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Margie Skeer of Tufts University recommends that parents educate themselves about opioids, share accurate information with their children and start the conversation about substance use. Getty Images. Photo by Blend Images - Jose Luis Pelaez Inc

Column: How to talk to your kids about opioids

By Margie Skeer, Tufts University

How much time do parents spend on their screens?

If you want to scold your teen or tween for their screen time on smartphones, tablets and computers, think twice: You may be setting their example.

By Laura Santhanam

Why is the teen birth rate so much higher in rural areas?

For the first time, government researchers studied teen birth rates in rural and urban counties. The differences surprised them.

By Laura Santhanam

Half of all U.S. women say they want to have a child, survey reveals

Between 2013 and 2015, half of nearly 6,000 women age 15 to 44 said they plan to have children, according to the National Survey of Family Growth, considered the gold standard for surveys about family planning in the United States.

By Laura Santhanam

Column: A parent’s guide to explaining an R-rated presidential election

It’s a tough year for parents who have been fielding a lot of sensitive questions from their little ones. Here are some “talking points” that may make the conversations a little less daunting for parents and teachers.

By Wendy Thomas Russell

Rocky home lives could hinder kindergartener success, study finds

By Lisa Gillespie, Kaiser Health News

Very young children who endure neglect, abuse and dysfunctional home lives go on to struggle as kindergartners, leaving them at risk for more difficult years as adolescents and adults, a new study finds.

More grandparents raising their grandchildren

By Alejandra Cancino, Associated Press

Nationwide, 2.7 million grandparents are raising grandchildren, and about one-fifth of those have incomes that fall below the poverty line, according to census figures.

Fewer teen moms could help slow U.S. population growth

By Laura Santhanam

More women are waiting longer to have kids, according to new analysis of a decades-long trend that could signal a slowdown in the U.S. population growth.