Reporting today in The Wall Street Journal, Anton Troianovski reveals families in America have cut back on food, clothes and entertainment in order to create room for cell phone expenses. 

This dad deserves an award! The opening title of the video says: The story of a father who sent his son’s favorite toy train to space!

If you’re trying to save money, keep saving! TIME Moneyland tells its readers several things to wait and not buy in September. 

In Oklahoma, a kindergartner was made to turn his University of Michigan shirt inside out last week because it was in violation of a school policy. The school doesn't allow any apparel not supportive of the state's college teams.

The typical dorm room is 180-square-feet. The Wall Street Journal reports that more college students are decking out their dorm rooms and electronics than ever before. 

The USA Today reports that United Airlines has been drawing criticism over the last couple of days from a San Francisco family saying United "lost" their 10-year-old daughter.

A 12-year-old boy in Texas is said to be too big to play football. The boy is 6 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds. According to MyFoxDFW.com, Elijah practiced with the team for three weeks, then the weigh-in happened.

CNN reports that Mohammed reclaimed its place as the most popular name for baby boys born in England and Wales in 2011 - ahead of Harry, in second place, according to data released by the government this week.

Mashable posted “20 Things Your Most Annoying Friends Do on Facebook” today. Of course, “TMI Parents” tops the list! Mashable points out, while “we love your babies…we do not, however, relish vivid descriptions of every wee wee and poopee…and especially don’t look forward to 46 similar posts every single day.” 

Gabby Douglas and Ryan Lochte leave London with the potential to make millions of dollars in endorsements with their gold medals. However, as one online report asks, what’s all this really cost? It seems that in order to prepare kids to become Olympics, it takes much more than some families have.

Yahoo reports the video of a three-year-old boy riding a backyard roller coaster built by, you guessed it, his dad!

National S'mores Day is today. We can’t think of a much better way to celebrate than to gather around with family and make the delicious snack.

Much like any Olympic athlete, Phelps’ family has played a major role in his career. Often the family makes all types of sacrifices with their time and finances in order for their talented family member to compete at the highest levels. We have seen how much moms matter to the athletes, but have heard little about dads from many of the stories for the 2012 London Games.

They are affectionately called "latte dads" -- so name because they can be seen around major cities with a stroller in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Current policy in Sweden is for dads to have at least two months for paternity leave. However, the current debate is for an extra month. Either way, this policy leaves many across the country jealous of Sweden.

The Washington Post reports that Kevin Durant, the U.S. Olympic basketball player, has not always had a responsible dad in the home. When Durant’s dad was 23 years old, he “wasn’t ready for the responsibilities” of having two young boys, reports the Post. It would be around the time of Durant’s first birthday that his father would leave the family.

Writing in The New York Times, Peter Edelman, a professor of law at Georgetown University, reminds us what Ronald Reagan once said, “We fought a war on poverty and poverty won.” Edelman also reminds us that with 46 million Americans — 15 percent of the population — now counted as poor, it’s tempting to think he may have been right.

Jonathan Blunk was killed saving another person at the Aurora shooting. Jonathan had two daughters, ages 4 and 2. Chantel Blunk, wife of victim, was interviewed by CNN and tells how hard it was explaining to her children that their father died. 

Dads, you know it’s the worst thing ever to run out of battery life on your cell. Ever forget to charge your phone over night, just to realize you’re battery will die at some point during the day? James Siminoff, the founder of Edison Junior Design Laboratory, has created the answer.

Fast Company recently interviewed the five CEOs of BlueFish: Scott Kraege, Michael Browning, Christian Browning, Tony Paris, and Josh Garrett to see how they work together while leading the company.

Almost before the news about Marissa Mayer being named Yahoo’s new CEO, talk of her expecting a child in October became the “real news.” Mayer started her new post yesterday with Yahoo. She probably isn’t as concerned about “how she will manage being a mom and CEO” as all the reports are speculating. But instead, she’s probably more concerned with, “how am I going to turn around a failing internet giant?” 

In Michigan, The New York Times highlights a story of two moms. Two moms seemingly the same if viewed from the day-care drop off, but if viewed from a closer angle, the differences might surprise you. 

Robert Putnam uses new research to help us understand how America is coming apart. He looks at the inequality of opportunities among children to help us understand what the country will look like in the decades ahead. The quick answer? David Brooks of The New York Times says, “More divided than ever.”

