Parents

Last week we learned that adult children of divorce will almost always revert to childish behaviors. Case in point, Briana, the daughter previously known as The Most Reasonable Person in Orange County, dissolved into a impertinent, recalcitrant, petulant brat upon meeting her mother's boyfriend. This week Briana grows up and fights like a big girl … but we'll get there soon enough. Elsewhere in the O.C., there are tiaras to be worn and bling to be bought as Alexis goes all out for her little princesses, and Slade decides to declare Gretchen his queen.

In what parents and health organizations called a life-saving measure, Gov. Martin O' Malley signed into a law Tuesday a bill that will require all Maryland schools to maintain an emergency supply of epinephrine in order to respond to a growing trend of severe allergic reactions among school-aged children.  “Receiving a dose of epinephrine in the critical minutes following exposure to a food allergen can mean the difference between life and...

Kevin Plank can't help himself. The Under Armour CEO might know, in his heart of hearts, that his horse is a long shot against the world's finest 3-year-old thoroughbreds. His farm manager, Tom Mullikin, describes the dark bay colt as more "grinder" than star. But Plank's own rise, from blindly ambitious college kid to billionaire apparel mogul, is an underdog tale. So he can't help but play Joe Namath and talk big about his colt's chances in the 137th Preakness Stakes. "Tommy, did you guarantee on Tiger Walk?"

They have asked a date, found the perfect dress, matched the shoes and made the appointments for hair and nails. But the seniors and their parents at Maryvale Preparatory School must add one more thing to their to-do list before prom night Friday. The all-girls Catholic school in Brooklandville established an unusual pre-prom tradition 26 years ago, when it made an alcohol education program mandatory for students and parents. "Because of all the things going on related to drinking, including a horrific accident, we decided then that we had to do something," said Sister Shawn Marie Maguire, who has overseen the school since 1981.

As physicians who treat overweight children in Maryland daily, we strongly support the views expressed by Horizon Foundation CEO Nikki Highsmith Vernick in her recent commentary on childhood obesity ("A healthier way to snack," May 15). We urge parents to speak with their pediatricians about healthy food and beverage options for their children. We further suggest that parents advocate for their child's school to provide healthy alternatives to sugary foods and beverages that are often found in vending machines and school cafeterias.

Carroll County school officials told a grandmother to stop coming to her grandchild's class after she spent two weeks studying the teacher. A Baltimore County teacher recalls being threatened physically by a parent who happened to be a boxer. And in Howard County, overbearing parents are becoming such a concern that more than half the teachers surveyed say they have experienced "harassing behavior." For the past two years, 60 percent of the teachers responding to a job satisfaction survey conducted by the Howard County Education Association reported that they have been subjected to harassment.

The Rev. Mike Russell and the parishioners of Elkridge's Grace Episcopal Church have issued their Thanksgiving invitation. They're inviting 150 seniors to a traditional dinner, to take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.Their guests will be elders or elder couples, age 55 and up, who may need a place to celebrate. That may be because the guests' families have moved on, friends have passed away, or the monthly budget may not allow the feast we associate with the holiday."Church response has been terrific," says Mr. Russell, adding that he does not particularly like to watch TV football or the Macy's parade anyhow.

Samuel Wayne Hulett, the 6-year-old son of Orioles' utility infielder Tim Hulett, died yesterday at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center from injuries received Wednesday when he was struck by a car near his Cockeysville home.Dr. Charles Paidas, director of the pediatric trauma team at the Hopkins Children's Center, said Sam was placed on a life-support system when he arrived at the hospital and never regained consciousness."As a group, we feel for Tim and Linda, for the children and for the family," said Orioles pitcher Storm Davis, speaking for the players before last night's game.

It was pure coincidence that Maurice Sendak died on the same day that North Carolina voters approved an amendment to their state constitution banning gay marriage. And the same day that Joe Biden was in the hot seat for his comment over the weekend that he is "comfortable" with marriage equality. One wouldn't know from reading The Sun's appreciation that Mr. Sendak was gay. He lived with his partner, psychoanalyst Eugene Glynn, for 50 years until Glynn's death in 2007, according to a 2009 article in the New York Times.

Q: I don't believe in spanking my children, but I do find that I yell at them a lot when I get frustrated. The result is that now my children yell, too -- at me, at each other, at the dog. I don't like this pattern, but I don't know how to stop it. Any suggestions?-- T.L., Phoenix, Ariz.A: As we discussed last week, this problem has plagued families for generations. Strategies such as humor, incentive charts and a family reminder system are helping parents change their ways.Another strategy that may help is a new way of looking at your relationship with your children based on a counseling technique called reality therapy.

