The first Incredibles movie invoked the time-honored tradition of using superpowers as a metaphor for what makes people unique and special. In Incredibles 2, the tropes of being a superhero complicate the characters’ lives even more, especially the grown-ups who have to take care of children.
Nest just released a new ad, and let me tell you: there are some issues with the content. So you see this teenage girl in a prom dress ring a Nest doorbell, and a teen couple walk out the front door. The two girls walk to a car, as a low robotic voice beckons the boy and proceeds to give him a fatherly speech about…
In guidelines produced last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics advised parents to limit screen time to one to two hours a day for children between the ages of two and five years. New research suggests these recommendations aren’t producing the desired psychological benefits, and that the AAP’s recommendations…
Friday was a snow day in Austin, Texas. I told my daughter she couldn’t just watch videos all day. This is what she made.
“I would love if DC Superhero Girls were really alive.” “Why?” “Because I really like them. I’m their biggest faaAaaAan.”
Today is that annual barbecue-flavored festival of football games and wrist watches known as Father’s Day. It’s a time when people reach out to their father, mother, or parental figure to remind them they’re awesome (that reminds me, I still have to do that!). There are plenty of fictional papas who also inspire us,…
When I started telling my daughter about various superheroes, I thought for sure that the Flash or Batgirl was going to be her favorite. But super-speed and total recall can’t stand up to gamma-powered grumpiness: the Hulk has her heart.
The last thing I was expecting The Lego Batman Movie to do was to show my daughter how even the Caped Crusader needs people to care about and what it means to have the people you care for torn away from you.
I’d been waiting years for my daughter to show an organic interest in superheroes, video games, and the other stuff I write about as a professional nerd. It’s happening, at long last... but it’s taking us to some unexpectedly poignant places.
They say parents will do anything for their kids, but surely there has to be a line that gets drawn somewhere after dressing up like Santa, but before having to wear this Piggyback Driver helmet. It lets kids steer where they want mom or dad to go while getting a piggyback ride, but shouldn’t kids just be happy they…
Being a parent, fun as it can sometimes be, is also incredibly difficult.* And for a parent who can’t be there for everything—because of work, travel obligations, divorce or separation, or other circumstances—it can be even harder.
Last October, we found that you could take one of the Jakks 48 inch First Order Stormtroopers and turn them into an amazing costume for your kid. Since then, costumers have been snapping them up for that very purpose, but Jim Brock just outdid them all.
Micah Hayman figured out that the best way to get his son to stop crying was Imperial March. Parenting done right.
This is awesome: Jonathan Liu had been watching Star Wars with his children, and after putting his two and a half year old daughter to bed, he found that she really liked it.
Many cosplay-loving parents find ways to dress up with their independently-mobile children, but it gets even more interesting when they find a way to incorporate an infant into their costume through baby-wearing.
I know breast milk is good and all, but when I became a mom I was kinda shocked at how much it was cited as a cure-all for anything that ailed my newborn. It turns out it’s not just because of the nutritional value. My baby’s immune system is communicating with mine THROUGH MY NIPPLES. And now that I understand how it…
As governments look for new ways to spy on people, the commercial surveillance business is getting creative. One of the weirder offerings: a video and audio recording device hidden inside a baby seat.
This sounds extreme, but first let me ask: how many parents do you think actually keep track of their kids’ screen time? If the TV is on but one of the children wanders out of the room, does that count? What if they’re following along to a yoga video? What if the kid borrows Mom’s phone at dinner to ask Google what…
As much as parents want to protect their kids, it's damn near impossible today to totally block access to the internet. Google is moving forward with plans to create child-friendly versions of its most popular products to help kids under 12 go online safely.