A report released yesterday evening revealed that top Pennsylvania State University officials, including coach Joe Paterno, failed to protect boys from a sexual abuse. The report, released by former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Louis Freeh, also highlights the risk colleges face when attempting to protect sports programs from controversy.

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to spanking children as a discipline tactic. As with many parenting dilemmas, discipline of children has plenty of opinions. The NY Daily News article says researchers reported in the journal Pediatrics that “up to 7% of mental illnesses could be attributed to the punishment.”

Columnist David Brooks of The New York Times writes about Henry V and modern-day education. Brooks thinks Henry V was one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters, revealing a wild young boy who became courageous in his older years. Brooks asks an interesting question, “what if Henry went to an American school?”

Land of the free and home of the brave – this list of best places to visit in America is a great list to consider as you plan your summer get-a-ways! Who doesn’t love a good road trip?! Especially to visit free attractions once you arrive!

"People forget sometimes I do have twin girls, you know," Federer said after winning. "But just to be able to juggle everything together has been, you know, a challenge. And I think you learn from mistakes. You try to make it work for everyone involved. Hasn't always been easy, you know. I admit that."

Tired of constantly being left out of the photo or having to do the one-arm-out pic to get a shot of yourself and family? Just pack your photographer on your next trip for the perfect images. Long gone are the days when asking a stranger to take a picture of you is needed. Just pay for your favorite photographer to come along with you on your next vacation. 

We use our phones for everything now. We use them for everything from social media sites to research during a conversation. Some think we use them too much. 

Tis the season for summer vacations and family travel by land, air and sea. The New York Times understands this and has created a space online where parents can share their worries and struggles and points of view on all things travel and family vacations. 

Niobi Way has researched boys for over two decades. In her research, she stumbled upon a link that seemed to go against previous fatherly influence on a son’s life.

One woman’s struggle explains the issues of a generation. This article points out that many young people have now spent most of their lives on antidepressants. Have the drugs made them 'emotionally illiterate' as Sharpe suggests?

We’ve followed this story because of the great example of fatherhood this dad has demonstrated through difficulty. In case you’ve missed it, a Georgia woman was diagnosed with a rare, flesh-eating disease. She recently left the hospital after two months and is headed a rehabilitation clinic. Once there, she'll learn to move with the aid of a wheelchair after having her left leg, right foot and both hands amputated reports USA Today.

Canadian authorities are pressing charges for an incident where a youth hockey coach tripped a 13-year-old player while going through the handshake line after the game.

Lauren Ramsdell had a year to spend between graduating college and getting married next year. So she decided to move back in with her parents. This transition could be painful for both parties, unless ground rules are established and expectations are set on both sides.

Most people would think of moms doing the reading to the kids. But Pampers understands dads should also be playing a role in encouraging reading. Pampers recently wrote a post on their website explaining the importance of dads reading to their kids. 

Pampers didn’t stop with explaining to dads the importance of reading, they actually provided tips for how dads can more easily find ways to encourage reading to their kids.  

If you’re like most parents, you’ve been planning and scheduling things for your children to experience over the summer break. The New York Times writes that when you factor in all the costs, they just might surprise you. 

Brenna Martin's dad is apparently a strategic planner. If he isn’t, he should consider it. Bryan Martin has been working on the gift for his daughter's high school graduation for – wait for it – 13 years! 

National Fatherhood Initiative’s President Roland Warren was recently honored as a "Champion of Change" at The White House for his work in the field of fatherhood. In this article posted on The White House blog, Warren talks about his life as a father, his life as leader of a national organization and his hopes for fathers in the years to come. 

Speaking at a "Champions of Change" event at The White House recently, Sec. Duncan told a story that happened to him recently. He attended his 10-year-old daughter's band concert. He recalled that after a great evening with his family, parents told him that they were surprised to see him in attendance. 

While parents and teachers debate the good and bad side of new media and what devices kids should be allowed to use, The Reading Rainbow TV series isn’t waiting around. The 80’s television show that promoted reading to a generation is in the app store.

The role of fathers in America is changing. Fathers living with their children are more involved in their lives and spend more time with them. However, the fathers living with their children have fallen significantly in the last 50 years.

One of the most enjoyable experiences of pregnancy would probably be the time when you’re ready to share the news of pregnancy with family and friends.

