New data: Child abuse drops for 5th straight year
Reports of child abuse and neglect have dropped nationwide for the fifth consecutive year, and abuse-related child fatalities also are at a five-year ...

Wiz Khalifa readies music, marriage, fatherhood
Rapper Wiz Khalifa says preparation for becoming a first-time father and husband has helped put him in a more mature musical state of mind. But that ...

There arose such a clatter over pipe-free Santa
Santa has kicked the habit in time for Christmas. No, not the sugar plum habit, or his fur-wearing habit, or his penchant for romping recklessly ...

Government investigating makers of cellphone apps
The government is investigating whether software companies that make cellphone apps violated the privacy rights of children by quietly collecting ...

NJ teen wants Easy-Bake Oven to appeal to boys
Four-year-old Gavyn Boscio loves to cook and asked for an Easy-Bake Oven for Christmas. But when his big sister went to buy one, she discovered to her ...

Amazon launches Kindle content service for kids
Amazon is launching a subscription service for children's games, videos and books aimed at getting more kids to use its Kindle Fire tablet devices.

Mayim Bialik files to end 9-year marriage in LA
Court records show Mayim Bialik filed for divorce from her husband of nine years on the same day she announced the couple's split in a blog post.

Awareness, enforcement help reduce child sex abuse
Increased public awareness of how child predators operate, along with better law enforcement and policies to protect children, may be helping to ...

Bounce houses a party hit but kids' injuries soar
They may be a big hit at kids' birthday parties, but inflatable bounce houses can be dangerous, with the number of injuries soaring in recent years, ...

Disabled parents face bias, loss of kids: report
Millions of Americans with disabilities have gained innumerable rights and opportunities since Congress passed landmark legislation on their behalf ...

To parents, youth sports an 'athletic arms race'
Shawn Worthy admits he's a competitive guy — and a competitive parent, sometimes. Yet even he was floored when a couple of moms he met at a pro junior ...
'Blossom' star Bialik divorcing husband of 9 years
Mayim Bialik is splitting from her husband of nine years. The 36-year-old actress says in a statement posted online Wednesday that she and husband ...

Book explores space between disability, identity
Gay, dyslexic and the survivor of near-death depression, writer Andrew Solomon has been acutely aware of his differences for most of his 49 years.

Anti-gay marriage marchers take to French streets
Groups opposed to President Francois Hollande's plans to legalize gay marriage and gay adoptions took to the streets Saturday across France.

'Star Wars' figures, dominoes in Toy Hall of Fame
Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia outmuscled little green army men for a spot in the National Toy Hall of Fame. "Star Wars" action figures join ...

Questions about Elmo young fans won't be asking
First, Big Bird became an unwitting player in a presidential debate that argued for clipping his wings. Then came word that the actor who plays Elmo ...
Survey: Families at odds over financial planning
Thanksgiving could be an opportune time to talk turkey about family finances, rather than merely eat the bird and prepare for the next big holiday.

Good Housekeeping picks top toys for holidays
Not all the testers for Good Housekeeping's annual Best Toys list wear lab coats. Some are barely out of diapers. For its 2012 list, engineers ...

Breastfeeding baby doll: creepy or groundbreaking?
We've got dolls that wet, crawl and talk. We've got dolls with perfect hourglass figures. We've got dolls with swagger. And we've got plenty that come ...

Questions and answers about gay marriage, adoption
France's government is introducing a bill this week that would let homosexual couples marry and adopt children. Such a law would make France the 12th ...

'I do?' Opposition dogs French gay marriage plans
A plan to legalize same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt was a liberal cornerstone of Francois Hollande's election manifesto earlier this ...

S. Korean candidate in late dictator dad's shadow
Carrying a bouquet of flowers, South Korean presidential candidate Park Geun-hye stepped forward to honor one of the martyrs in her country's long ...

New TV series shows open adoption from both sides
Pregnant at 18, a high school dropout, Genavieve Diggs knew she wasn't equipped to raise a child, but after surrendering her newborn for adoption, she ...

Tiny zombies: Halloween's goriest go extra-small
Prepare yourself this Halloween for a procession of pint-sized trick-or-treaters like none you've encountered before. If the companies that gamble on ...
3 Notre Dame backs share the ball like brothers
Notre Dame's running back situation has all the ingredients for a rancorous relationship — even an occasional face slap. There are three talented ...