By Jenna Hatfield for BlogHer.com

We’re a family-vacation-loving bunch. My husband and I take multiple trips during the summer with our two sons, as I did with my family when I was growing up. We just spent 10 days doing the camping thing in mid-July and are preparing for our annual multi-generational family vacation to Emerald Isle, North Carolina, at the end of August. We look forward to these trips all year, so when I heard Newsweek's argument that summer vacation won’t make you happier, I tried my hardest not to laugh out loud. But I failed.

I do agree that the return from vacation-land involves a bit of an emotional drop. It’s hard to get back into a routine with the kids. It’s hard to deal with the fact that the beach is not glimmering right outside our windows. It’s hard to get caught up on the sleep that we lost while staying up late exchanging old stories with family members or waking up early to catch the sunrise on the Atlantic. But the dip in mood soon passes, and life goes on.

What I don’t agree with is the pessimistic view of vacations in general. This article concentrated too hard on the things that can go wrong on vacation:

“For one thing, holiday trips are not 24/7 bliss. There are missed flight connections, disappointing hotels, bad food, and illness. Looking back on all that, once we’re back home, can understandably put a dent in our happiness.”

Or, you know, you could not be such a "Negative Nancy" about the fact that you just went on vacation, a thing not everyone is privy to on a regular basis.

Things do go wrong on vacation. Last year on our way home from the beach, we got stuck in a massive traffic jam at the bottle-neck of 77 near Wytheville, Virginia. (Why on Earth is that only one lane? Can’t anyone fix it? Before late August?) We got kind of grumpy. Earlier in the trip, I had an argument with my mother. But we worked it out, much like we eventually got through the traffic. When I think of last year’s vacation, those negatives aren’t what come to mind. Not at all.

I remember watching my youngest son dip his toes into the ocean for the very first time. I remember taking walks with my husband ... alone. I remember a meal that I made for the whole family that got rave reviews. I remember my husband buying me a pink fishing pole that lights up. I remember my oldest son giggling with glee as he jumped over the waves, his little beach shoes making that slopping-wet-beachy sound. I remember the smell. And the breeze. And the laughter. I could have focused on things gone wrong, but that’s not how my family rolls. Or vacations.

Another anti-summer-vacation argument recently covered in Time is that the time off hurts kids’ progress in school. Perhaps. I understand that our family is privileged in the fact that we can make time and spend the money on these vacations. But our kids have earned their vacation time, as my husband and I have, by working hard at whatever they’re doing and learning during the year. Just because our oldest son isn’t actively in a classroom during the summer doesn’t mean that we’re not working with him on various aspects of his educational growth.

But, to be honest, we don’t bring the workbooks on vacation. We might draw some letters in the sand, discuss why the sun “comes up earlier” at the beach (causing our oldest to rise earlier, too) or talk about tides, but we’re not doing science projects. Vacations are for relaxing (even if parents sometimes have to work during them). Kids deserve some relaxation, too.

So, while my kids may come out dumber and we may have a case of the Post-Vacation Grumpies around the first of September, we're still going on our family vacation. I'd be willing to bet money that we won't think, "Gee, I wish we would have spent that time drilling our sons on math." Or even, "I'm so upset we went on vacation and experience all of those fun moments." Instead, I bet we'll be glad that we took the time for us, for our family.

What do you think? Do you agree that summer vacations don't necessarily make you happier, or that kids shouldn't take time off from school, since it hurts their progress? Discuss in the comments!

Related links on BlogHer.com
- Do You Work During Your Vacation?
- Holiday! Vacationing With an Only Child
- Cruising with Kids: Tips for an Awesome Vacation
- Attention, Parents and Teens: Boredom Is Important
- Traveling with Kids, Making Memories on the Way

Reaching more than 20 million women each month, BlogHer is the leading participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online with a publishing network of more than 2,500 blogs. BlogHer adds unique voices of women bloggers to the TODAY community. Read more at www.blogher.com -- and sign up for our newsletters to get the best of BlogHer in your inbox. Jenna Hatfield (@FireMom), from Stop, Drop and Blog and The Chronicles of Munchkin Land, is a freelance writer and newspaper photographer.

