Merry &Happy Christmas

Merry & Happy ChristmasTalking to Kids About Santa…and Everything Else
Raising a child means having a lot of difficult conversations. And this time of year, one of the toughest involves Santa Claus.
For families that celebrate Christmas, Santa represents the magic and innocence of childhood. Talking about whether he is real can result in sadness, a sense of loss and questions for both parents and child.
A mother I know recently recommended a book to help with the inevitable tough talks every parent faces. “How to Say It to Your Kids,'’ by Paul Coleman, is like having a family therapist when you need him. Dr. Coleman, known on the Oprah circuit for his advice on marriage and family, tackles 100 tough topics and offers the right words for parents to consider when talking to their kids. A book can’t possibly give you all the answers, but it does offer guidance and reassurance about your own instincts.
The problem with the Santa conversation is that it crosses into so many difficult areas. It raises fears about growing up, leads to worry (will Christmas be ever be the same?) and leaves children confused about why a parent lied to them. Dr. Coleman notes that children have varying reactions to the conversation, ranging from feeling proud that they figured it out to feeling confused and betrayed.
Dr. Coleman says it’s fine to reinforce Santa when a child obviously wants to believe. He also notes that when a child finds out the truth, it’s important that parents don’t immediately change their holiday traditions. He told the story of a father who involved his oldest child in the gift buying. But the child wasn’t enthusiastic, and the father finally realized that his son still wanted to pretend but couldn’t if he accompanied his father on shopping trips.
Dr. Coleman deals with far more than Santa in his book. Topics include death, dawdling, chores and perseverance and, of course, issues involving sex and growing up. But for now, I needed him for the Santa talk. When my daughter raised the issue with me this Christmas, I told her the truth. Santa is real as long as you believe in him.

Jamie Lynn Spears To Do PSA

Los Angeles - The network that airs Jamie-Lynn Spears’ popular tween TV show Zoey 101 is considering broadcasting a special on teen sex, according to media reports Monday.

Nickelodeon issued a statement supporting the 16-year-old’s decision to “take responsibility” for her situation.”

A spokesperson for Nickelodeon stressed that they are “trying to figure out what is the best thing to do for kids”.

Last week, the younger Spears announced that she is three months pregnant and plans to keep the baby.
Most celebrity news outlets did not hesitate to pounce on the news that Jamie Lynn Spears, the 16-year-old star of “Zoey 101” on Nickelodeon and younger sister of Britney, is pregnant. OK! magazine was first to print the news, which was quickly picked up — and milked — by just about everyone else.

With the noteworthy exception of fan magazines aimed at teenagers.

For these publications, the salacious contrast between the actress’s good-girl image and her real life posed a problem: the pregnancy of an unwed teenager usually would be a “we don’t go there” story, but Jamie Lynn and her wholesome-looking cast mates on “Zoey 101” have been such regular fodder that it would be awkward to ignore it.

Editors of fanzines like Tiger Beat, Bop, Twist, J-14 and M retreated into meetings last week to figure out how — and if — they should handle the development. Some editors said they were still figuring out their approach. Others said they might try to turn it into an educational opportunity.

“It would be crazy to touch this particular topic,” said Molly MacDermot, the editor of Twist and M, which, with J-14, are published by Bauer. “What’s shocking is that she’s always been the clean, down-to-earth one.”

Early last week, before the pregnancy came to light, Ms. MacDermot’s magazines were set to interview Jamie Lynn — which was considered a coup because the actress has always been “really protected from the media,” Ms. MacDermot said. But just before the news came out, she said the interview was canceled, with Jamie Lynn citing “holiday obligations to her family.”

So far, J-14 has addressed Ms. Spears’s pregnancy on its home page, where the headline “Jamie Lynn Spears’ Shocking Confession” is accompanied by a photo of the actress and a link to a MySpace site.

Starlets like Britney Spears, Nicole Ritchie and Paris Hilton usually get banned from the pages of teenage magazines after they get into trouble, but Jamie Lynn may prove to be an exception. Her fans have been so caught up in the news that Tiger Beat and Bop magazines have decided to address her pregnancy, said Leesa Coble, the editor of both.

“There is a sense among our readers of being let down by someone they admired,” Ms. Coble said. “They are asking whether it’s true. It’s a hard topic for this age group.”

Laufer Media, the magazines’ publisher, has not made a final decision, but Ms. Coble said the company was weighing an online post or a column by a therapist to address teenage pregnancy and the questions it poses.

“We don’t want to report it as news, then just move on,” Ms. Coble said. “Because Jamie Lynn is someone girls have looked up to. But what she did is not something you should emulate.”

Matthew Rettenmund, editor of Popstar!, said the magazine cited Jamie Lynn’s pregnancy on its Web site. “We will be making a note — very short — of it in our next issue, in February,” he said.