Many of our teens are smart, capable young people who are self-sufficient, self-motivated, mature enough to be left on their own, and responsible enough to be in charge of someone younger. I will never forget the first time I realized that my son could stay home and finish up his homework while I ran to the market. It was liberating for both of us. A few years later, he was even old enough to babysit his younger sister. Of course, it isn’t fair or wise to assume that an older child knows everything he or she should about caring for someone younger; something unexpected can always occur. Whether your teen is an older sibling ready to be in charge of a younger one, or a would-be babysitter interested in earning money looking after neighborhood kids, the effort spent learning the basics of CPR, Stranger Danger, and when to seek help can help you and other parents to feel good about leaving your teen in charge.

The point of the picks is to focus on one good thing. It’s calendar de-cluttering. For those who get overwhelmed by too much choice, it is helpful to be pointed toward just one. But sometimes even us professional pickers can’t choose one thing over others; and sometimes there is so much going on, it is worth doing your own sorting to find what you and your family would select. We can choose for you, but we might not choose what you would. This week it's a particularly good idea to check out Mommy Poppins' Event Calendar and take a closer look at Friday, which is jam packed with options. I spotted two things so cool I couldn’t decide (so I'm picking both), but there’s even more to consider. As summer winds down, there tends to be less to do, but not this week...

The anniversary of 9/11 can be a tough one for parents. We all have different yardsticks when it comes to what kinds of information we are willing to share with our children. If you know you are not ready to talk about this topic with your kids, this is a good week to monitor their exposure to the internet and television. As the eleventh approaches, images and sound bites will be omnipresent in the media. If your kids are older, or super inquisitive, and you are prepared to begin a conversation with them about this dark day in our nation’s history, one powerful way to start is at the Flag Memorial at Pepperdine any day this week.