More and more parents are asking that question today. It’s an important option to consider. In order to make that decision, there’s an important question to ask: “Why is a tutor needed?”

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I just finished reading an article offering suggestions on "getting" your child to wear age appropriate clothes. I was dumbfounded by the time I'd finished reading the article. It was full of platitudes, techniques for cajoling agreement from a child, and tips for steering them towards the choices you want them to make. Really? Parents...what has happened to parenting? When did parental decisions begin to require negotiations on the level of Middle Eastern peace talks?  How about we all practice saying the most powerful child rearing word in the language...NO!

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Recently I had occassion to be asked to call a child's parents for them. This little girl was nine or ten years old. When I asked her what her mom's number was she replied, "2". I dutifully punched that number and waited, expecting to hear "1" and "4" and seven other numbers.  This young lady waited expectently to talk to her mom.

Uh oh!

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TIME Magazine  published a list of the ALL TIME 100 Greatest Toys. Many on this list are perfect for summer fun and well worth the investment for keeping your children happy and active over the summer break. I'm not sure why bicycles, scooters, jump ropes and balls were left off TIME's list. They would have been on mine.

Radio Flyer Wagon - a sixteen year old immigrant, Antonio Pasin, began building little red wagons out of stamped metal. By 1923 he had formed the Liberty Coaster Company...and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yo-Yo - Another immigrant, Pedro Flores, started the Yo-yo Manufacturing Company in 1928. In just a year the company went from selling handmade yo-yos to opening a factory and manufacturing 300,000 per year. Although the yo-yo's history goes back to 500 B.C., the success of the modern yo-yo proves that old ideas are not necessarily bad.

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There are 555,000 articles returned by Google to the search terms "breastfeeding baby doll" with titles like Too Much Too Soon, Does Toy Cross The Line?, Breastfeeding Baby Doll; Educational or Freaky? and Breastfeeding Baby Doll Causes Outrage. Clearly, people have strong reactions to a doll that cries, burps, and sucks hungrily when brought close to a bra worn around a little girl's neck with two bright flower "nipples".

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