Parenting.com spoke with Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones about his journey from nearly drowning to winning the Olympic gold. Here, he talks about giving back to the community by promoting water safety for all with the Make a Splash Initiative.
Alex Honnold's fingertips and toe tips barely cling on to the side of a mountain in Yosemite, thousands of feet in the air. He is free solo climbing, which means he has no rope to support him, so one false move would mean a long fall to the rocky ground below.
As she sat in the makeup chair, dressed in a plush terrycloth robe while two women did her nails and another did her makeup, Tziporah Salamon knew the day she had longed for had finally arrived.
Christina Flygare's son had his summer all planned out: landscaping job, swimming and hanging out with friends, then band camp before his senior year of high school.
After their mother died in 2010, Brooklyn sisters Jennifer Parham and Melissa Grubb didn't speak for three months.
In a shocking article on TheAwl.com, author and mother Amy Sohn writes that moms in her affluent Brooklyn neighborhood are going through something called "the 40-year-old reversion." The tedium of raising children, she says, is driving moms in her circle out at night to party to the extreme as if they were 25 again.
Of the 12 people killed in last week's mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater, 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan was the youngest. Her mother, Ashley Moser, remained hospitalized Tuesday for injuries suffered during the shooting.
A North Dakota newspaper is reviewing its policy against printing same-sex wedding announcements in response to a social media campaign that has drawn international scrutiny.
Brad Ludden is a world-class whitewater kayaker. Throughout his professional career, the 31-year-old has braved treacherous rapids in more than 40 countries and racked up over 100 first descents ? successfully paddling a river's uncharted territory.
As unique as we all are, an awful lot of us want the same things.
Author Charles Yu hopes you like his new book, but if not, an apology is built right into the title. "Sorry Please Thank You" is his new collection of mind-bending, moving and sometimes melancholy stories arriving in bookstores July 24.
Myles Eaddy stands mystified at the edge of the baseball field along the first base line at Nationals Park while the New York Mets warm up for their evening game against the Nationals.
With tragic story of a mass shooting in Colorado flashing on the news this morning, parents may find themselves awkwardly fielding questions from their kids. How do you explain that scary events do occur while still making your children feel safe?
"Life is difficult," said the first line of the first self-help book I ever held in my hands.
Veronica Lon Pantaleon Mendoza said it was her son's pleas that finally led her to quit work.
Depending who you ask, Yahoo's decision to hire Marissa Mayer several months into her pregnancy is either a boon to all working mothers or a misstep for the ailing tech company.
Depending who you ask, Yahoo's decision to hire Marissa Mayer several months into her pregnancy is either a boon to all working mothers or a misstep for the ailing tech company.
Last week, powerhouse wedding gown designer Vera Wang announced that she and her husband of 23 years, Arthur Becker, were separating.
A friend recently shared that she would have a major problem if someone tried to control when, what and how much she ate.
1. The time they didn't love you (and you stuck around to make sure)
Connor Boss, the first legally blind contestant to compete for Miss Florida USA, was a top five finalist at the pageant Saturday but fell short of the title.
Connor Boss appears to be just like any other contestant waiting to sign into the Miss Florida USA pageant until it is her turn to fill out the registration sheet. Boss, with her nose almost touching the paper, has trouble reading the form.
It's a formula that's been tried and tested in countless erotic novels in recent memory.
The slow death of American manufacturing and the trend toward outsourcing overseas has made it hard to find American-made goods, but not impossible. A host of small businesses are still dedicated to manufacturing goods in America, and, thanks to a few diligent bloggers, they're easier than ever to find.
To housewife "Mavis Butterfield" of Gig Harbor, Washington, saving money is a game. And she isn't afraid to roll up her sleeves to win.
Todd Vaught has been skateboarding since he was 10 years old, yet he was caught off-guard by a question from the much younger salesman at his local skateboard shop.
Each year about 37 babies and toddlers die when they are accidentally left strapped in car safety seats or become trapped in vehicles that rapidly heat up.
