Planning to start your baby on solid food this season? Think green: Research shows that babies who eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits before their first birthday are more likely to be veggie-lovers at age 6. Here’s how to get more of the season’s best produce...

When you shop for groceries, do you wonder if that organic apple is worth the extra dollar a pound? And what is that extra dollar buying you, anyway?  A September 2012 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that organic produce does not have any...

By Sherida Mock Mama Nell begged him to get a “real job,” but farming was irresistible. In 1997, Brenton Johnson graduated from Auburn University with a degree in agricultural engineering. He tried to follow his grandmother’s wishes, and for a time he did, working for...

Amy Jackson wants you to look up. She hopes your kids will, too. As an astronomer and former classroom science teacher, she values the lessons we can all learn from the night sky. Jackson is the founder of Starry Sky Austin and the author of a new children’s book,...

Over 600,000 computing jobs are available in the US, but only 43,000 computer science majors graduated last year. That startling statistic from code.org may explain why 9 out of 10 parents want children to learn computer programming. Even kids who aren’t likely to...

By Sherida Mock One day last spring, Chase Johnson came home from school fired up. The 5th grader realized he’d never encountered an awareness campaign for epilepsy, the neurological disorder that affects him daily. He’d heard plenty about other conditions—diabetes,...

When the summer camp guide from a local arts center arrived in our mailbox, my daughter paged through it eagerly. She then proudly pointed to about 13 different camps she planned to sign up for this summer. From circus camp to acting camp to a camp where you make your...

The holiday season is a great time to assess the toy situation in your house. Use it as a “fresh start” for finally tackling that overflowing toy box. In addition to removing excess toys, it’s also critical to pay special attention to those that pose a safety concern....

By Sherida Mock In 2000, Judy Matetzschk-Campbell had received a Ph.D. in theatre from UT Austin and wanted to direct plays for young audiences. But she found a lack of good material. Too much of the work at the time centered on adaptations of fairy tales and...

At the restaurant a young girl fidgets in her chair. The server places a tall glass of milk in front of her. “What do you say?” reminds her mother. “Thank you,” responds the child dutifully. As parents, we often play a role in this scene. But what are we teaching? Ben...

For a busy mom, lying in bed and relaxing may sound appealing, but a mom who has experienced bed rest will tell you it is not all she had dreamed it would be. I spent five weeks on bed rest prior to the birth of our triplets and it was an emotionally exhausting and...

By Sherida Mock A few years ago, Pam and Chris Andrews had a lively 3-year-old girl, another on the way and little knowledge of the intricacies of rare, genetic diseases. All that was about to change. At first, Pam noticed Belle’s tendency to trip and fall, so she...