers Brawl, a game for their Wii.

I appreciated her call. More than once I've stood in the toy aisle before a birthday party wondering whether a water gun is PC enough for a coveted new playmate's parents. When my kids were really little, I solved this by taking them to a bookstore to pick out a gift. But sure as milk teeth eventually wobble, there comes a day when kids acquire the rhetorical skills to call foul on selecting a present because it will please the recipient's parent.
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You may be tempted to think your active parenting days are over once your kids hit high school or get their driver's license or are accepted to college or whatever benchmark you choose. But teenagers still need you as a role model and guide — and they're absorbing your attitudes, habits, and behaviors even when they appear to be ignoring your presence entirely. It's one thing to lecture, admonish, entreat, or instruct — but do you expect your teenagers to do what you're not willing to do? In the New Year, you can resolve to be a better parent by examining how closely your actions mirror your words.
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Here we are: another year older, wiser, and closer to paying for college. If there's one resolution you keep this year, especially in this economy, it should be getting your financial house in order. Here are five money "musts" for a peaceful and prosperous 2009.

Review 2008. Now's the time to glance at how you spent your hard-earned money in 2008. Many credit cards and banks offer annual reports that divvy up your spending by category. Although it may cost you a few dollars, these can be good tools if you primarily use plastic.
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Walker Free First Saturday: World Spin
Families embark on a global adventure during this day of international films, artworks, and art-making techniques, all for free at the Walker Art Center. Projects include making Scandinavian mittens out of felt and using ink to create Japanese kaku drawings, and entertainment is provided by the Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre and School.
Saturday, January 3, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis
FREE
For more information call 612-0375-7600 or visit WalkerArt.org
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She’s here! Serious American Girl fans await the announcement of the Girl of the Year — a contemporary girl who comes with her own take on a contemporary issue. This year it’s Chrissa who faces down bullies. Last year, Mia the figure-skater learned not to give up on a dream. In 2006 Jess traveled with her archeologist parents to Belize. American Girl, based in Wisconsin, looks to the concerns of the many girls and parents who contact the company each year when shaping each new character. Chrissa, by Mary Casanova and the advice book Stand Up for Yourself and Your Friends, as well as the Chrissa doll and accessories will be available for one year starting January 1. An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong is available on DVD starting January 6.

AmericanGirl.com

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As a new mother, I have been asked to do reviews of products to see how I like them. The Kangaroo Towel, which is a towel you wear around your neck that has a “pouch” to hold/dry off a child, was one we received before my little one was born. We laughed as I tried it on thinking, how is a little tiny baby going to fit it this thing? Won't it pull on my neck? Well, the answer surprised me: I love it! Granted, I would probably not use the Kangaroo Towel on a newborn, but with a 5-month-old who can hold her head up, it is great. I just started to realize that all the little wrap hooded towels I received from my baby showers were suddenly unable to fully wrap around her body so I was thinking, now what? I then remembered that I had this crazy gadget to test, so I pulled it out, still doubting its use, and put it over my head. I was quickly surprised by the ease and my baby’s comfort. Not only did she come out dry, but it was easy to carry her in directly to the changing table with no drips and no fears of “accidents.” —
$39.99
Amazon.com

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Click here and to enter to win tickets to the Sesame Street Live performance run January 14–18. Elmo has raised his sunflower Sunny from a seed, but now his plant is too big to call its pot home. Come help Elmo and friends search for a new home for Sunny! Favorites like Big Bird, Abby Cadabby, Telly, Zoe, and more will be live on stage. Optional but not required: Will the downturn in the economy cause you to scale back on summer camps for your kids? We’ll print the answers in an upcoming issue.
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