It seems we've had a lot of bad news from schools lately. Budget cuts forced by the state government meant cuts in extracurricular activities, shorter sports schedules for some teams and now one of the hardest to deal with, teachers losing jobs and larger class sizes. There have already been cuts in Guilford and Forsyth county, and Guilford reports there are more to come, including language teachers in elementary school and the strings teacher at Weaver Academy.

The good news is that even among all this turmoil, teachers still love their jobs. And it's not just the threat of layoffs and budget cuts that make their job hard, they also have to deal with backtalking kids, tardiness and maybe the hardest part of all--the parents. When rating job satisfaction, 27 percent gave it an "excellent" and 43 percent gave it "good" in Forsyth County for the past year.

I've always felt that being a teacher is a calling. Considering the mediocre pay and all the stuff you have to put up with, it's almost a given that people who stay in this profession do it because they love it. They love the kids and they love seeing the light bulb come on when a student gets it.

So hopefully, even with all the bad news this summer for schools, when our kids go back to school in the fall they'll still be loved, nurtured and inspired by teachers who love them and love the art of teaching.

A man died saving his 12-year-old son from a waterfall this weekend. The tragic story has me worried about that mother. What can she be going through, grieving for her husband but rejoicing in the health of her son? My husband said "that's what parents do for their kids," and he's right. We do everything we can to protect our kids, little things every day like putting on sunscreen to keep the burn away or holding their hands in the parking lot to keep them from rushing in front of speeding cars. Thank goodness most of us don't face life or death situations every day, but if it came down to it, we all would probably do the same thing that dad did if one of our children was in trouble--dive in right away to save them. It's not something you think about, it's just something you do.

The sad stories piled up over the weekend, as a 6-year-old drowned at Kimberly pool in Winston-Salem. But don't let the worrisome news keep you from letting your kids enjoy their summer fun. Just make sure when you are in the water you follow the rules, and keep your eyes on your kids at all times. As the mother of a 4 year old and almost 2 year old, I have often wished I had eyes like a fish, where they're on separate sockets and can look at two different things at once!

Our article, "Splishing and Splashing Safely" has lots of good information and reminders. If you're going to be in a boat, visit Boat Safe Kids for lots of information presented in a fun, kid-friendly fashion.

As progressive as we are as a society, traditional gender roles still seem to permeate our stereotypes. When women in demanding careers have children, there's plenty of talk of whether to scale back, support for the feelings of guilt in going back to work and leaving the kids at home or in daycare and even employers who are willing to be flexible in work schedules. But what about dads? Is it just expected that for men the career is the number one priority, that a wife is at home taking care of all the family matters, and that it really doesn't matter if you only get to spend time with your kids for a few hours on the weekend?

Turns out, dads really would like to have more balance between work and family life. In a recent survey by CNN and CareerBuilder.com, 30 percent of dads said they would be willing to take a pay cut in order to spend more time with their kids. And it's not hard to see why when 39 percent report spending 2 or less hours per day with their kids and 14 percent spend even less than an hour.

Tough economic times make it hard to say no when your boss asks you to stay late to work for a deadline, but men struggle just as much as women with the guilt that comes from logging hours at work and missing those once-in-a-lifetime soccer games or even just the routine family dinners. Another recently released study confirms these findings that dads would like to play a larger role in family life, and in some ways they are. Over the past 10 years, 16 percent more dads are the ones walking or driving their kids to school and 11 percent more have attended class functions. The study by the National PTA shows that dads are becoming more engaged in their child's education, which means they're more engaged in their daily lives. Which means we're making inroads into equality in the home, as well as equality at the work place.

We're standing around the table, waiting to sing happy birthday, and my four-year-old daughter reaches out and swipes a big taste of icing from the cake with her finger. I'm mortified, but other parents say it's okay, she's just four. But is it really okay? Not so much from an etiquette stand point, but from a self control perspective?

A new study shows that performing a short physical test can predict academic achievement in kindergarteners. Kids who show self control in the actions perform better overall, but significantly better in math. While the math part might be a new finding, the knowledge that better self control leads to more success has been around a while. There are many long-term benefits, including better scores on the SAT.

The good news is, self control isn't something you have or you don't. It can be taught. But how do we teach our impulsive preschoolers, who live in the moment, to delay gratification for greater reward? Especially when that reward might be abstract? Just like with adults practicing self control on a diet or while trying to get work done, there are techniques to use with our kids. Role playing is one way. You can go over different scenarious, with stories or puppets, and talk through appropriate reactions.

You can also make it fun by playing games, like Simon Says, Red Light/Green Light, and the Freeze Dance, one of my daughter's favorites. You don't have to have the Freeze music to do this one, just tell your kids you're going to dance as crazy as they want while the music is playing, and when it stops they have to freeze completely. It's also a great way to get the crazies out on a rainy day.

Interested in learning more? Check out this article on the Tools of the Mind education project. It's based on the theory that kids aren't playing the same ways they used to, and because of that they're not learning the executive functions needed to succeed in society. A lack of self control skills learned early on might even be seen as one of the reasons for the rise in ADHD diagnoses, according to this research.

Have you been kicking yourself because your baby's almost a year old, and you're still not wearing those cute jeans you could sport before pregnancy? Don't worry. News today says that women shouldn't rush to lose the baby weight, and it's normal for it to take 6 months to a year. We can thank the media, and those celebrities with their round-the-clock nannies, trainers and nutritionists, for giving us moms an unrealistic view of how we should look after baby comes. The reality is your body took nine months to put on that weight, it should take at least that long to get it off in a healthy way that will help you be more likely to keep it off.

One of the best ways to lose the weight is to eat sensibly. You don't need to go on a crash diet after giving birth, especially if you're breastfeeding. The important thing is to remember to get enough calories, and eat the right foods. For some good tips on what to eat, check out Pregnancy-Period.com and BabyCenter.com. You can also find plenty of good nutrition information at MyPyramid.gov.

Of course, exercise is good too, but take it easy. You don't have to start a punishing regime in order to lose weight. Make it fun, and do it with baby! There are some good opportunities in our area. Check out our Parenting and Childbirth Class Directory for information on Fit for Two classes at Women's Hospital and Mom & Baby Yoga at Family Yoga.