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We've seen lots of research on the effect of birth order on children — but what about birth spacing? A new study shows that spacing kids out may be good for them — or at least the older ones. More »
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Last week, we gave some tips on feeding your family over Thanksgiving. Today: advice on how to avoid killing them. More »
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Were you an unhappy kid? It might be because your jerk parents just couldn't stop reproducing. More »
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Only children of the world, rejoice — a new study says "an only child isn't necessarily a loner, misfit and brat!" More »
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According to a new study of 13,446 youngsters, only kids do suffer socially — at first. By their teens, everyone's on a level playing field. "Whatever benefits there are in having a sibling are mediated; there's a catch-up." More »
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"With Mother's Day around the corner, new research is shedding some light on what happens when a parent — particularly the mother — gives more time or attention or privileges to one of the children." Findings? It's harmful. [USAToday] More »
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A new study shows that adolescent siblings who respect each other's boundaries have a better relationship. While this isn't too earth-shattering, it's interesting that scientists are looking at sibling-relationship quality at all. More »
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Say what you will about Serena's supposed temper, but the relationship between the Williams sisters sounds pretty sweet. More »
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Middle kids rejoice — or despair: a child's actual birth order may matter a lot less than what parents think about that birth order. More »
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Are first-borns really smarter — or more stubborn — than their siblings? A piece in the London Times questions whether birth order really affect IQ or personality as much as some have said. More »
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People who have sisters are happier, more optimistic, less stressed, and better at coping with life's problems, according to a new study on mental health. More »
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A daughter and son visit their ailing mother in her assisted-living apartment. The daughter organizes her mother's wardrobe, cleans her dentures, and is the one Mom comes to when she needs diapers. The son spends his visit "tap-tap-tapping on his BlackBerry." So who gets all the praise for being a wonderful child? If you guessed the son, you must already be familiar with the dilemma Jane Gross describes in "Dividing the Caregiving Duties, It’s Daughters vs. Sons," her post on the New York Times' New Old Age blog. According to Gross — and Dutiful Daughters (and Sainted Sons), a website she references — it's common for daughters to do all the hard work in caring for aging parents, and her sons to get all the credit. But instead of complaining, daughters should just shut up and deal with it. More »
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Last night, The Secret Lives of Women featured a young engaged couple who seemed like two clean-cut, completely normal kids — except for the fact that Kyle's dad and Kari's mom are siblings, making them first cousins. In the clip above, they describe what it's like to fall for your future spouse during childhood Christmases at Grandma's house. Kyle and Kari say that genetics shouldn't keep them from being together or even having a family, since their risk of having a child with a genetic problem is about the same as that of a woman over 40. In other countries, as many as 20-50% of marriages are between close relatives, so why is loving your cousin so taboo in America? More »
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