Yahoo Shine helps anyone who encounters the pregnancy announcement to handle such news with grace by revealing things no on should ever say to a pregnant women – if they wish to remain alive! Please, men, do not say anything like the following when you encounter a pregnancy announcement with your spouse or someone you know:

What did your kids eat for dinner last night? Chances are you ate at McDonald’s, with 840 calories, the Mighty Kids Meal, wins the award for least healthy fast food meal for kids.

Allan Houston knows the importance of a father.

The former Tennessee Volunteer (yeah, I took it there!) and New York Knicks superstar is father to seven children.

He was named "Father of the Year" in 2007 by the NFI.

In this preview clip of his interview with Soledad O'Brien, Houston reveals how his father was his inspiration.

McCullough addressed Wellesley High School class of 2012 and gave them a message they were not expecting. He told the class, “You are not special. You are not exceptional.”

Facebook is said to be “developing technology that would allow children younger than 13 years old to use the social-networking site under parental supervision.” While parents aren’t able to control what Facebook develops, Babble points out parents can control whether or not they will allow their kids to join the social network. 

You picked out your home, the kid’s school, and you know where the best parks are in the city. Now, did you think about how close you are to a hospital? How about whether or not that hospital is one of the best in the country? 

Have you seen any males in the children’s section lately? What did you think? What would you think if you saw an elderly man in the children’s part of a bookstore?

Barnes & Noble has apologized after kicking Dr. Omar Amin, 73, out of the store while browsing for books for his two young grandchildren. 

While attending a family travel expo in Manhattan recently, Valarie D'Elia of NY1 interviewed family and travel experts for her column When Are Kids Old Enough to Travel. D’Elia asks at what age is it appropriate to take a cruise or flight. She writes of the difficulty of balancing age-appropriate travel destinations, so kids will remember the trip, and at what age are trips easiest for parents. 

NBA’s newest Rookie of the Year, Kyrie Irving recently stood on stage receiving the trophy, and told his dad, "I'm living my dream. Without you, I don't know where I'd be." 

Over at the Strollerderby blog, the question is posed, where’s dads in parental magazines? Has parenting media simply failed on the content front for dads? Or do companies know their core demographic will never be dads?

The editors at Circle of Moms highlight video of North Carolina parents Sam and Nicki Moore had their baby girl at 24 weeks of pregnancy, the doctors said there was less than a 10 percent chance their child would survive.

Matt Richtel writes for The New York Times that as access to new digital devices spreads, children in poorer families are spending more time than children from more well-off families using their television, games and gadgets.

Belen Aranda-Alvarado writes on The New York Times Motherlode about an article originally in The Daily Beast. The top colleges appear to be rough this year on “unhooked white girls,” or as the writer Steve Cohen explained:

“smart girls with really good grades and solid SAT scores, but who lack some special “hook” or positioning — for example, being a star athlete, concert pianist or first generation to go to college. They experienced a particularly tough time getting into most of the nation’s most competitive colleges.”

The answer? Get your daughter “an anchor” – an activity or pastime that she will practice “deeply and consistently over a long period.”

In case you missed it – The New York Daily News writes that Ruffles has created the ‘man chip.' The chip is made to “satisfy the red-blooded appetite of the stereotypical male.”

Torii Hunter was recently blindsided by the news his teenage son had been arrested. The USA Today reports that before leaving to deal with his son's arrest, Hunter was batting .256 with five home runs and 15 RBI.

A Nebraska couple says they’ve managed to stay happy for almost 65 years 30 years they’ve worn matching outfits. Today, the couple says the don’t go anywhere without wearing matching outfits.

The students and staff at Woodlake School in Louisiana gave hope and happiness to mother of sick child recently. Strollerderby tells about Tara Dragon Hernandez, the vice principal at Woodlake Elementary School and her son Grayson, 10 months, who have gone through four rounds of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer.

Writing for The New York Times Motherlode: Adventures in Parenting, KJ Dell’Antonia reveals a new study conducted by Chris M. Herbst and John Ifcher, that is challenging today’s cultural wisdom.

Mike Hanley gave his daughter Jessica a father-daughter dance at her bat mitzvah that she may not soon forget. And if she does, there's always the video to jog her memory.

