A recent survey of sandwich generation caregivers suggests that children are helping to care for grandparents or other older adults in their lives who have Alzheimer's disease. About three out of five caregivers said their children aged 8 to 21 are involved in caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease. Children and teens may assist with various responsibilities, including feeding, dressing, providing transportation, and attending doctor's visits.

The survey, conducted by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), asked over 500 adult caregivers about their roles. Of the caregivers who feel they do a good job balancing the care of their loved ones with Alzheimer's disease and children under 21, more than one-third cited support from children as a contributor to their success.

The level of involvement in caregiving depends, of course, on the age of the child. The vast majority of pre-teens and teenagers visit and entertain a loved one with Alzheimer's disease. About a quarter of teens assisted with feeding and dressing, while older teens and young adults took on additional responsibilities: of those children aged 18-21, 42% assist with transporting and one-third help with doctor's appointments.

AFA's president and CEO, Eric J. Hall, remarks, "It is clear that caregiving is a multigenerational concern. Young adults and even teens and pre-teens are being impacted in life changing ways by their caregiving responsibilities." In response to the growing number of teen caregivers, the organization has increased its outreach to that population. Their website provides resources for teens, including information about local support groups and a contest for an annual $5000 college scholarship for Alzheimer's awareness.

While this survey focused on those families coping with Alzheimer's disease, I think the phenomenon of children and teens providing care is growing, regardless of the health concerns involved. The opportunity to care for older adults provides a unique opportunity for children to both give and receive the gifts (and better understand the challenges) that come with the caregiving role.

Do you consider yourself a "sandwich caregiver," caring for both children and aging parents? If so, how do your kids participate in the care?

Little League officials in New Jersey want people to know: while foul balls are part of the game, foul language is not. The organization has posted signs reading "No Swear Zone" on the perimeter fences of the park, and parents and other spectators who violate the rule may lose their seats in the stands.

The league has also partnered with the Positive Coaching Alliance, a Stanford University-based nonprofit organization. At least one parent of all children registered in the program must attend a mandatory workshop offered by the organization that teaches adults how to effectively work with young athletes while instilling the values of teamwork, discipline, respect and goal-setting. One mother who attended the workshop last year gave it a positive review. ""The program reinforced the way we already feel about baseball, that it should be fun and a learning experience," she said. "It's sort of the way my husband and I approach coaching to begin with."

I appreciate that the league is trying to be proactive, but a workshop for all parents, most of whom -- like the woman quoted above -- are supportive and encouraging to players, seems like a huge investment of time and resources. While there have been increased reports of parents being verbally and sometimes physically abusive to both players and staff, even the Little League spokesperson admitted, "The few bad apples out there always get the press."

Why not just toss out the bad apples with a nice, umpire-style "YOU'RE OUTTA HERE!"?

What do you think about this approach: necessary or overkill?

When my oldest daughter was just a wee babe, I enthusiastically signed her up for the "Mommy and Me" swimming class offered at the local pool. (My enthusiasm was tempered a bit once I realized that meant me and my post-partum body in a swimsuit, but I got a modest one-piece and got over it.) We gathered once a week with other parents and their kids while a college student led us through the equivalent of storytime at the pool. There were songs with motions, rubber duckies to chase, and tips for pool safety. There was not much actual SWIMMING, however, except from the four-year-old who ended up in the wrong class.

It seems I wasn't the only parent sucked in by the promise of a little water baby. Swimming lessons for babies and toddlers are popping up all over the place, but whether they're doing kids any good remains a matter of debate.

Parents like the idea of getting their children comfortable with the water from an early age, but the American Academy of Pediatrics cautions that lessons for babies and toddlers can promote a false sense of security. Drowning is a real risk: it's still the leading cause of death for one- and two-year-olds. Spending time in the pool can expose young children to other health risks, including hypothermia and the spread of infectious diseases. In addition, a study published last summer demonstrated that chlorine byproducts common in treated swimming pools can cause airway changes that predispose children to asthma later in childhood.

The policy statement from the AAP says, "Generally, children are not developmentally ready for swimming lessons until after their fourth birthday." I'm inclined to agree. After our infant lessons, I promised myself that I would wait for swim lessons until she was ready. She's four now, and swimming lessons are in the plans for summer. I think we'll have success, because I know that my daughter is now able to listen and carry out the instructions of a teacher. And I'll be nearby, watching and encouraging her -- with all my clothes on -- from the pool decking.

The AAP site also hosts additional tips for pool safety, including information about setting pool rules, using pool fences, and diving.

The racket blasting out of those iPod earbuds isn't just annoying innocent bystanders -- there's a serious risk of hearing loss when listening to tunes too loudly. A new study shows that teens know that they're risking damage to their ears with volume up high, but do it anyway and don't plan to change.

How, uh, stereotypical?

The research, performed with focus groups of teens in the Netherlands, confirmed that they knew the general hazards of loud music, but denied any personal risk. Parents are encouraged to educate their children about the long-term risks of pumping up the volume. As a general rule, researchers recommend a maximum of 60% volume when using earbud style headphones and 70% when using over-the-ear headphones.

I wonder what volume they recommend when you're listening to your iPod to tune out your children? Not that I know anyone who does that, mind you. Just asking, theoretically.

New research on the prenatal effects of omega-3 fatty acids shows that moms who consume enough in the third trimester might give their babies a boost in brain development.

