Essays are a crucial part of college application

WASHINGTON - By the end of high school, 12 percent of teens say they have taken a stimulant medication for reasons other than to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. But parents, including many of those whose kids are taking ADHD drugs in a bid to boost their academic performance, appear to be clueless.

Here’s your chance to show just how great Dad is.

With an ominous storm approaching, the Moore Public School District flashed a text alert to parents: "We are currently holding all students until the current storm danger is over. Students are being released to parents only at this time."

After the American Academy of Pediatrics announced its support for equal marriage rights for same-sex partners "as the best way to guarantee benefits and security for their children," advocates for the unmarried, while applauding the move, took exception to the language.

Your daughter, 8, says "I hate myself!" when she makes a mistake. What's a healthy response?

Like the other fourth-graders at King Lab, Jennifer Dreller's daughter was discreetly weighed during gym class as part of a routine fitness assessment at the Evanston, Ill., school. But the experience took a toll on the 10-year-old's self-esteem, her mother recently told a panel of health experts.

Q: Our son's fifth birthday is in August. He did just fine, socially and academically, in preschool, but the counselor at the school he's slated to attend has recommended that we hold him back a year because of his late birthday. She says that kids with late birthdays, especially boys, do better if they're given an extra year of maturation before starting school. What do you think?

Q: My ex and I broke up two years ago and we share our 5-year-old's time. My problem is my ex will not allow me to talk to our child when he is with him. It drives me crazy. I want to buy a cell phone for my child so I can talk to him at his father's, but his father says that's a stupid idea. I don't know what to do. Sometimes he's at his father for three days straight and I miss him. What's good ex-etiquette?

Mando is moving to "Sesame Street" this fall. Did you get the announcement?