By Amy McCready, Positive Parenting Solutions founder and TODAY Moms contributor

If you have more than one child in your home, you likely also have sibling rivalry.

It’s a universal issue that haunts 7-year-olds, 17-year-olds and, chances are, more adults than you would guess.

But that doesn’t mean parents need to live with competition, arguing and an unwillingness to cooperate.

Believe it or not, your kids can enjoy good relationships with each other, for more than five minutes at a time! It just takes a little work on your part.

In fact, you may be surprised to learn that the way YOU respond to the rivalry will determine whether it will be an ongoing problem.

By TW for BlogHer.com

Michelle Obama added a "Mommy and me" trip to her summer vacation schedule: Sasha, 9, and her mother will travel to Spain. Vacations with the whole family have a place, but in my experience the trips a child makes alone with a parent really mean the world.

As I write this, my son is enjoying one-on-one time with his father -- in Japan. Every picture of him on Facebook shows a beaming 16-year-old -- which might surprise anyone with a 16-year-old son. I know it would surprise anyone who has been tortured with endless pictures of my children on vacation: in any one photo, one kid will smile, while one looks away and one looks bored. My son is having a blast without his younger sisters complaining about this destination or that restaurant. Those pictures show exactly why leaving the siblings at home makes for a special parent-child vacation.

My children have traveled quite a bit with their father -- all over the world, in fact. Their itineraries make even well-traveled adults sigh with envy. But if you ask my daughter about her favorite trip ever, she rambles about her special "mommy and me" birthday trip two hours from our home, to Disney World.

My daughter's birthday came at about the same time she became fixated with the Pirates of the Caribbean. She didn't remember the ride at all from a couple of years earlier, when we had season passes to Disney World. So I planned a one-night, two-day trip. She loved every minute of it, from the drizzling rain to the pit stop for doughnuts at the toll road oasis to the magic of Disney.

What she talks about, though, and what we both remember well about this trip: She had the undivided attention of her mother. Our days were directed by her whims, not her siblings' likes and dislikes. We wandered leisurely and lingered in the photo booth. We didn't talk about anything earthshaking. Instead, we focused on the fun. I reflect back on that trip and realize the thing that made it special truly was having alone time with someone you love. Those connections nurtured and special memories made with "just mom" last.

For my 20-year-old child's 16th birthday, we took her to the closest Ikea, 5 hours away. We left the other children behind and spent the night in a hotel. We ordered room service, and came home with the new bedroom furniture she had needed for some time. These trips nurture what can be lost in the hustle and bustle of our lives and trying to juggle the needs of all of the children.

Michelle Obama chose wisely when she decided to take Sasha on a "mommy and me" trip. Among the unforgettable experiences Sasha will have as a child, this one will no doubt rank very high on the list.

What do you think: Is it a good idea to take kids on solo vacations? Would you do it?

More Bloggers on Family Travel

• We Took the Kids on a Cruise -- and It Was Awesome
• Vacationing With an Only Child: My Dos and Don'ts
• Mother's Guilt Begins: Do I Travel in the Third Trimester?
• Put Down the Camera and Look Around
• Traveling With Kids, Making Memories Along the Way

Reaching more than 20 million women each month, BlogHer is the leading participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online with a publishing network of more than 2,500 blogs. BlogHer adds the voices of women bloggers to the TODAY Moms discussion. Read more at www.blogher.com -- and sign up for our newsletters to get the best of BlogHer in your inbox.

By TODAY show editor Sara Pines, a.k.a. Sandwich Mom

If you can accumulate up to six months of sleep debt in the first two years of your baby’s life... I declare bankruptcy, right now!

According to a recent story in the Daily Mail, two thirds of mothers and fathers of babies and toddlers get fewer than four hours of sleep every night and in the first two years of their child's life that adds up to a loss of about six months of zzzz's. Now that's nothing to snooze at!

As any new parent can tell you, the warnings are dire and start early. And they come when you’re particularly vulnerable. As a pregnant mom-to-be, you're waddling around already, can’t get comfortable whether you’re standing, sitting, sleeping, working and then all the books and all the experts and the ladies in line at the supermarket or at the nail salon tell you, ”Sleep now, when you can. You’ll never get any sleep once the baby comes. You will never be more exhausted.”

