Marlo Thomas, 2/17/12

Award-winning actress, author, and activist

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing Tiger Moms and Eagle Dads will do is ensure a boon for psychiatrists 20 years from now, as they try to help a whole generation of young adults reconcile childhoods in which they were pushed too hard and too far.

Charity Curley Mathews, 2/17/12

Founder, Foodlets.com

Say what you will about French parenting but when it comes to food and family around a table, no one does it better, or enjoys it more, than Italians.

Linda Rosenkrantz, 2/17/12

Creator, Nameberry.com

Ever since the first American baby was christened Washington Smith, there has been a tradition here -- just as the Brits honor their Royals -- to draw inspiration from the surnames of U.S. presidents.

Janice Harper, 2/17/12

Anthropologist

I had no idea how funny divorces could be until I worked for a divorce attorney.

Gloria A. Iribagiza, 2/17/12

Coordinator, White Ribbon Alliance Rwanda; Editor, 'The New Times'

Changing the stakes for Rwanda, to become the safest place for women to give birth in Sub-Saharan Africa, calls for persistent commitment and determination in the maternal and child health cause.

Dan Zevin, 2/17/12

Author, 'Dan Gets a Minivan: Life at the Intersection of Dude and Dad'

Nobody is going to look better on this Fashion Week Friday than suburban dads. Why? FLEECE. On Monday through Thursday, we're all business in our buttoned-up clearance clothes from Banana Republic. But by the end of the work week, it's time to TGIF. Thank God It's Fleece Day.

Patrick O'Connor, 2/17/12

Director of college counseling, Roeper School; Author, 'College is Yours 2.0'

Welcome to grade groveling season, the time of year when parents across America look at their senior's laundry and say "What are these stains on the knees of these pants, and how did they get there?"

Gary J. Gates, 2/16/12

Demographer who studies the LGBT population

Modern Family highlights a common contemporary media image of gay parenting: wealthy, urban, white gay men raising an adopted child. However, U.S. Census Bureau data suggest that same-sex couples raising children are substantially more diverse.

Susan Maushart, 2/17/12

Author, The Winter of Our Disconnect

If you thought your child's smartphone was just sitting innocently in his backpack ... think again.

Josette Crosby Plank, 2/16/12

Blogger, Halushki

All other parents seem like they have it under control. Know what they are doing. Are even -- dare you say it -- better at this parenting thing than you are. I'm going to save you some wondering: They are.

Michele Hunt, 2/17/12

Transformation Catalyst; Author, 'Putting Vision and Values To Work'

I am an unapologetic optimist, not because I see the world through rose-colored glasses or have Pollyannaish sensibilities, it's because I have been a student of DreamMakers all my life -- my parents.

Nicholas Carroll, 2/16/12

Author, 'Walk Away From Debt for a Better Future'

My sense, from many conversations, is that single dads pick up a lot more free time by moving to a rental than single moms.

Nancy Chuda, 2/17/12

Founder of LuxEco Living and Healthy Child Healthy World

Time spent raising our kids to become decent, well-meaning, law abiding citizens. But what many missed as parents in the '80s is what some never had time to teach. Peace. I was lucky. I was raised in a household that celebrated humanity and the need for world peace.

Rev. Al Sharpton, 2/16/12

President, National Action Network

Every day we walk past or ignore another Jeremy Lin -- people who may not look like what society deems a 'winner.' But given the right circumstances, these folks would shine; there's a Lin in every school, church, job. You may be ignored, but never lose sight of your own strengths and abilities.

Shari Kessel Schneider, 2/16/12

Researcher, Education Development Center (EDC)

Concern over bullying is a growing trend that worries parents and educators alike, perhaps because today bullying happens not only at school but also anywhere that youth communicate online, even at home. But what do we do about it, and whose responsibility is it to protect children and teens?

Jennifer Chrisler, 2/15/12

Executive Director, Family Equality Council

It's hard to remember and hard to imagine, frankly, a time when just the simple fact of being gay or lesbian meant that you could have no relationship with your children. The courts automatically presumed you were an unfit parent.

Amelia, 2/16/12

Mother, wife, partner and breadwinner

I thought there was a fair chance that he would someday say, "I'm gay." But my kid is only 7 years old. I figured I had a few years before we crossed that threshold (if we ever did), probably when he was 14 or 15. I never thought it would happen this soon.