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Children and Family

As a mother, I strongly believe that parenthood is the most important role in life for those of us who undertake the task. It was no accident that I chose to freelance, earning a living from my home office, just a few miles from my children's schools. It is my goal to bring useful information to families about ways to make the most of our brief opportunity to guide our children to the best and most fulfilling futures they might achieve for themselves. I'd like for all parents to enjoy the tremendous love for their children that I have for mine, and to recognize that each child is a treasure and each moment with them an incomparable joy. I would love for my work to reach those parents whose lives are too difficult to allow them to realize the precious nature of their charges and their task.

Following a career in social services (during which I directed a latch-key program with my infant-through-kindergarten - aged son at my side), my son (then 12 years old) helped me launch a writing career as co-critic of our Mom and Me at the Movies column, published by the Miami Herald. After a year of critiquing movies for their quality and family suitability, I was asked to write an education column for the Herald, and covered 60 schools in Broward County, Florida for six years.

I have written about the joys of going to summer camp with your child, my children have worked with me to write articles on family travel, both kids (now 13 and 21) joined my husband and I on our road trip through Florida this summer, researching the Unofficial Guide to Campgrounds of the Southeast (Hungry Minds, 2002).

I've written stories about packing healthy school lunches and about Boy Scout outings and activities. I've written about teens and drugs, teens and guns, teens and suicide. I've covered kids on stage, on the runway, on the screen and behind the camera. I've written about fun places to take kids, reviewed restaurants and helped to compile the leading South Florida community guideline for best picks for kids, the Kids Crown Award guide published annually by South Florida Parenting Magazine.

I have visited poor children in their homes, day care and community centers, writing Wish Book articles for the Miami Herald during the winter holiday season, helping to raise awareness of poverty and generate donations of assistance to those in need.

There is so much more I would like to do for children through my journalism - and I will continue to use my craft to help improve the lives of our most precious natural resource - because I love kids.