The long wet spring is finally over and summer is truly here. We asked the Patch Moms Council what they like to do with their kids now that they are out of school. Most moms have a long list of simple and inexpensive activities that can turn to when the kids say those dreaded words: “Mom, I’m bored!” Emily: We like to go to our favorite local parks, go bowling and swimming. We take road trips and go trout fishing. I also like to find the kids a fun summer class or activity to get involved with. We try to find at least one museum or neat place we have not gone to and visit it before the summer…

It’s summer blockbuster season! We asked the Patch Moms Council if they let their children under 13 watch PG-13 movies? It’s a tough choice for some, especially since all the exciting super hero and adventure movies—like X-Men: First Class and Transformers: Darkside of the Moon--are PG-13 these days. We also asked the moms if they thought Hollywood was making movies too violent for children. Tracy: My family loves movies. It's a relatively inexpensive form of fun when compared to the price of an amusement park or major sports event. A little recap: the ages of my children are 17, 15, 13, 12, …

A Canadian family has been making waves in parenting blogs lately because they have chosen to raise their three children without any “bias” towards gender. In the case of their third child, they aren’t telling anyone, not even the grandparents, what gender the child is. They have named the infant child Storm. Mom Kathy Witterick said they are giving their kids the “freedom to choose” who they want to be. They allow their older sons to shop in either the boys or girls section and decide if, when and how to cut their hair. The results are five and two-year-old sons who look like princesses, …

This week’s Patch Moms Council question come from Emily. How do you handle it if a stranger stops you to offer advice on how to discipline your child or provides other unsolicited parenting advice? Emily: As a mom, of course I have gotten funny looks and the occasional unsolicited advice, even from strangers. Most of the time these are well meaning older ladies (and the occasional gentleman) who have experience and want to share their ideas and wisdom. I can easily handle this. I have even appreciated their offerings. However, when someone is rude or makes judgments based in ignorance about …

Allowance is a tough question that all parents eventually face. Should you pay your kids for doing their chores or is it just expected that they help out around the house? Patch moms seem to listen to experts like Dr. Spock, who once said that parents should not tie doing chores to giving a child an allowance, but that an allowance should be given just so they can practice handling their own money. Wendy: We don’t give our kids an allowance. We asked them if they would rather have an allowance or if when they wanted something (within reason) we would buy it for them. If they want something, …

Gas is on the rise again, and prices in South County are hovering way too close to $4 a gallon. High gas prices can really put a crimp in summer travel, whether it’s to local attractions or to out of state vacation spots. This week's question for the Moms Council is whether high gas prices are going to affect their summer driving plans. Emily: The grossly high gas prices will affect our family as it will millions of others in our nation this summer. We will be forced to choose only one major summer activity such as one trip or one sports program activity for our children. Summertime should …

The Patch Moms Council is battling rainy day boredom this spring, as St. Louis has seen one of the soggiest springs anyone can remember. Patch moms suggest breaking out the crafts, games and books to get through the wet weather. Tracy: Rainy days are not really an issue in our house. All six of my children are avid readers. They look at bad weather as the perfect excuse to crack open a book and escape on some great adventure. If for some reason one of them does not want to read, having five siblings comes in handy. There is always someone willing to play a board game with you, or make-believe…

This week the Patch Moms Council was going to talk about the benefits of summer camp, but ended up creating more questions than answers. It turns out that where to send your kid to summer camp is not such an easy question to tackle. Some of the moms in our panel didn’t feel qualified to answer this question because they haven’t sent their kids yet (or ever). Emily: I have always seen summer camps as great opportunities for kids to learn, grow, gain independence and have some fun. I enjoyed going to summer church youth camps, band camps, athletic themed camp and summer gifted programs when I …

New York City is now considering a "Happy Meal" ban, which could make it the second city where it is illegal to put toys in a kid’s meal that is less than healthy. San Francisco banned toys in fattening kid’s meals last year. This once again raises the question to moms everywhere—should the government put limits on food served to kids? Is a cheap plastic toy in cheeseburger meal making American children fat? The moms council has mixed feelings on this one. How about you? Feel free to leave a comment below, because we want to know what South County moms feel about the “dangers” of Happy Meals…