Oh, and when they find out I’m a single mom, the knowing looks gets tinged with pity. And as they leave with their bread or bright pink nails, they say, “Remember to sleep when the baby sleeps!”

Thanks.

But here’s my dirty little secret: Turns out I had the best training in the world for being a sleep-deprived new, single mom... and the training came in an unlikely place: A dimly lit, male-dominated, pressure-filled underground den knows as the TODAY show's 1-A Control Room.

For six years, I was the morning writer for the TODAY show. When I first started, I got in around 4:45 a.m. By the end of my exhausting stint, I got in around 3:30 a.m.

So, my alarm went off at 2:45 a.m. I pushed snooze and finally rolled out of bed (I’d taken a shower the night before to save time in the morning), walked the dog (yes, Mom, I walked the dog at 3 a.m., just as the last callers were rolling in from the bars) and headed to work.

I never got enough sleep. I couldn’t go to bed at 7 p.m. It was more like 11 p.m. By the end of the week, I would literally ache I was so exhausted. About two months in, I abandoned my contacts. They just sting too much when you’ve gotten only a few hours.

So, fast forward to 2006, I’m a brand new mom and these dire warnings about sleep are ringing in my ears. I would feed Isabelle, sleep for three hours, wake up and feed her again, and get another three hours. I’m not great in math, but that’s a total of six hours. That’s heaven after working the early shift at TODAY.

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says that children should not have to miss school just because they have head lice.

The Academy says that the “no-nits” policy, which mandates that children with any evidence of lice infestation be kept home, benefits neither them nor their classmates and “should be abandoned.”

The report also says that “herculean” efforts to get rid of lice aren’t necessary.

What do you think? If your child showed evidence of head lice, would you keep the child home or follow the Academy’s new guidelines? What do you feel other parents who see such evidence on their own children should do?

Watch the vdeo of the story below, read the story and leave your thoughts in the comments.

By TODAYshow.com contributor and "Ask Kitty" columnist, Kitty Schindler

In a column last year, I wrote about growing up in a small town where children were everyone's concern. "Spare the rod and spoil the child" seemed to be universally accepted, which meant that friends, neighbors and relatives all could (and did) involve themselves how we kids behaved.

Today’s moms and dads are often better educated in parenting than mine were. Even so, many are uncertain about how to discipline their own children, much less the children of others. Do we live in such a “mind your own business” world that we are afraid to speak out when we see others’ children – or their parents -- misbehave?

Say you see a mother whose child is acting up in a store administer a slap on the bottom. That's fine with me, if it's moderate; if it's child abuse, it’s an entirely different situation. But let’s say the mother does nothing to correct a child who is obviously misbehaving: Should you intervene?

Unless someone is being endangered, probably not. Getting involved might only make the situation worse, for both child and mother. Still, if you see a small child trying to clamber out of a shopping cart while the mother isn't looking, there’s nothing wrong with telling the child, in a calm, friendly voice, to sit down -- or to alert the mother in the same modulated tone. Helping keep a child safe is always appropriate, regardless of whose it is. (And it's a lot better than helping to pick the child up off the floor.)

But when the child is older, our scenario becomes more complex. Some older children nowadays won't listen to their own parents, let alone you. And if an outsider intervenes, the parents often defend the bad behavior of the child. That’s what makes life so difficult for schoolteachers these days, and why discipline in schools is so often a problem.

Granted, there are many more influences on older children today than when I was growing up: TV, movies, rap music, social networking, texting and celebrity misbehavior, to name just a few. Bad examples can contribute to anti-social behavior. Bullying, taunting, teasing and the like are almost epidemic among older children, and have had tragic consequences.

But there are things a parent can do. When other children came to my home to play with my kids, they had to obey the rules of the house. It was my house, and if I was to be responsible for them, they had to follow my rules.

If someone didn't, he or she got one warning, and that usually was all it took. And when we got a swimming pool, there were even stricter rules. Anyone who disobeyed was sent home; no second chance.

