When I was growing up, it was not unusual for children to be left to their own devices. I was given a house key at 8, when my mother returned to work. But that was a different time, and in my case, a rural town in the mountains. What is the appropriate age for a child to be left, unattended, in Milford? A few weeks ago, police were asked to check on the welfare of a child left alone in a car, a child who was waiting for her mother, as it turned out, and who was 10. Isn't it okay to leave a 10-year-old by themselves?  When is the right age to leave kids without a babysitter? Or is it a case of…

When we were young, parents could tell us we were "grounded" and it meant something specific: stay home on weekend nights, no fun. But as with everything, things change. What is "grounding" in 2011? What is the type of problem that would make you ground a child -- poor grades, disrespect, lying about something? And what exactly does it involve: some physical labor to get the point of punishment across, or just being banned from fun activities for awhile? Now, unless you take away the cell phone and the computer, kids have access to the friends 24-7. Is grounding still an option? Tell us what …

Teenagers and adolescents are hard-wired to want to stay up late and sleep in.  As a teacher, I noticed a lot of students were half-asleep in first period classes. Their brains want to be sleeping at 7:30 a.m. Unfortunately, because of school start times, the older students are starting the earliest. There has been debate across the country about whether high school start times should be pushed back to take advantage of the kids' natural sleep cycles. Short of a change in the school schedules, what can parents do to make sure their teens and middle schoolers are unplugging and getting to bed …

When you write and speak for a living "know your audience" is a kind of mantra. You tailor the language for the audience. But many teenagers and even pre-teens seem to be forgetting where they are, and who surrounds them. As a teacher, I was shocked by the language I heard students using every day. Maybe I shouldn't have been. Someone asked me this recently, and so now I pose the question here. How do we get teenagers to stop swearing? Can we? Is it really getting worse, or are we forgetting that adults often use the same language, and so aren't exactly being role models?Please share your …

When a lot of us were small, the school bus was how we got to school, and then we may have walked a fair distance to our driveways. Now, based on my own experiences, the kids get dropped off and picked up from school, well into their early teens. And if they take a bus, a parent or a family friend often meets them when they step off the bus. So, the question is, are we being too protective? Are we instilling a message of fear in our children, or are we being appropriately careful in taking precautions. And as for bus transportation, why do so many parents skip it altogether?  Please share …

If you're a parent, you have most likely hosted or carted off your child to numerous birthday bashes. When a child's in elementary school, it can seem as if there's a party every weekend, whether it's at someone's home or at one of the many venues that offer children's parties. Our question for this week is related to these types of parties—the ones where guests are expected to bring a gift (read: mom or dad runs out to grab a gift card on the way to the party). At what age do you think these parties (gift expected, lots of friends invited) should end, if at all? Do you find that the parents …

This week's "Moms Talk" focuses on what you're doing as parents to raise responsible, caring kids. The idea for this topic was offered by Tracy Smith, who wondered what families are doing, if anything, to stress the importance of helping others who are less fortunate. What do you think of "mandatory" community service through school and extra-curricular programs; does this help kids learn how to help others? Do your kids participate in volunteer work, whether it's assisting at a soup kitchen or simply gathering old clothes to donate to the Salvation Army? How do you instill in your children …

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart parents help solicit questions of interest and provide their own opinions and advice. Have a question you'd like to see addressed in this space? Post it in the comment box below or e-mail danielle.horn@patch.com. How young is too young for your child to have a cell phone? What have you done with your kids and how did it work out? Do you establish any rules for cell phone use, and if so, how do you enforce them?

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart parents help solicit questions of interest and provide their own opinions and advice. Have a question you'd like to see addressed in this space? Post it in the comment box below or e-mail danielle.horn@patch.com. The topic for this week's question was offered by Lisa Vasile. Do you give your kids an allowance? Why or why not? What are the rules, if any, that go along with the allowance? Please share any thoughts you have about allowances, including any restrictions you place on them (age range, chores, etc.).

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart parents help solicit questions of interest and provide their own opinions and advice. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children. The topic for this week's question was offered by Amy Leone, who through her work with Community Impact, is constantly working to support adolescents. Do you find it difficult to communicate with…

Welcome to our second installment of Moms Talk Q&A, through which you and your circle of friends are invited to offer your opinions and advice about issues that are of interest to families. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms help solicit questions of interest and provide their own opinions and advice. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children. The …

Moms Talk Q&A is a new feature on Milford Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families. Milford Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Milford.  Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms will help solicit questions of interest and provide their own opinions and advice. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best …