Recently, a young Georgia woman developed a rare condition called necrotizing fasciitis after cutting her leg in a accident while zip lining over the Little Tallapoosa River in west Georgia. ABC News reports Aimee is breathing on her own, and through this story, a strong example of fatherhood is revealed.

Dads, you know you’re going to roll the grill out this weekend – if you haven’t already. But be careful that what happened to one New Jersey man doesn’t happen to you. Before you get the charcoal or gas ready, read this story of one man’s literal ‘brush with death.’

The superstar couple is celebrating the birth of new daughter Blue Ivy Carter, but in a new song dedicated to the baby, Jay-Z reveals Beyoncé lost an earlier pregnancy. It’s a stunning disclosure from the famously private couple, says Chris Lee.

Nearly two years ago, Livonia resident Jack Walsh decided it was time to act. He had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer nine years prior, and he was so thankful he was still alive that he wanted to do something to give hope to others fighting cancer.

Detroit father and husband Bill Pikarski has undergone an incredible journey after his wife Janet had an emergency C-section to deliver their triplets. For Mr. Pikarski, feedings and diaper changes aren’t the only responsibilities he has to juggle.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson had been embroiled in lengthy contract extension talks since 2011, prompting many to paint the two-time Pro Bowl standout as selfish. Now after securing a 5-year, $47-million dollar deal, Jackson is turning his focus back to the game he loves. Jackson largely credits his late father for ability to visualize and obtain success both on and off the field.

Former NBA player Ron Anderson Sr. and his remarkable basketball journey has finally come full circle after his son, Ron Jr., enters the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship tournament with the University of South Florida Friday night against Temple. After five seasons playing with the Philadelphia 76ers, the elder Anderson would go on to play for several other NBA squads before relocating to France and continued playing until he was 52 years of age. Leaving his family at age 10 to pursue his hoop dreams, father and son held a decade-long bout of bitterness between them, eventually finding a way to reconcile.

Ahead of his Memphis Tigers team’s NCAA March Madness game this Friday against the St. Louis University Billikens, sophomore guard Chris Crawford has even more to play for than advancing past the second round in the intense basketball tournament. Chris’ dad, the late M.C. Crawford, a former semi-pro player and coach, inspired his son at an early age to pick up the game and excel far beyond his own goals. Read More >>

A new study conducted in Europe concluded that regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests reduced the possibility of death from prostate cancer by 21 percent, and was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the follow up study conducted by the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) over an 11-year period, 162,000 men, all between the ages of 55 and 69, were screened with results that may challenge the value of the screening. Read More >>

The unfortunate case of JonBenet Ramsey has come back into the spotlight, due in part to comments from the late pageant princess’ father. John Ramsey appeared on morning program Good Morning America yesterday (March 13) morning and spoke candidly about the aftermath of losing his daughter, getting his life back and expressing regret in allowing his daughter to enter beauty pageants at such a young age. Read More >>

An upcoming television documentary will focus on father absence, specifically the instance of such absence amongst African-Americans. Filmmaker Rachel Miller, and her film production company Little Harriet, undertook the task of delivering the hour-long film, inspired by sobering statistics and other societal factors that have led to the rise of father absence in Black families. Read More >>

At 6-9 and 217 pounds, it’s tough to imagine Arizona Wildcat big man Angelo Chol was once a fumbling kid on the court. The athletic forward’s journey heading into tonights NIT Men’s Basketball Championship tourney against Bucknell began while he and his father fled his native Sudan when he was just a boy. Read More >>

Father and husband Ben Thomas has been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, since 2010 after a pickup basketball game revealed early symptoms of the disease. Just 30 years of age, Mr. Thomas can no longer do simple tasks such as tying his shoes or signing his name but his life has been enriched in other ways. Read More >>

Hailing from the working class city of Flint in Michigan, award-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis has crafted stories centered on the African-American experience from a young male perspective. Now, the father of four is embarking on a new journey and has crafted his first book featuring a female lead, after some careful nudging from fans. Read More >>

In Michigan, Concord High School basketball coach Jeff Redman and his journey of guiding his girls basketball team to the Class C state tournament was a seamless one. Formerly a basketball hobbyist, coach Redman found himself coaching his daughter and a trio of cousins while the group was in fourth grade. After splitting from the girls during middle school for high school coaching, Redman has been calling plays for Concord since 2007, with the team playing in one of the biggest games of their career. Read More >>