Dear Parents,

As we enter the new year, make it one of your goals to ensure that your kids know how to stay safe. Youngsters should know how to talk to strangers and what rules to follow when staying home alone. There are different safety issues for teenage girls, including knowing how to say no. Learn what you can do at home and at school to improve your child's safety, but don't let your fears get the better of you!

Ear infections are very common in young children, especially in wintertime. This issue offers some expert advice on prophylactic antibiotics, the Prevnar vaccine, treating fever, tympanostomy tubes, and more.

Rather than try to escape the influence, impact, and expectations of your in-laws, it's wiser to cultivate a harmonious relationship with them. Read how to handle conflicts with your mother-in-law, how to cope with religious differences, how to resolve power plays, and much more. Resolve to create a game plan for family priorities in 2007!

Teaching your kids good safety lessons will boost their confidence and relieve your own worries.

The vast majority of all children – some 80 percent – will have at least one ear infection in their first five years of life.

Creating family harmony is possible – and it's very much worth the effort.