I know that some of my children’s friends thought I was pretty strict when I took games away from them or even sent a couple home. But it was pretty easy to maintain order, because everyone knew my rules and for the most part didn't object.

My kids are all grown up now, but when my retired husband did some substitute teaching recently, he maintained classroom discipline in much the same way. Every student was told the rules every day, and the first to violate them was sent to the principal’s office. The others realized misbehavior wasn’t going to be tolerated, and for the rest of the day his classes were peaceful and productive. Children of almost any age will accept rules and discipline if those rules are enforced. If they aren’t, what good are they?

Today’s world is a lot different than the little town I grew up in, where everyone pretty much agreed on the ground rules. These days, if you’re not the one in charge – in your own home or classroom, for example – it’s wise to mind your own business unless a situation requires more.

But if it does, don’t be afraid to act accordingly. Times may have changed, but if I saw a child behaving recklessly, endangering himself or others, I would do whatever I thought necessary to eliminate the risk.

Video: Tips to dole out discipline to another parent's child

What do you think? Is it OK to discipline other people's children?

In his recent column "Accepting That Good Parents May Plant Bad Seeds" in The New York Times, Dr. Richard A. Friedman explores the paradox of "good parents with toxic children." Friedman makes the case that loving, conscientious parents can somehow manage to bring up kids who are generally unkind and unsympathetic to other people. While not letting truly bad parents off the hook, he argues that some offspring simply may not be nice people. What do you think of Friedman's argument? If "bad seeds" emerge, must the parents bear at least some responsibility? Do you think it's possible for compassionate parents to raise children who lack compassion themselves?

Watch video: Bad kids raised by good parents

School's out and the kids are in full vacation mode -- swimming, playing, going to camp, staying up late, watching TV, playing video games, but are they reading? Is getting them to crack open a book a daily struggle? TODAY goes straight to the experts for advice – the kids from Al’s Book Club. Hear what these avid readers, along with a teaching expert, have to say about avoiding a summer reading slump.

Watch their tips and share your own below?

Are your kids' sports preventing you from having a family supper? Family Circle’s Linda Fears and parenting expert Michele Borba talk with TODAY's Matt Lauer about the impact team sports have on family bonding.

Watch their discussion and share your thoughts? Are your kids' activities getting in the way of quality time with the family? Is cutting back the answer?

How cute is this little baby eating through a watermelon?

David Swanson, author of “Help! My Kid Is Driving Me Crazy,” talks with TODAY's Matt Lauer and offers practical, argument-free advice for making sure your kids return home on time.

Watch their discussion and share your thoughts. Do you have a curfew for your kids? Think it's important to set one?

As if expecting parents don’t have enough to worry about, now comes word that pregnancy has become a potential deal-breaker when it comes to getting a mortgage.

“Lenders are saying: ‘We need to see income, and we need to see income not just now, but that will actually last for the next three years,’ ” TODAY financial editor Jean Chatzky said Wednesday.

As a result, banks are taking a hard look at couples with maternity or paternity leave, fearing they won’t have enough income to make their payments.

What do you think? Watch the video below, and weigh in if you think it's fair for a couple to be denied a mortgage simply because they are expecting a baby.

By TODAY show editor Sara Pines, a.k.a. Sandwich Mom

Sandwich Mom definition: Can make a baloney sandwich in 30 seconds flat.

Sandwich Mom definition: Grabs a sandwich for dinner, ‘cause it’s easy, it’s quick and let’s face it, I can’t afford filet mignon every night.

Sandwich Mom definition: Squeezed between caring for aging parents and raising a new generation.

Hello, I’m Sara and I’m a Sandwich Mom in every sense. I’m a whiz at whipping out a lunch while toasting breakfast and making vegetables to shove in the fridge for dinner in the vain hope that my 4-year-old will eat some later when I’m at work. Speaking of which, I eat lunch and dinner at work every day. I’m the TODAY show Editor which means I write the scripts for the first three hours of the show every day, generally working the 2pm to 10 pm shift. So I’m quite familiar with gobbling up a sandwich at my desk.