Crime fiction fans know the name Parker, a single-named anti-hero of the 1960s. As a character, he's a career criminal, hired gun and professional thief, a pulp-fiction prince of America's seedy underworld. He's relentless and menacing with steely good looks. Imagine a hard-boiled Don Draper with a gun.
Tamika Morrison and Joi Disroe knew each other for several months before they met in person. But, when they finally did connect, it was as if they had known each other for much longer.
Imagine the top three things that might make you happier and more productive at the office.
One of my biggest fears about getting married was that, by becoming a wife, I would gradually lose my toughness and independence. In my New Jersey hometown, girls quickly learned how to smack a softball or outrun a boy, and being small (I'm 5-foot-1 in thick socks), I was especially proud of my skills.
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's 11-year-old daughter, Willow, was recently given a tongue-lashing on social media after posting a picture of herself sporting a tongue piercing on Instagram.
Chad Madden's hospital room is dimly lit. His mom and dad, Jacqueline and Bill, fuss around their 38-year-old son, rearranging cards from well-wishers, before taking a seat.
Artists Isabel and Ruben Toledo share a romantic magnetism that binds together their personal and professional lives. They finish each other's sentences; they encourage each other's fantastical whims. It's the kind of chemistry that creative types covet.
The last time I checked in with psychologist and school consultant Michael Thompson, "Tiger Mom" was making headlines for how she drove her children to succeed. Thompson gave us memorable vignettes from the front lines, including: "You know you're an extreme parent if you imagine that your child is going to play professional sports even though no coach has predicted this outcome." And, "You know you're an extreme parent if you have your child take 30 practice SAT exams before the actual test."
"Did you hear the news? Anderson Cooper came out," I heard one guy tell another on the elevator at the magazine where I work. "Is it really 'coming out' when everyone already knew you were gay?" the other guy joked. To media insiders in New York City, Cooper's sexuality may have been no secret, but to the rest of the world, his romantic inclinations were a mystery -- an ever-present and provocative question mark.
After being betrayed, most of us want two things, usually at the same time.
Did you know that Olympic track hopeful Lolo Jones is a virgin on the prowl for a date? Or that British swimmer Rebecca Adlington quit Twitter because meanies kept insulting her looks? The dirt that years ago would have been lost in the fray of the Olympic Games is now at the top of your Facebook feed.
Indoor cats can reach the ripe old age of 20. With advanced years come health-related issues such as arthritis or diabetes. But a study by the American Pet Products Association notes that feline veterinary visits have declined in recent years.
From the time flappers took up scissors to crop their hair (not to mention their hemlines), short has equaled modern. And in an era when brevity reigns ? we now tell whole stories in 140 characters or less ? short hair seems especially current.
Werewolves are usually the stuff of B-movies and bad novels, but last year British author Glen Duncan did the unthinkable in literary circles, crafting a howling good tale out of the weary werewolf myth. The result was the best-selling thriller "The Last Werewolf." Critics and readers happily devoured the darkly comic novel.
Out there in the vast, discombobulating world, I've noticed, there tend to be two types of decision makers. I bet you can tell me which of the two you are in about 3.48 seconds.
What's worse? Being (a) trapped in an elevator, (b) stuck on a train, or (c) stranded in a tiresome ? or contentious ? cocktail-party discussion? If you answered (c), read below. Five savvy experts, including a former FBI special agent and a bar manager, divulge their finest conversational exit strategies.
Lauren Ramsdell had a year to kill in between finishing college in May and getting married next year. So she decided to move back in with her parents.
Summer days bring camp and pools and sports ? lots of free time when kids are playing on their own or being supervised by other adults.
Dress to impress with these six foolproof strategies for making your outfit as polished as your résumé.
It wasn't easy for 59-year-old Margie White to ask her husband, Dick, for a divorce after 37 years of marriage.
After all these years, Fred Wilson still smirks when he talks about the time he wore a security guard uniform to give a tour of New York's Whitney Museum.
If cleaning at your house means trading dust bunnies for billowing pillows of pet hair, it may be time to step up your grooming routine.
Remember the time United Airlines broke a guitar? Dave Carroll does.
