Parents Talk

(VIDEO) Parents Talk: Don't Let Accidents Ruin Summer Fun

From flying bounce houses to escaped animals at the zoo, how do you ignore the hype while keeping your child safe?

If you're like me, you probably watched the video above of a two-story red, white and blue bounce house soaring into the air at a youth soccer tournament this past weekend.  Two other "moonwalks" flew off the ground, causing youngsters to suffer bumps and bruises and critically injuring a mother who had an inflatable crash-land on her. As I watched the video and the shots of alarmed adults running after their children I realized it could have been any one of us in their position.  I can only imagine the nightmares both the parents and children may be suffering since that horrifying afternoon. It seems like we're hearing stories like these all the time.  Every maternal nerve in my body reacted when I learned that a fox escaped from the …

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Lisa Buck

9:50 pm on Thursday, June 9, 2011

My kids and their friends are into water-skiing, motorbikes, 4-wheelers,and airsoft guns---all have risks. We set rules for each that are enforced with a zero-tolerance approach. I worry about fireworks. A neighbor boy got grounded last week when his parents found him playing with some hard core fireworks, which I'm sure my kids would love.   more ›

Bowling + Swimsuits = Great Success

Abbey's Hope sponsored an innovative fundraiser to provide inner-city kids with swimsuits for water safety classes.

Super Bowl Sunday was about more than football for many in Hopkins. Before the big game Feb. 6, supporters of Abbey’s Hope and the children of the North Community Minneapolis YMCA bowled games for swimsuits and donated money for more at Tuttle’s Bowling in Hopkins. Abbey’s Hope—founded after the death of Abbey Taylor, who was  disemboweled by a pool drain in 2007—is dedicated to the hope that no child will ever have to go through Abbey’s experience.  The two-year-old foundation was cosponsoring water safety classes at the North Community Minneapolis YMCA when it became obvious that many of the children arriving for classes were not properly outfitted.  The YMCA was unable to offer anything other than bins full of old used swimsuits, which …

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