And I am attending to my two parents: My 82-year-old dad, who was a warm, loving and gregarious person in his prime -- full of personality and curiosity. Now, he has been reduced to a mostly mute wheelchair dweller in a nearby nursing home, a victim of a brutal disease known as dementia. He does not even know his family when we visit him.

My mom, living on her own for the first time in her life, in the New York City apartment I grew up in and that she shared with my dad for 35 years, is unsteady on her feet due to spinal stenosis. Right now, she’s recovering from a broken wrist she got as the result of a fall in front of the Metropolitan Museum last month. No, she was not using her cane. Should she have been? Yes.

The Nettles family of San Diego, Calif., discuss how they survived turning off all of their telephones, computers and televisions for a day.

Watch their discussion and share your thoughts. Could your family unplug for a day?

Are you one of the estimated 65.7 million family caregivers in the U.S. who are struggling to provide for an aging relative? Psychologist Dale Atkins and AARP’s Amy Goyer offer advice to help you navigate through this sad and stressful time.

Watch their discussion and share your thoughts.

Teens and young adults are the fastest-growing group of coffee consumers, but is this a safe habit? NBC’s chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman sorts through these frothy coffee drinks and the caffeine and calories they often mask.

Watch the report and share your thoughts. Do you let your kids drink coffee drinks?

From weight gain to mood swings, MSNBC’s Willie Geist takes a look at the hormonal and physical changes a man faces when his partner becomes pregnant.

Sex therapist Ian Kerner and psychologist Belisa Vranich share tips for keeping the summer fun for you and your spouse.

Have any secrets of your own? Share them here.

Related stories:
Childproof your summer: 6 tips to keep the romance alive

From sex therapist Ian Kerner: I don’t know if other parents feel this way, but during summer it’s “a long day's journey into night” -- especially when the kids are up at crack of dawn and it doesn’t start to get dark until 9 p.m. Even with my sons at day camp, they are still home often and constantly moaning, “I’m bored.” Jeez, what am I, the entertainment director?

My relationship with my wife is the part of my life that bears the brunt of all this. Longer days mean shorter nights; that translates to less downtime, less intimacy and darn it, less sex!

Here are some ideas I came up with to “childproof” the summer and keep some romance sizzling:

Make sure the kids are playing hard. Work those little buggers: swimming, soccer, baseball, pile it on. The harder they play the more easily they will go to sleep, which will give you more time for intimacy. Get in the habit of putting them to bed earlier, not later, and make sure that you have blinds or curtains that can block the light. Many parents make the mistake of waiting until it's dark to put the kids to bed during the summer. This practice leaves you exhausted with little time for your partner, and also deprives your kids of some much-needed rest.

Combine family outings with date night. During the summer, date night tends to vanish, because there's always a different family activity: extended weekends, baseball games, dinners out with ice cream afterward. I think it’s money well spent to bring a baby sitter with you on these outings, and make a little relationship pit stop for a glass of wine or a quick bite away from the kids, or even a chance to talk at dinner without having to worry about the kids. I’m not saying to scrap date night, which is more important than ever during summer, but with a busy family schedule, it doesn’t hurt to have some extra support when you’re out with the kids.

Cut yourself some slack. It's summer! You can let some rules slide. Give kids extra TV and computer time or skip a bath and let them be a little dirty. There are so many more summer hours in the day when the kids are home. Just let them have some downtime, so you can reconnect with your partner and de-stress.

Work around the summer schedule. You may have new opportunities for intimacy. Perhaps your spouse is getting out of work early on Fridays -- instead of jumping in the car for a long weekend, rendezvous with your spouse for a long lunch. Heck, check into a hotel for the afternoon! Shake it up, it’s summer.

Relive the summers of your own youth. Remember all those fun, naughty games like Truth or Dare and strip poker? Remember when you could kiss and pet, but couldn't go past second base? Take some time to remember and relive.

Plan a stay-cation. I just got back from our first real family vacation to Europe, and let me tell you: When you have kids, vacation is a different experience. But that doesn't mean you can't get the kids to sleep and plan a stay-cation. It could be as simple as simple as margaritas and some Jimmy Buffett.

