Americans are fat. We eat too much. We don’t exercise enough. And, sadly, we’ve passed our food issues down to our kids. Current estimates put the number of youngsters that are considered to be overweight or obese at 30 percent. Everyone from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that our kids get out and move more. East Penn School District is taking strides to improve the health and fitness of the little people in our lives. The phys ed classes we grew up with are no more.  The “experts” recommend that school-age kids engage in…

It's an age-old question -- or at least a generation or two old -- what's the best way to discipline a child? Is corporal punishment just a huge no-no or is it acceptable to spank a child on occasion? When you have a 6- or 7-year-old child who is at least familiar with the difference between right and wrong, is sending a him to time-out the only way to make your point, no matter what? So our question today is: What is the best way to discipline or punish a young child? Moms Talk is a growing feature on Lower Macungie Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to …

We don't want to spoil our children with every little luxury and gadget, yet it's nice to be able to know where they are -- or at least where they say they are -- and that they're okay. So our question today is: What's a good age for a child to have a cell phone of his or her own? Moms Talk is a growing feature on Lower Macungie Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families.  So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation with members of the Lower Macungie Moms Council.

The Tiger Mom has been getting a lot of media attention lately, and truth-be-told, there's probably a little Tiger Mom in all of us. In what way are you a Tiger Mom? Moms Talk is a new feature on Lower Macungie Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation with our Moms' Council.