Pediatricians Issue New Vaccination Recommendations: “Teenagers need a booster shot to protect them from meningococcal meningitis, a potentially deadly infection of the tissue around the brain, while all kids should have up-to-date whooping cough vaccines in light of recent outbreaks, according to new recommendations from pediatric experts. ” (HealthDay)

Girls Benefit From Video Game Co-Play: “Video games sometimes get roughed up by parents, teachers, and academics as having a negative impact on kids. However, a study conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University concluded that playing video games is good for girls … if they play with a parent.” (GeekDad)

Parents Are Ignoring Their Children For Their Blackberry: “Forget stressing about young people’s texting, Twitter and gaming habits. Increasingly, it is adults’ constant, obsessive use of these technologies that’s coming under fire. “It’s now children who are complaining about their parents’ habits,” says clinical psychologist and MIT professor Sherry Turkle.” (The Washington Post)

The Myth of Joyful Parenthood: The Ultimate Cognitive Dissonance?: “Raising children is hard, and any parent who says differently is lying. Parenting is emotionally and intellectually draining, and it often requires professional sacrifice and serious financial hardship. Kids are needy and demanding from the moment of their birth to… well, forever.” (The Huffington Post)

Scientists See Dangers in Energy Drinks: “A lot of kids are reaching for energy beverages instead of sport drinks, which unlike the energy drinks are mostly water with a nominal amount of sugar and electrolytes,” he said. “The energy drinks contain a slew of ingredients, most of which are unresearched, especially in combination with one another.” (New York Times)