There are three main routines that can help prevent weight gain in kids, says a new study from Ohio State University. Researchers examined data on 8,550 preschoolers and found that kids who were the least likely to be obese had three family routines: eating dinner together at least 5 nights a week, getting at least 10 ½ hours of sleep a night, and watching less than 2 hours of TV on weeknights.

The researchers note that no one particular routine had a bigger impact on kid obesity rates than the others. They also note that having just one of these routines did make a difference in lowering obesity rates, although having more did make a greater impact.

Aside from the association with childhood obesity, these routines are something to keep in mind for overall kid health. So if you're family is sliding toward too much TV or too little sleep, it may be time to readjust a few routines to get back on a healthy track.

If you want your kids to be passionate about an activity rather than see it as something they need to do to get your approval, encourage, but don't pressure.

Kids are more likely to develop a true passion for something when they aren't pushed too hard by parents, says a new study from researchers at Université de Montréal, the Université du Québec à Montreal, and McGill University. Researchers examined nearly 600 musicians and athletes of all levels (beginner to expert) from ages 6 to 38 and found that kids and teens who are allowed to pursue an interest with support -- but without pressure -- were more likely to pursue that activity over time.

Kids who were pressured into an activity by controlling parents, on the other hand, were more likely to develop a skewed attitude about an activity, such as believing that acceptance can only come by excelling in that activity.

The tricky part for parents is knowing how much is too much encouragement. I tried to get my son into martial arts a couple of years ago because it's something I've loved since I was a child. I was disappointed when he said he didn't want to even try it. (And I was super-surprised when he declared he wanted to be a rock 'n roll drummer -- and very impressed when he started playing and playing really well, despite the fact that neither his dad nor I have a musical bone in our bodies.) Then suddenly, about a month ago, he asked me if he could try a Taekwondo class, just like that, out of the blue.

I absolutely did the right thing by being hands off with his interests. I do have to occasionally remind him to practice his drums. (As much as he loves playing music, he's an 8-year-old boy, and his Legos and the Wii are constantly calling their siren songs.) But I've also noticed that he sometimes needs to play music when he feels the muse, with or without my prompting. I'm ready for him to announce that he wants a break from martial arts or music, but in the meantime, I'm supporting, encouraging (without pushing!) and really enjoying the ride while my son follows his passions.

I'm not sure what is going on lately, but here is yet another headline about an incident at a New York City school in which common sense seemed to be in short supply. Apparently, a middle-schooler was removed from school and taken to a police station in handcuffs by the authorities for the crime of...wait for it...doodling on her desk with an erasable marker.

Now, I can think of at least a couple of other options the adults in charge could have gone with before reaching for the cuffs (and reportedly reducing a girl who had an excellent attendance record to tears and causing her to fear returning to school). Maybe the police didn't have to put the child in handcuffs. Or maybe the police didn't have to be involved at all and the young girl could have been sent to detention. Or here's a crazy idea -- perhaps the teacher could have simply asked the child to clean the desk and given her a stern warning.

Is it just me or does this story seem like yet another case of a good rule having gone awry? Of course kids shouldn't be doodling on desks. But was this really the right response? Maybe it's time for some teachers, administrators, and apparently some police officers to get a refresher course on what is appropriate punishment and what is going over the line. Way over.

A 9-year-old boy in Staten Island, NY, was nearly suspended Tuesday after he brought a 2-inch Lego toy gun to school. According to reports, the fourth grader was playing with a Lego police officer and the tiny gun in the school cafeteria when he was taken to the principal's office. The principal called the parents, and after meeting with them, decided not to suspend the child.

His parents say their son, a good student who loved school, was frightened and upset by the incident, and became reluctant to go back to school because he was afraid that the principal was angry with him. They are reportedly outraged over what they see as a lack of common sense.

As a mom of an 8-year-old boy who absolutely loves Legos, I can totally relate to the dismay that these parents feel. While I can see the merit of having rules banning toy guns -- or for that matter, any kind of toy weapons -- from school, I fail to see why a 2-inch Lego toy gun would warrant a consideration of suspension. Couldn't the principal have just asked the child to put it away and discuss the matter with his parents at a later time? (Apparently, the boy's friend also had a Lego guy, but his accessory was a teeny ax instead of a teeny gun; that child was not taken to the principal's office.)

This could easily have been my child, who stages nearly daily battles between good and evil with tiny Lego lightsabers and blasters and Jedi knights and stormtroopers. He doesn't bring toys of any kind to school (students are not allowed to do so), but if his school did allow toys, I cannot imagine that he would be threatened with suspension and made to cry over a 2-inch laser blaster.

What do you think? Was this a case of punishment meeting the crime or an overzealous administrator lacking common sense?