Faith Child Development Center's pre-kindergarten class celebrated its graduation ceremony May 16. Colorful graduation hats decorated the bulletin board and graduation streamers hung from the ceiling. But the mood was far from cheerful after the event, as the staff of the school shut its doors to students and their families for the last time. On May 11, Faith Lutheran Church announced that Faith Child Development Center, which has offered classes for ages 2 through pre-k for 12 years, would not reopen next school year.

An Anne Arundel County parent whose gentle spirit is said to have built bridges between cultures at her sons' elementary school was named the Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award winner Friday night. Ambareen Jafri, a 35-year-old Crofton mother of three boys, began her volunteer work four years ago when a Nantucket Elementary School teacher put out a request for someone who spoke Urdu to be a translator for Indian and Pakistani families. "Sometimes, you just [say], 'OK, this is my opportunity to help the community.

As physicians who treat overweight children in Maryland daily, we strongly support the views expressed by Horizon Foundation CEO Nikki Highsmith Vernick in her recent commentary on childhood obesity ("A healthier way to snack," May 15). We urge parents to speak with their pediatricians about healthy food and beverage options for their children. We further suggest that parents advocate for their child's school to provide healthy alternatives to sugary foods and beverages that are often found in vending machines and school cafeterias.

Baltimore County parents and legislators will ask incoming schools Superintendent Dallas Dance to consider putting more teachers in high schools, where class sizes have swelled since positions were eliminated a year ago. Maryland Sen. James Brochin, a Baltimore County Democrat, said he wants Dance to examine restoring positions at high schools, where hundreds of classes have been dropped, soon after Dance takes over July 1. He said he warned county...

Ella Johnson thought she was done raising kids. Then one night her daughter, asleep in bed with her 1-year-old son, died of a heart condition, and Johnson suddenly found herself mothering a grieving grandchild who clung to the picture of his dead mother. The mother of three grown children, Johnson had plenty of experience with patching skinned knees and soothing teenage mood swings, but taking on the family's youngest generation brought a new set of worries about how to make ends meet and how to provide the right environment for her grandson, DaQuan'Ta Harper, who is now 12. So she eagerly signed on to a National Institutes of Health research study started this year that provides grandparents around the country with practical advice and support for raising grandchildren.

For the past few years, Lara DiPaola has come home from her job in marketing and started her second job, as an unofficial translator for her 13-year-old-daughter, Katie. Like many teens, Katie speaks in abbrevs — shortened or combined versions of words or phrases, popular in text messages and on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. It's up to DiPaola to fill in the missing letters. "I'd say to my daughter, 'Katie, where did you leave the blow-dryer?' and she'd respond, 'IDK,'" said DiPaola, who lives in Severn.

AFTER ONE particularly brutal weekend of Little League baseball, with games played back-to-back under the hot sun and with pitchers walking everybody but the parents, my husband fell into bed, exhausted.Not from heat and not from boredom. From talking.He'd literally talked his son through the fact that he had been the last player picked to an All-Star team and had found himself playing two unfamiliar positions: the bench and the outfield. My husband told Joe stories about his own athletic disappointments, as well as those of everyone he could think of, from Michael Jordan to Yogi Berra.

Your editorial, "Invisible lives" (April 11), is a perfect example of the circular logic that further dooms the unfortunate children you want to help. The article describes the various abnormal, frightened and selfish behaviors of characters in the Lamont Davis trial and very properly identifies those as self-defeating, self-inflicted wounds. In my opinion you go off track when you express frustration that "most Americans refuse to take any responsibility for" the actions of this "frustrated and despairing underclass."

Parents of the only charter school in Baltimore County are criticizing the system for not having a process for the school to renew its contract, which is set to expire in two months. However, Imagine Discovery Public Charter School, near Woodlawn, has been offered a one-year extension, according to Charles Herndon, a Baltimore County school system spokesman. "We have agreed to extend the charter contract one year. During that time, there would be an evaluation done as to whether we would extend that to four years," he said.

These groups meet regularly. Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group - Third Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. at Lighthouse Senior Living at Ellicott City, 3100 N. Ridge Road, Ellicott City. 410-465-2288. Bereaved Parents, USA - Third Wednesday, 8 p.m. For parents and siblings who have lost a child or sibling of any age. First Presbyterian Church of Howard County, 9325 Presbyterian Circle, Columbia. 410-321-7053. Breast Cancer support group - Third Wednesday, 7-8:30 p.m. Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center, 10710 Charter Drive, Suite G050, Columbia.