(Distributed 11/06/07) Thanksgiving offers families an opportunity to reflect on their many blessings. Youth, however, often take their blessings for granted. How can parents and educators teach young people an attitude of gratitude?

A spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down, but it could take a little more for the homework to get done, according to the experts. LSU AgCenter associate Cheri Gioe says looking at the rewards and benefits can make homework time more productive.

Think you have fear of the unknown? Some of the most stressful times for children are moving from one classroom to another, according to LSU AgCenter child-care associate Cheri Gioe.

Tips for eating right and exercising for families.

It happens often when children receive a gift. The youngsters often are happier playing with the box than the present. Although amused at first, the gift-givers may soon suspect that their money was ill-spent.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have shown how strong Louisiana families can be. Parents and children faced with strains on time, money and emotions found ways to remain strong, healthy and happy.

Hurricane victims will be faced with the question this Thanksgiving, "What are you thankful for?" and some will find this question difficult to answer. The holiday will be a reminder of what’s been lost in floods and devastating winds.

Trying times, like these after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, can test family and community resiliency. Having our families and communities around us for support can go a long way in helping recover from disaster, emotionally as well as physically.

Keeping the family operating smoothly, particularly during these trying times following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, requires a lot of effort. Each of us, though, can contribute to keep the family strong.

Children's reactions to disaster depend on their age and maturity. Their responses also are affected by how close they are to the event, their level of exposure to it through TV and how they see their parents react.