Author Kim Wong Keltner writes about why she won't be a Tiger Mom to her daughter, Lucy. (Photo: Kim Wong Keltner)In her controversial memoir, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," Yale law professor Amy Chua defended her draconian parenting methods, explaining how being a controlling "Chinese-style" parent drives Asian-American children to succeed in ways that permissive "Western-style" parenting does not. But a recently released decade-long study of 444 Chinese-American families shows that the effect tiger parents have on their kids is almost exactly the opposite.

When Chua's book came out in 2011, Su Yeong Kim, an associate professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas, had already been studying the effects of tiger parenting on hundreds of Chinese-American families for more than a decade. Her report, "Does Tiger Parenting Exist? Parenting Profiles of Chinese Americans and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes," was recently published in the Asian American Journal of Psychology.

"Compared with the supportive parenting profile, a tiger parenting profile was associated with

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Yes, cinnamon can be dangerous (Photo by ThinkStock)The infamous “Cinnamon Challenge”, a YouTube fad in which teens compete to swallow one tablespoon of cinnamon in under 60 seconds without drinking water, is under fire for its serious health risks, according to the results of a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Study author Steven E. Lipshultz, M.D., Director of the Batchelor Children’s Research Institute at the University of Miami, and his team found that the stunt has led to an increase in calls to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. According to the university press release, in the first half of 2012, the center received 178 challenge-related calls—that’s more than triple the 51 calls it received the entire previous year. Of those 178 calls, 122 (69 percent) were classified as intentional misuse or abuse consistent with the “Cinnamon Challenge” and about 30 (17 percent) required medical attention.
 
Study authors say cinnamon is composed of cellulose fibers that don’t dissolve or biodegrade and animal Read More »from Doctors Warn the 'Cinnamon Challenge' Is Dangerous

Laura and Brad Partridge are proud parents to newborn triplets—trouble is, they can't tell their baby girls apart.

The triplets, born at 34 weeks on March 19, were a surprise to the St. Louis, Missouri based couple, who were already parents to 19-month old Stella and three-year-old Stephen. "We were open to having a third kid but weren't exactly planning it," Laura Partridge, 34, told Shine. "We were thrilled when the home pregnancy test was positive and then I scheduled an eight-week follow-up with my doctor. During the ultrasound she said, 'There's a heartbeat…oh, there's another one…and another one!' But I don't remember her telling me about the third heartbeat. I was in such shock."

A woman carrying twins has what's typically considered a high-risk pregnancy given the odds of her developing conditions such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure and protein in the urine), gestational diabetes, and pre-term labor. And because the twins shared the placenta (making them identical), Read More »from How These Parents Tell Their Newborn Triplets Apart

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ulysses Press/Judi Swinks Photography

We don't make a habit of looking at the ingredients lists of some of our favorite snack foods. We're well aware there's unpronounceable, death and disaster-causing gook in there, but look, we really, really love Cheez-Its. "Classic Snacks Made From Scratch" takes all our beloved greasy-fingered treats (Fritos, Pop-Tarts, and Hostess Cupcakes, we're looking at you) and makes them from perfectly normal, find-it-in-the-grocery-store, easy to pronounce ingredients.

Make no mistake: author and culinary whiz Casey Barber isn't out to make these treats low-cal. She's an enthusiastic cook and self-described "DIY fanatic" who loves the mad scientist deconstruction of factory-produced treats. "It's supremely gratifying to nail a recipe and find those flavors that have such strong emotional connections," she writes,"but without preservatives or weird chemical aftertaste."

Let's look at one of our favorite school lunch sweets, Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups. You won't find a single strawberry in the Read More »from DIY Classics: Homemade Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups

Scads of bullying studies have focused on the victim but new research published Wednesday has put the bully in the hot seat.

The journal JAMA Psychiatry reported that not only do the effects of bullying last well into adulthood causing depression, panic disorder, and agoraphobia, the victim doesn't suffer the most—the aggressor does.

See more: B.C. poet's anti-bullying video goes viral, warms hearts

The study of 1,420 kids found that: Those who are victimized by bullies are three to five times more likely to experience these psychological effects throughout their 20s. Then there are kids who are just plain bullies, who are four to five times more likely to exhibit "anti-social personality disorder" characterized by a lack of empathy, lying, and criminal behavior. There's also a third type of bully: Kids who are both victims and bullies. These kids suffer the most, running a five-fold risk of depression and greater than a 10-fold risk of various panic disorders with the girls more likely

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It's perhaps motherhood's dirtiest little secret: Favoring one child over another.

Favoritism is usually not intentional and can happen for a variety of reasons. Maybe one kid is the most well-behaved in the brood, especially talented, has an inexplicable bond with a parent. And often times the opposite can be true: If one child has behavioral problems, he can become the favorite because he requires extra attention.

See more: Child's whispered words prompt minicrisis

And while moms may objectively realize that favoritism isn't ethical or even a conscious act, a new study published on Tuesday in the February issue of the journal Child Development shows that showing more love to one kid harms more than just the "naughty one"—it damages the entire family unit, causing increased mental health problems in children such as aggression, attention, and emotional problems.

The study included 400 Canadian families with up to four kids each whose average age ranged from 2-to-5-years old. Due to

Read More »from Do You Have a Favorite Kid? You Should Read This

More and more women are becoming surrogates for their daughters. (Thinkstock)On August 13th, Linda Sirois, 49, gave birth to her 7-pound, 14-ounce grandson, Madden Hebert.

The Madawaska, Maine, mother of four volunteered to be her daughter's surrogate when doctors warned 25-year-old Angel Hebert that a heart condition made pregnancy unsafe for her.

"It was all pretty simple as far as I was concerned," Sirois tells the Portland Press Herald of her decision to carry her grandson for nine months, adding that this pregnancy was her easiest, with no morning sickness or complications.

Last summer, Angel and her husband, Brian Hebert, 29, were recommended to avoid pregnancy for the sake of Angel's health.

"It was pretty disappointing and we were pretty upset about it," Angel says. "But we kind of had an idea that it was a possibility and, all along, my mother was saying, 'I'm here and I can carry for you.' I guess we didn't really take her seriously."

Angel and Brian took Sirois up on her offer and it wasn't long before Sirois was successfully carrying her daughter's

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Kids are more likely to pick an apple over a cookie when it has a cartoon sticker on it. (Thinkstock)Many frustrated parents have pined for a world in which children naturally make healthy food choices, reaching for carrots and apples instead of cookies and chips. Unfortunately, our little ones are fighting a multi-billion dollar processed food industry that uses cartoon branding to entice children to eat salty canned pasta, sickly sweet cereal, and all manner of unhealthy consumables.

Now, a team of scientists at Cornell University have conducted a study that reveals it might be useful to fight fire with fire. Published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the study indicates that children are far more likely to chose an apple over a cookie when the apple is decorated with a sticker bearing the image of a popular cartoon character.  It would seem that manipulative branding methods work for healthy foods too. Rejoice!

Also see: Meditation Coming Soon to a Classroom Near You

"The results are consistent with past studies," says Cara Rosenbloom a dietitian

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