Community activist Tony Lewis Jr. is on a mission to right the wrongs of his father's past.
Summer 1938, Europe stands on the brink of war, and Paris is a city on the edge. Nazi spies, shadowy assassins, alluring double agents and a Hollywood movie star caught in the middle stalk the back alleys and bustling bistros of the French capital. This is the setting for Alan Furst's "Mission to Paris." The best-selling author has made a career of capturing the classic cloak-and-dagger days leading up to World War II, bringing the era to life like a literary version of "Casablanca."
On Father's Day our daughter's papa was at the beach.
If certain gym side effects (sweaty-hair sideburns, sock cankles) are bringing you down, here's how to deal.
Kimberly Brewer's most memorable Father's Day was the one when she realized how much she would miss him.
It was never Milka Duno's intention to become a race car driver, although her parents may have had an inkling when, as a 12-year-old, she took her mother's Chevrolet on a joyride.
My second job out of college was designing book jackets for pulp fiction. Seven men and I hunched over drawing boards, lettering Stalker Perv from Hell and Nevada Nut Case on lurid illustrations. Water pipes dangled from the ceiling. Fluorescent lights sizzled, men hawked and wheezed.
He was probably your first pair of male arms, and, like it or not, the most influential man you'll ever meet. These daughters reflect on the subtle and not-so-subtle ways their fathers shaped them.
I was six years old when I found out the guy on the dime wasn't my father. (Turned out it was Franklin D. Roosevelt, whoever the hell he was.) I knew he couldn't be as impressive as my dad, who was so big (5'7", 130 pounds soaking wet), so smart (he did have an off-the-charts IQ, but he also frequently lost the family car), and so rich (a college professor with eight kids, he never stopped worrying about money).
It takes two hours to get to Hudson Valley Foie Gras from New York City, but it only takes two seconds on-premise to see the looming foie gras ban in California has ruffled Izzy Yanay's feathers.
My heart was pounding so hard, it felt as if it were trying to break free from my body.
Here's what I want for Father's Day: I want my children to develop a passion for science. I've decided to grease the wheels. I've called the best for advice.
There's a movement under way among dads in America that's changing what you see on TV.
The arrest of Georgia megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar brought renewed attention to his message of the Prosperity Gospel, controversial to some and faith-fulfilling to its followers.
Clyfford Still was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, but it's likely you've never heard of him. That may be starting to change though. More than a half-century after walking away from fame and fortune, the late painter is gaining renewed appreciation, with his work finding a permanent home at a Denver museum.
The night before he turned 40, Rich Roll had what he calls a "moment of clarity." Overweight and out of shape, Roll had to stop to catch his breath while walking up the stairs of his Southern California home. Roll, now a father of four, feared he was close to a heart attack.
Linda Ross was instantly hooked the moment she received her first pair of Betsey Johnson earrings as a gift for her 16th birthday. The dangling, leopard-print hearts became her go-to accessory for adding oomph to any outfit.
On her wedding day, Jessica Port wore a tan and black dress to match the tan button-down shirt and patterned necktie of her spouse-to-be, Virginia Anne Cowan.
On her wedding day, Jessica Port wore a tan and black dress to match the tan button-down shirt and patterned necktie of her spouse-to-be, Virginia Anne Cowan.
At the playground a while ago, my 13-month-old daughter wandered up to a toddler and the pair began a very enthusiastic giggle exchange. It was beyond cute, so I couldn't resist grinning at the other kid's mother. She smiled back and I noticed she had the same flaxen hair and ginormous cobalt orbs as her son.
We began breakfast one recent morning delivering this news to Luna: Rosanna, her caregiver, was going on a two-week vacation. "Who is going to take care of me?" she asked. And then she gave me "the look." I call it pouty face. Her dime-sized brown eyes squeeze together, the lower lip rolls out, the hands ball up. Every time she looks like that, my crazy Mama Head empties of sugarplum fairies and fills with fears of pedophilia and child snatching.