The study looked at just over 100 Inuit infants, measured the levels of DHA (an omega-3 acid) in their umbilical cord blood, and tested brain and eye development at 6 and 11 months old. Higher levels of DHA were associated with better performance at both time points. Results were published in this month's edition of The Journal of Pediatrics.

Current recommendations suggest that pregnant women get an average of 300 milligrams of DHA daily. These findings suggest that omega-3 consumption might be particularly important in the third trimester, when brain development is rapid.

Food sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fish (tuna, salmon, halibut) and nut oils such as flaxseed and canola. Of course, women who are pregnant or nursing are advised to avoid some fish because of increased risk of mercury. Fish oil capsules and flaxseed oil can be used as dietary supplements to ensure good omega-3 consumption, and some prenatal vitamins already include DHA.

(If you're pregnant and interested in taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements, please speak with your doctor!)

My husband and I have decided that we need to get out more. The final straw? Realizing that neither of us had seen a movie free of animated characters in the theater in over a year. Of course, we can't just leave the children home to fend for themselves. (Well, actually, the four-year-old could probably manage for a couple of hours if left with ample snack foods and HIgh School Musical, but I think they call that negligence? Darn.)
To make our escape possible, I've been working hard to increase our roster of babysitters. It hasn't been easy. Leave it to the Japanese to solve all my worries: say hello to the babysitting robot.

Retailer Aeon Co. has put the four-foot-tall robot in charge of entertaining children at its store in Fukuoka, Japan. Parents can leave their children with the machine by identifying their kids with special nametags bearing codes the robot can read. These badges allow the robot to identify the children by names and age and chat with them, even though its vocabulary is limited.

I just realized that isn't going to do me any good for the newborn. Hopefully, the Babysitter Robot 2.0 will come installed with diaper-changing and bottle-dispensing mechanisms. I'd pay good money for THAT, even if I wasn't going to leave the house.

If you're the parent of children affected by military deployments, check this out: Operation Purple is offering a week of free summer camp for military kids whose parents are or have been deployed, or whose parents will be deployed soon. The camps are offered through the National Military Family Association and run throughout the summer.

In addition to the typical summer camp activities, campers will learn coping skills to better deal with a parent's deployment. Camps are located throughout the U.S., at 62 locations in 37 states and territories. Applications are currently being accepted, and priority will be given to children facing a parent's deployment between May 2007 and November 2008. Registration opened this week and will continue through May 5.

In one of my former posts, a military parent commented that "it is the entire military family that serves," and that includes the kids. According to data on the NMFA website, more than 150,000 kids have at least one parent who is deployed in the war on terrorism, and that figure doesn't include those experiencing routine, but often lengthy, deployments and separations from loved ones. This looks like an excellent opportunity for those kids to get a much needed break while meeting friends who face the same challenges having a parent serving away from home.

A study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association provides the most information so far about the long-term outcomes of babies born prematurely. Researchers found that babies born preterm are at an increased risk of death not only during the neonatal periods, but also during early childhood. Further, adults who were born prematurely were less likely to finish high school and less likely to marry than their full-term peers. An effect on future generations was also found: women born prematurely were more likely to deliver premature babies themselves.

The review, which followed 1.2 million births in Norway over decades, provides an important long-term perspective of the effects of prematurity. While the study notes increased risks, it doesn't provide a complete explanation for WHY these effects are seen well into adulthood. Follow-up research will be needed to help flesh out specific causes, though scientists hypothesize that higher risk of death may be linked to genetic differences, birth defects, and socioeconomic factors.

For years, women who are trying to conceive have been advised to take folic acid supplements. Making sure to get enough of the B vitamin reduces the risk for birth defects -- specifically, spina bifida -- in a developing baby. New research shows that the same vitamin can help reduce the number of abnormal sperm in men.

The study, published recently in the journal Human Reproduction, found a lower frequency of abnormal sperm in men who consumed a higher than recommended daily amount of folate and folic acid. Researchers analyzed sperm samples from 89 men for genetic changes and asked them to complete questionnaires about their daily intake of folic acid from both diet and vitamin supplements. Men who consumed the most folic acid -- between 722 and 1,150 micrograms -- had a 20-30 per cent reduction in abnormal sperm.

As one of the researchers on the project noted, "This study is the first to suggest that paternal diet may play a role in the development of healthy offspring."

Pass dad the spinach, please.

My celebrity news feeds all wanted to share with me the not-so-interesting news that Denise Richards has legally changed her name back to Denise Richards. The judge approved her name change petition Friday, though her divorce from Charlie Sheen was finalized two years ago.

The story got me thinking, though, about family names and what they mean to people. Traditionally, women have taken their husbands' last names when married, and then all the children from that marriage also share the same surname. These days, though, the only rule in last names is that there are no rules. Married women keep their maiden names, or hyphenate to include their husband's names. Children might get mom's last name, or dad's, or both. And that's just for married couples having children. Add single parents, unmarried-but-coupled parents, and step-parents to the mix, and it's becoming more rare to have only one last name on the household mailbox.

Yet just as we change it up and break all the conventions, I think we have to recognize that it isn't just a name. Names represent our identities; our choices about them make statements about who we are. Families who adopt a child change the child's last name in a move that says, unambiguously, "You are now part of our family." The decision to change or keep a name, hyphenate a name, or revert back to a maiden name after divorce reflects some meaning about the nature of that family. Often, the choice mirrors the struggles we have between "me" and "us," between honoring each extended family while becoming a family of our own.

What arrangement do you have for last names in your family? What meaning does that have for you?