Our Favorite Parenting Stories Of The Week

A battle is brewing in New York City’s public schools, as parents react to schools distributing Plan B “morning-after pills” to students. But are the headlines misleading? (The Daily Beast)

We all look forward to October Halloween celebrations, but what about “National Homemade Cookie Day” and “Mad Hatter Day?” Here’s a list of 15 lesser-known holidays for you and your family to enjoy this month. (Mental Floss)

What is the biggest worry for parents across the country now? Obama and Romney listen up: it’s that there are not enough jobs to support a family. (Parents)

When Barbra Streisand (who is singing in her home borough of Brooklyn for the first time in five decades this week) takes the stage for her finale at the newly opened Barclays Center, she will not be taking it alone. The children of Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy will be joining her. (New York Daily News)

The cover of Fortune is causing an uproar in the momsphere since it shows Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer sans baby bump. Mayer recently gave birth to her son; however, the cover photo was from last year. What gives? (Hollywood Life)

Should kids be allowed to “like” things with the social network Facebook? The Atlantic weights in on this growing debate and whether disallowing kids to “like” actually limits their free speech. (The Atlantic)

Election coverage rarely makes us laugh, but this slideshow of politicians with crying babies sure did. (New York Daily News)

A DNA breakthrough allows researchers to scan newborns for genetic diseases in as little as two days. For some babies, this could be a lifesaver. (New Jersey Newsroom)

One mother’s heart-warming, albeit non-traditional, journey alongside her son who has Asperger’s. (Huffington Post)

Turn off that TV! Recent studies find that children ages 1-8 are exposed to background television on a daily basis—as much as four hours per day. (Yahoo! News)

The decision to get Botox may have potential personal health risks, but it can actually affect your parenting as well. (Discovery News)

Who knew? A new spray bottle has been designed with forward- and backward-facing nozzles that must be squeezed simultaneously—making it nearly impossible for children to operate and cause unintended chemical injury. (NBC News)

In the midst the process of writing a new book—How Motherhood Changes Us: What to Expect When the Unexpected Happens—Liisa Ogburn reflects on the power of her own postpartum depression. (New York Times)

Speakitaly NYC

SPEAKITALY NYC offers stimulating and entertaining lessons for children 0 to 16 years through a wide combination of activities based on the communicative approach anchored in the Common European Framework of Reference: active learning (group work, role plays, etc.) and practice exercises aimed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Kids will start speaking and using Italian in a very natural way.&nbsp; Small classes capped at 6 students to make sure each one gets the needed attention and facilitate learners' progress.&nbsp; Our method is driven by a didactic method that is the result of constant updates, professional certifications and more than 10 years of experience in working with non-native speakers from different native languages and levels of knowledge. Our aim is to develop a range of Italian language skills while improving accuracy that will enable the students and participants to interact without stress or feeling rushed. We want to help those in the community really embrace not only the true culture in Italy but the Italian culture within New York City&hellip; Who doesn&rsquo;t love what Italy represents in the kitchen, in history &amp; in the arts? Speakitaly wants to support multilingual families who want to learn a new language or pass along their ancestor&rsquo;s heritage and culture. Raffaella, the founder said: "We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive society. Italian, like all other languages, is an enrichment and a growth in every way. Vi aspettiamo!"

The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center

The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center offers year-round, community-based dance and music programming in a fully inclusive and nurturing environment, located in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District. The School&rsquo;s diverse and professional faculty provides progressive and non-competitive instruction with all of our classes accompanied by live music. Though we are a non-recital school, there are opportunities for students to perform and for parents to see their dancers in action.

British Swim School - Long Island

The premier learn-to-swim provider for people of all ages, offering programs for children ages 3-months through adults.&nbsp; British Swim School uses gentle teaching methods and a survival-first approach to help people of all experience levels become safer, stronger swimmers. British Swim School&rsquo;s safe, fun, and effective instructional program has made it the preferred choice for parents and students for over 40 years. Come see the British Swim School difference!