New Concerns About Fluoride

plus: JoJo Siwa! |

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SUBSCRIBE to TIME Magazine Calling all occupants of planet parent, Hoping you're getting into the late summer/late winter zone and making the most of the last few days of sun or snow or whatever August brings you. One of my offspring is back at school and I'm having to keep my itchy fingers from the online shopping portals to get her that one last thing I imagine she will need. The point, I'm told, is for them to ask you for things. Otherwise they might never even get in touch. One of the most challenging parts of parenting is that it's not a static skill. Once you've mastered making babyfood, they're onto finger food. Once you've figured out the absolutely best route to school, they want to go on their own. And once you've figured out exactly what they're going to need at this moment, it's time to sit on your hands. This, my fellow parents, is life. If you want to grow things that are easy, try a succulent. By the way, thanks to everyone who contacted me about using breakfast as the family meal. Would love to hear from anyone else on this topic, both pro and con. I'm at Belinda.Luscombe@time.com or @luscombeland on twitter. P.S. If you like this newsletter, please pass it on to a friend. And if you got it from a friend, sign up here for email delivery each Friday. You know, more or less. roundup IF you're the mom of a preteen girl, you may already know about JoJo Siwa. If you're not, here's how a primer, to help you to talk to the other moms. Or to see the bullet you have dodged. TIME On a similar subject, if your preteen or teen wants to grow up to be an influencer on YouTube or Instagram, as so many do, it might be worth reading this interview with a filmmaker who looked deeply into that world. What she learns about why kids are so drawn to that idea is fascinating. TIME There have been rumors about fluoride floating around for years—that it's not safe, that it's widespread use in drinking water is a health crisis. This week, an explosive new study seemed to find some correlation between fluoridated water and lower IQ. Does this mean we should all stop drinking tap water? Here's everything you need to know. TIME Do you hear a lot of complaints about not having enough allowance? Do you need to offer a lot of incentive for kids to help around the house? This mom gave her kids an early lesson in career goals when she held a job fair at her house. Luckily, she posted about it on social media, so we can all pick up some tips. (For what it's worth, many experts recommend not tying chores to allowance. Allowance is what parents give to help their kids how to manage money. Chores are the tax children pay for living in your home. And just like with taxes, everyone has to pitch in.) TIME The U.N. Youth Climate Summit opens in New York on September 21. It'll be a gathering of young change-makers from around the world, eager to right the climate wrongs of past generations. (Sorry about all those, kids.) Look for coverage of the summit from the TIME for Kids team this fall. If you want to get ahead of it, you could do worse than talk to you kids about 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg, who is currently sailing across the Atlantic for the event. Now that's commitment. A new school year often means a new teacher. And sometimes kids don't click right away with the person they have to spend so much time with. How do you help them negotiate that? How do you talk to your kids about that bad teacher? Here's advice for all ages. TIME PFFT: Parenting from Famous Types Kirsten Dunst, actor and parent of one, about whether she'd put her kid in an advertisement "He is such a happy baby and I see why I might want that memento of him at this age, but we will probably just encourage him to do school plays." To Unsubscribe You have received this e-mail because you are subscribed to this newsletter from TIME.com. Unsubscribe here. Update Email Click here to update your email address. Privacy Policy Please read our Privacy Policy, or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://time.com/privacy TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. For Further Communication Please contact parents@time.com TIME USA, LLC 225 Liberty Street New York, NY 10128 Connect with TIME Find TIME on Facebook Follow TIME on Twitter Subscribe to more TIME Newsletters Get TIME on your Mobile Device Get TIME on your iPad Subscribe to RSS Feed