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I am told that when I write about my son with special needs, people get all teary-eyed. Well, now. I do have to correct that. Yes, there are many challenges in raising special children. But there are also many opportunities to laugh. And there are many times when he leaves me just smiling at the touching things he does. My 11-year-old son leaves me
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The other week I had a dream, one I've had for years and years. It's not a nightmare exactly, but the dream is always the same: I'm about to graduate from college, but somehow, through stupidity or laziness, I have neglected to amass enough course credits to graduate. A rush of voices crowd into my dreaming brain, urgently asking: What am
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"Drop me right at the stairs. When you run, go on the back trails. Don't run up on the track or around the Oval. And then sit in the car and wait for me. Don't come up looking for me - stay in the car." Thus were the instructions from my 14-year-old who asked that I drive her to the Schenley Oval for an evening cross-country practice
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Oh, the uproars, the uproars! Here they come again. The latest is over the movie, "Tropic Thunder," which liberally uses the word "retard." It's a spoof, but I can't image many who advocate for the disabled are getting many laughs out of the use of "retard." Just before this one, national radio show host Michael
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The start of the new school year is fast approaching and with it, a whole lot of juggling of schedules and activities. We're looking for your best organization and scheduling tips that will help busy parents stay ahead of the game. Send an e-mail with your tips and suggestions to Gretchen McKay at gmckay@post-gazette.com. Please include your name
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Today's shocker on cell phone safety should prove a huge adjustment for most people who use cell phones. This is particularly true for teens, who use phones not just to be practical, but to be cool. Among the new warnings by UPMC's cancer guru Dr. Ronald Herberman to limit exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones: -- "Do
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Our vacation this year coincided with the Fourth of July at Bethany Beach, Del. They have a grand celebration there, with a parade during the day featuring homespun floats, beauty queens of all stripes and tossing into the crowd of more candy than you'll see on a mild Halloween night. The town also hosts fireworks that throngs gather on the beach
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My daughter's 4th birthday is next month. I am giving her a Loving Family Dollhouse that I bought off someone on Craigslist. It came with a lot of furniture and accessories, but I wanted to add a few more sets. I viciously scanned the Toys R Us Web site to see what they offered. If I were to buy the sets I wanted to include, I would spend more money
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One of my mom friends this morning was fuming over the current cover of OK! magazine that is featuring a jubilent, but relaxed image of Jamie Lynn Spears with her new daughter Maddie, who arrived June 19. "She's only 17!" my friend complained. "She's wearing some matronly outfit as if it's perfectly OK to be 17 and have a
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"We should take Sam to get his hair cut," my wife said before dinner Tuesday. I let that sink in for a moment, then arched an eyebrow. "Really?" I asked. "Yep." "What made you decide that?" "He looks like Einstein when he wakes up." Her words were true. But we had been back and forth on this one many