This week, let's talk about spring cleaning - with kids! What do you do to get the kids to clean their room? Do your kids do chores to help clean the house? We asked the Moms Council if they had any tips on keeping toys from taking over their houses. Laura: Knock on wood, my youngest still thinks cleaning is fun, so it's easy to get her to help around the house. My seven-year-old isn't quite as thrilled with it anymore, so we recently started doing a chore chart and allowance to give him some incentive to help out.  The thing that keeps us from keeping toys from overtaking the house is plenty…

Last week reader Katrina Candler asked if anyone was familiar with programs in the Arnold area like a "Mommy & Me" or play dates. Katrina, the St. Louis area has tons of places that offer Mommy and Me type programs—it will depend on what kind of activity you’re hoping to do with your child and how far you’re willing to drive. We have Little Gym, KinderMusik and Gymboree locations all around St. Louis County. Close to home, try the Arnold Rec Center where you can sign up for the “Wee Love Art and Music” or “Wee Play, Run and Jump.” These programs are for kids ages 2 to 5 and parent …

The members of the Moms Council all have school-aged kids, from kindergarteners all the way to college students. If there’s one thing these moms know, it’s how to deal with homework time. Most say kids deserve a break right after school, but then it’s back to the books before dinner time. Tracy: Having six kids in three different schools, all having different dismissal times, can make for some pretty crazy afternoons in our house. Since they have been at school for about seven hours I usually let the kids grab a small snack and spend a little time unwinding. (Let's face it-how many of us …

This week screen time is on the table for the Patch Moms Council. How much time should kids get to surf the internet, watch television and play with their game consoles? Experts seem to agree that too much electronic entertainment can be bad for kids. Do Patch moms agree? Tracy: My kids are not allowed to watch television or play on the computer or video games on school nights. Other than that, we really don't have any rules about the time they spend on those activities. Our rules deal more with what they are watching or playing. The "no electronics" rule has always been in place, but to be …

This week the Moms Council tackles pacifiers. Recently, celebrity child Suri Cruise was photographed by paparazzi sporting a controversial accessory. Nothing special there, when your parents are mega stars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. But the “accessory” that caused all the buzz wasn’t lipstick or heels (which she’s been seen wearing) but a binky. Little Suri will be five in April—is she too old to use a pacifier? Pacifiers are a tricky subject. First, parents have to decide if their infants should even have one or just be allowed to suck their thumb. Then you have to decide when—and how--to …

This week the Mom Council answers a question all moms face sooner or later: When do you let your child have a cell phone? Is there an age that’s too young? Michelle: It depends. If I was not always home when Jordan gets home from school he would have one now. I would say he can have one when he’s 15 or 16 and driving or away from home a lot. He can use mine if needed until then. I won't get one for him "because all the kids have them!" Wendy: I think below the age of 11 is too young. Middle school is about the right time to get one - when the kids are involved in extracurricular activities. …

In this week’s discussion the Moms Council talks about how hard it is to get kids to sleep in their own bed - and stay there. Brandon: Both of my kids are really good. Katie’s main thing, ever since my ex-wife left, is she’ll wake up in the middle of the night and crawl in bed with me. I don’t mind it whatsoever. I know a lot of parents will say that’s a hard habit to break, but she’s never done it until now. I don’t mind, because I like to cuddle up with her. Tracy: With Katie, you have to think this is a reassurance for her. However good or bad her mom was, she’s gone. But she’s still her …

The Moms Council talked about babysitting this week. Where do you find a good babysitter? Who do you trust? And what do you do when you’re a single parent? Some members of the Moms Council found they had built in babysitters with their own parents, while others aren’t so lucky. None of the parents in the group hired babysitters, but would rather depend on family and friends. Tracy: Two months after we were married I got pregnant. My mother-in-law said, “Well maybe I won’t go back to work.” So she has always been there for me. Denise: My folks are like that, but when I had my first kid they …

Welcome to a new feature on Patch that make it's debut today. It will be published every Wednesday afternoon. It's called Moms Talk, the result of a discussion session with some local Moms and a Mr. Mom. Each week we will explore a different aspect of parenting, providing tips, finding out what works (and what doesn't work) and addressing the challenges of raising children. And we need your input too! There's a comment box at the end of each article and we hope you will use it. In a small way, we hope the discussions from those actively dealing with toddler temper tantrums, picky eaters or …