Remember that summer is a time when parents are going to feel extra stress and there's a lot of extra family time. But happy kids have happy parents, and the most important thing you can do for your family is to stay connected as a family. It's so easy to get caught up making sure the kids are having fun -- make sure you're having some, too.

Any other ideas for keeping romance alive when the kids are NOT away?

Ian Kerner is a sex therapist, relationship counselor and New York Times best-selling author of numerous books, including "She Comes First" and "Love in the Time of Colic." He was born and raised in New York City, where he lives with his wife and two sons. For more of his tips, visit www.goodinbed.com.

Ever been on the receiving end of unwanted advice on how to handle your child's behavior? Ever wonder why people can't keep their parenting thoughts to themselves? We know "it takes a village," but sometimes it just takes a parent to handle the situation.

In response to feedback on the topic from Facebook fans, Hoda Kotb and Willie Geist discuss the issue with Jennifer Koppelman Hutt and Alexis Stewart, hosts of Sirius Satellite Radio's "Whatever With Alexis and Jennifer." Watch their discussion and share your thoughts below.

How do you handle getting unwanted parenting advice from other people? And have you given out some of your own advice to other parents?

BlackBerry smartphones, iPhones and other mobile devices can distract parents from spending quality time with their children, breaking down family ties. NBC’s Kevin Tibbles visits one family who is getting real about their gadgets. Watch his report and share your thoughts.

Do you think parents are putting cell phones ahead of their kids? Do you and your spouse have secrets for limiting cell usage around the family?

In the recent New York Magazine cover story "I Love My Children. I Hate My Life," writer Jennifer Senior tackles the tough topic of parental happiness.

She writes that while many parents say raising a child is a privilege that adds meaning to their lives, research shows parents are often more depressed and less happy than nonparents.

Her article set off a firestorm in online message boards in and blogs, with many critical of those who felt dissatisfaction with raising a child.

"Parenting is a selfless and lifelong vocation, and you must recognize that fact before you commit to becoming a parent," "judithod" commented on the article on nymag.com.

Others tried to figure out the root of the unhappiness.

The Motherlode's Lisa Belkin argues it may be connected it to the "helicopter parenting" phenomenon.

"Now that parenting has become a verb — an active, measurable, competitive thing — it brings with it an infinitely expanding job description. We create one for ourselves, different from our neighbors’, or even our partners’, but always broader than the ones our parents used decades ago. We recognize it as helicoptering when we see others do it, but from the inside it feels like what a good parent does." she writes. "And it is, in part, what is making us overwhelmed and unhappy.

Stephanie Wilder-Taylor suggested unhappiness could stem from unreasonable expectations. "I think the problem is how you go into parenting with these high expectations. It's supposed to be fun every minute of the day and it's such a rude awakening," she said. "Getting those kids dressed in the morning can sometimes be an extremely tedious experience. Unlike other jobs, you don't ever really punch out."

Click here for the TODAY video where Senior and psychotherapist Gail Saltz discuss the controversial article.

What do you think? Did having a child make you unhappy? Vote below and then comment about the debate.

School’s out for summer! Stymie the lazy-day choruses of “I’m bored ... ” before they start with a visit to one (or more) of these 10 spots that every kid should see.

Ticking off this treasure-trove checklist of close-to-home U.S. sights — each within the scope of a weekend getaway — is sure to mount childlike wonder in kids of all ages, with each destination offering enriching experiences that are both educating and entertaining.

From iconic emblems to engineering marvels, and natural wonders to theme park fantasy lands, these attractions for kids promise to spark the imaginations of young dreamers. Perhaps the only better alternative to seeing these sights as a child? Seeing them through the eyes of one... Read the full story and share your secrets for traveling with the kids.

A Utah mom born with two uteruses is pregnant with two babies who are not twins. Msnbc's Chris Jansing has the details.

Us Weekly editor Caroline Schaefer speaks with TODAY’s Natalie Morales about the magazine breaking the news of Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston’s engagement and why the couple chose to announce their plans so publically before telling Sarah Palin. Watch the video of their discussion and share your thoughts.