Craig Johnson looks like he could have stepped out of the pages of one of his own best-selling Western novels. He's a tall man in cowboy boots, a pearl snap shirt and a 10-gallon hat, carrying a leather satchel. With the late-day sun behind him, he could even pass for his fictional hero, Sheriff Walt Longmire.
John Edwards walked out of a courtroom Thursday a free man. How long will it take women attracted by the flame of celebrity -- even ill-gotten -- to date him? And believe they can convert him to monogamy?
Kathryn Hamm and her fiancée had no blueprint to follow when they were planning their wedding in 1999. Same-sex marriage wasn't legal anywhere in the country, and "commitment ceremonies" were mostly small affairs that didn't get a lot of coverage in bridal magazines or newspaper wedding announcements.
In 2001, I walked into the editorial pit of the men's magazine where I was working as an art director and saw the almost all-dude staff glued to ESPN coverage. As I glimpsed the TV screen, a shock of panic and nausea wracked my body, and I bolted from the room. A friend followed to find me huddled in a ball at my desk.
Summer can be high season for tattoo artists, a time when people bare more skin than usual and the parade of body art tends to spark inspiration.
Ready for lawn parties, patio dining and treks to the dog park? Make sure your dog has the tools to enjoy this season with you. Consider this your warm-weather pet checklist:
When I rode the No. 7 train to Citi Field last Sunday, I was one of the few women in a train car packed with Hasidic Jews. My knees were in full view, but I shielded my face behind a pair of shades and a copy of Christopher Hitchens' atheist bible, "God Is Not Great," held conspicuously aloft. Toward the end of our shared journey, when it had become clear that the only people left on the train were headed to the same event, I looked up from my book, removed the sunglasses and asked the men sitting across from me if they were there to protest the Internet or the abuse.
For the fifth year straight, Washington ranked as the country's most bicycle-friendly state, thanks to policies designed to create alternatives to driving, according to the League of American Bicyclists.
Is it just me, or are we a little obsessed with how celebrities look after having babies? Sure, famous people are always fun to watch (especially when they do cool things like Mila Kunis and save lives), but could all this ogling their midsections, thighs, butts and boobs shortly after they've experienced one of the most natural and precious experiences of their lives be a little ... twisted?
Shanna Kurth began biking to work three years ago to improve her health. Several times a month, she loaded her bike onto her car, drove most of the way and biked the last three miles to her office.
One day before the unofficial "Star Wars" holiday in May, an R2-D2 replica wheeled through the front door of the Smiley family home in Bangor, Maine, to the delight of the three young "Star Wars" fans in the house.
Virginia is for lovers, so the slogan goes -- but more specifically, it seems to be the state many book-lovers call home.
It was like any blind date. I had dressed in my Saturday best and walked to my favorite brunch restaurant in West Los Angeles to meet a guy -- let's call him Raj -- for the first time.
I was in a year-abroad program in 1973, one of 240 American students attending Loyola University Rome Center. The school year was winding down. I went out to dinner with a group of friends in Trastevere. After several courses and many bottles of wine, we went to a bar and listened to a singer do jazz standards.
Monday morning, as we scrambled to get Luna off to school, there came a moment when the timeline of my life leapt into fast-forward. I was carrying around an iPad turned to CNN, checking in to see what news awaited me at work, while Luna danced around me, knowing my partner or I would turn off the TV if watching it slowed her down. Then, suddenly, something brought us to a halt.
For the 13th year in a row, Jacob was the most popular name in 2011 for newborn boys in the United States, according to rankings released by the U.S. Social Security Administration.
I've been on a journey to come up with the best Mother's Day gift ever. I think I've got it.
When Keren Charles works with teenage girls in Atlanta as part of her job at Operation Prom, she relies on her upbeat, positive nature and styling expertise to get her through an occasional tough appointment.
On Mother's Day, no one is going to send me flowers or a card. I will not be awakened by sweet, giggling toddlers bearing a tray of breakfast in their chubby hands or receive an awkward but heartfelt hug from a gangly teenage son or end a phone call with a teary, dorm-bound daughter saying, "I love you, Mom." I am no one's mother, and I never will be.
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