ParentWonder

Helping Parents Succeed

J.K Rowling launches U.S. book tour with mass signing

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Harry Potter might have waved his wand and cast a spell, but author J.K. Rowling sat down and cheerfully signed 1,600 books for schoolkids on Monday as she launched her first U.S. book tour in seven years.

"This is an amazing treat for me," Rowling said of the mass book signing and reading for cheering Harry Potter fans who gave her a pop star welcome in Los Angeles.

"I really miss being able to interact directly with the readers. Everyone keeps saying, 'it must be so onerous. Doesn't it hurt your hand?' But, honestly, that's the bit I really enjoy," Rowling told reporters.

The 42-year-old British author said that after 10 years of writing to a deadline, she now felt as if she was on vacation and has not yet started writing the promised Harry Potter encyclopedia that fans around the world are awaiting.

Full report: J.K Rowling launches U.S. book tour with mass signing

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Are You Doing Enough To Teach Your Child About Personal Safety?

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Potential dangers such as child abduction and sexual assault lurk in every possible place where our children spend most of their time. The recent case of an eight-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered sent a gruesome message to all parents and guardians of children.

Yet, many still are still rather careless about their children's personal safety. I still see parents leaving their children behind in corners of the shopping malls and children sitting in a shopping cart outside the shops. Children walking to the neighbourhood shops on their own.

Having two primary-age daughters, I have always emphasized personal safety rules to them before and after school.  When a hypermarket opened next to my daughter's primary school, I immediately went to the principal and volunteered to conduct personal safety sessions for the girls in this primary school. I presented workshops on building self-esteem, learning to be assertive, learning how to stay safe and the good and bad touches.

Even the campaign on personal safety has its limitations if parents do not take the responsibility to help their children. Parents need to take an active role in protecting their children from abduction and exploitation. You need to constantly supervise your children and be alert to their needs. You can reduce their risk of becoming victims of heinous crimes by listening to them and teaching them about personal safety.

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Lead found in toys, backpacks in U.S. stores

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A Curious George doll bought at Toys "R" Us was found to be tainted with 10 times the legally-allowed lead level, and vinyl lunch boxes and backpacks also had high amounts of lead, the nonprofit group Center for Environmental Health said on Wednesday.

The Curious George doll found with high amounts of lead was made by Marvel Entertainment Group Inc, the Oakland, California-based group said in a statement. A Marvel spokesman said he was unaware of the advocacy group's finding and had no immediate comment.

Full report: Lead found in toys, backpacks in U.S. stores

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36+ Free Amazing Parenting eBooks: Tips And Advice On How To Be A Better Parent

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You can find lots of great parenting tips on the Internet. But the problem is only if you know how and where to find. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.

When we decided to take on this project, we thought it would be easy. Boy, how wrong  we were! This project took more time than we originally thought.

After a few rounds of searching online, we have found some excellent parenting ebooks. And they are free. It’s impossible to cover every parenting topic but we did our best to find ebooks that cover the most important topics.

Now we have done the legwork for you and the only thing you need to do is to enjoy the ebooks while sipping your favorite drink.

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Leo Babauta of Zen Habits on Parenting and Family: An Interview

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Leo BabautaIt’s our heartfelt gratitude to have Leo Babauta in this interview.

Leo is the author of the wildly successful ZenHabits. His blog is currently ranked Top 100 by Technorati. Leo has achieved this feat in less than a year — a success only many can dream of.

Leo writes about getting things done, family, personal finance and productivity tips. He has written many popular articles and well read by a large number of followers.

In this interview, the father of six talks about balancing work and family, parenting and bonding with children. He also touches on challenges and mistakes he has as a father.

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