Thanks to your ideas and comments and criticisms, the Daddy-O blog continues to evolve into a meaningful forum for Minnesota parents and families. Please keep the interest and the feedback coming in 2013, and I'll do my best to explore the thorny and compelling issues that mean the most to you. By a loose measure of emails and social media referrals, here are some of the blog posts in 2012 that gained the most reader attention and response.

  1. Dying girl receives video from favorite band before she passes. The boy band Big Time Rush tried to comfort one of its biggest fans with a video and chat before she died of cancer.
  2. How to make election night 2012 fun for your kids. My favorite idea was filling up glasses with proportionate blue or red M&Ms when states were called for Obama or Romney.
  3. The good side of social media for your kids. Parents were apparently relieved that all of that "liking" and "tweeting" wasn't a total loss.
  4. Loppet Foundation's novel youth ski program. There are so few minorities in the sport of CC skiing. This program provides the transportation, equipment and fun to change that.
  5. MN pediatricians take stance on gay marriage amendment. Readers debated whether it was appropriate for this influential group to step in a thorny political issue.
  6. The trouble with teens and diabetes. It is a delicate challenge for parents to turn over crucial dietary and medication roles to diabetic teens.
  7. Mayo consult service to cut harmful psychotropic drugs to kids. The fear that children are being over-medicated -- and this novel solution -- drew interest from readers nationally.
  8. The unpopular but crucial role of representing abusive parents. Child abusers might engender scorn, but giving them proper lawyers in court is part of the solution to preventing further harm.
  9. Can courts prevent parents from having more kids? An interesting debate pitting concerns about judicial overreach with concerns about irresponsible parents.