ParentDish

Boo at the Zoo

Damon Dahlen — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:15:00 EST

Filed under: Places To Go, Holidays, Activities: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Activities: Big Kids, Activities: Tweens, Activities: Teens, Activities: Family Time

New York City's famous Bronx Zoo holds "Boo at the Zoo" with Halloween spirited activities such as the "Haunted Safari Adventure," a heart-pounding "Lost Hayride," a costume parade and pumpkin carving. Nowhere near the Big Apple? Take a look at these pictures to see some of the scary, ghoulish, bloody scenes from "Boo at the Zoo."

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Historic Hudson Valley Halloween

Damon Dahlen — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:39:00 EST

Filed under: Places To Go, Holidays, Activities: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Activities: Big Kids, Activities: Tweens, Activities: Teens, Activities: Family Time

This Halloween season, the Historic Hudson Valley in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., spookifies their attractions for Halloween lovers both young and old. A new haunted house, "Horseman's Hollow," joins a dramatic performance of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" to bring classic Halloween tales and scares to life. Also, "The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze" will display over 4,000 hand-carved pumpkins lit throughout the wooded walkways, orchards, and gardens of historic Van Cortlandt Manor. Take a look through the pictures to get a glimpse of this massive pumpkin extravaganza.

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Opinion: Hey Parents, Teen Pregnancy is Not the Fault of Forever 21

Damon Dahlen — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Opinions

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the parent ranting at the mall? Credit: Getty Images

Breaking news: Teens will get pregnant from a fashion-forward maternity line.

I cannot believe we are actually having a discussion over whether or not Forever 21 is targeting its new maternity line at states with the highest teen pregnancy rates.

Of course they are!

Has our nation become so narrow-minded that we believe this maternity line, no matter how cool it may look or how targeted it may be, will influence teens to get pregnant?

Forever 21 is specifically marketing this maternity clothing to where it will sell well. This is just a natural progression of the supply-and-demand model in business. Any first-year business student understands this. Heck, even my 12-year-old nephew understands this.

We've become a nation of finger-pointers. Who are we going to eviscerate next? Wal-Mart? JC Penney? Target? Or any other clothing store just because it happens to have its maternity clothing lines in those states as well?

Here's a little jewel of truth. Forever 21 did not make the teens get pregnant nor could they influence such a thing. They are just doing business as usual.

Perhaps we should point our disgust, our disdain, our self righteousness in the right direction. The mirror. These kids are having babies because parents are not watching or are oblivious to what is happening. It's the grown-ups who've abdicated their roles as role models, and way too many have stopped trying. More and more, parents are placing the blame somewhere else. We coddle our kids and protect them from everything except from themselves. When it comes to these uncomfortable topics and tough decisions, the line must be drawn between being a parent and being a friend. We are failing miserably when we pick the role of a friend.

So the next time we decide to expound our utter disgust for a business doing what it does naturally -- make money --we should really take a look at ourselves and see if we have somehow dropped the ball. After all, it's just clothing we are talking about here. The more important fabric is the one between a parent and child.

Related: Forever 21 Launches Maternity Line

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