The TV shows like “Children are hard tosupport!”, “Where are we going, Dad?”, “hot mom” and “cute kids” are becomingmore and more popular. All of these show the new parents' confusion inchildren's education and the appeal for the balance between career and family.

In real life, on the one hand, the youngparents feel helpless because they are too busy to accompany their childrenunder the pressures of work and life; on the other hand, they continue to doso. The data collected by HNTV show that nearly two-thirds of their audienceare female, among whom 36% are aged from 25 to 34. We can imagine such a scenethat one evening a young mother is watching the show with her young children,while her husband is still at work or trapped in socializing, or maybe is justplaying computer games in the bedroom. The story of a child without the companyof father is still going on. In fact, it is sometimes the same to mothers. In amodern family, it is often the old who take the responsibility for raising achild. The participation of mother in the children's education is also verylow.

    It is just this kind of confusion wherethe parents have gone in the modern family education, and where the parentswill guide their children to go that “Where are we going, Dad?” shows us. If achild wants to grow up healthily and safely into a modern citizen withindependent personality and free spirit, it is very important for him or her tofollow the parents who serve as their first teacher. Maybe this is the realreason why such kind of TV programs could get hot. The truth is that childrenwill go where their parents go, and society will go where the children go.

    Very few people enjoy going to the dentist, especially for a filling. Often fillings need to be replaced during the patients' lifetime. But is filling the cavity (蛀洞)with a foreign material really the best treatment? What if the tooth could repair itself with its own material–dentine(齿质)? Researchers at King's College London have found a process that may replace the traditional method.

    Paul Sharpe of King's College says a new treatment for cavities is simpler. It uses a drug that causes the tooth to fill in the hole naturally with dentine. "It involves putting a drug in the hole. It excites a natural process, which starts to occur anyway following the damage, so you can actually get the big hole repaired and the repair is a production of the natural material, the dentine."

    Usually a new drug requires repeated testing before it is approved for treatment. However, this drug that produces the re-growth in teeth has already been approved. It is a drug used to treat Alzheimer's disease and other disorders of the nervous system. Researchers explain that they use only a small amount and they use it locally. Usually that means the medicine is put directly on the affected area. It does not travel through the patient's blood.

    Nigel Carter heads Britain's Oral Health Foundation. He describes the new treatment as an exciting possibility for dental care. But Carter also has a warning. "Actually re-growing the tooth that has been lost with a cavity would be really a huge step forward. But, it's also important that we remember that we shouldn't be getting the cavity in the first place. We're talking about a totally preventable disease."

    Tess was eight years old. Her little brother Andrew was very sick and their parents were completely out of money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother, "Only a miracle can save him now."

    Tess took her money and made her way six blocks to Rexall's Drug Store.

    "And what do you want?" the chemist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen for ages."

    "Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really sick. He has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?"

    "We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the chemist said, softening a little.

    "Listen, I can help you." The chemist's brother was a well-dressed man. He asked Tess, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"

    "I don't know," Tess replied. "Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."

    "How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago. "One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more, if I need to."

    "Well, what a coincidence (巧合)," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents － the exact price of a miracle for your little brother. Take me to where you live. Let's see if 1 have the kind of miracle you need."

    That man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon in neurosurgery (神经外科). The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well．

    Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost… one dollar and eleven cents… plus the faith of a little child.

    It's said that you don't know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. And you also don't know what it's like for older people to travel until you accompany one on a trip.

    After flying with my elderly father from Washington, D.C. to L.A. in July, I began to realize that a companion has important tasks that can make a journey easier for older people. I booked nonstop tickets on JetBlue to avoid tiring, confusing connections, and we flew directly into small, manageable Long Beach Airport. Even though my father could walk, I arranged with the airline for wheelchair assistance, which meant we got on board first.

    When I took him back to the airport for his return flight to Washington, I got permission from JetBlue to wait with him at the gate instead of saying goodbye at the security checkpoint. I wished he'd had a first-class seat and access to a comfortable airline club. Better yet, I wish I had flown with him both ways. As I watched the attendant wheel him to the lift that took him from the tarmac (飞机跑道) to the plane, I felt like an anxious mom sending her child to school for the first time.

    I didn't need to worry about my father wandering away; at 82, his mind was sharper than mine. But his hearing was poor, so I worried about what would happen if he missed an important announcement. Fortunately, everything went just fine. Careful planning made the trip successful.

    Next time I travel with a senior, I'll know better. I hope there will be a next time.

    As Simon Kindleysides, 34, took his first step in the London Marathon in April, he felt as if magic was in the air.

    "As we were walking toward the first mile, we actually started joining all the runners," he said. "Everyone was on the streets, cheering, and that was a magical moment." As time went on, the crowds and other racers spread around. Kindleysides and his team of eight supporters continued walking.

    Kindleysides, who is paralyzed(瘫痪的)from the waist down and typically uses a wheelchair, was equipped with an exoskeleton(体外骨骼)to help him walk. His supporters walked with him to change the batteries in his exoskeleton so he could keep moving.

    In 2013, Kindleysides was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤) that was growing in a way that pressed on certain nerves, leading to him losing feeling in his legs. He was told he would never walk again. Before his paralysis, the London­based singer and dancer had "always wanted to run a marathon," he said, but he never made the plan to do so­­until this year.

    During the London Marathon, the last two miles were the hardest. "At that point, I was exhausted. It was freezing cold, and I was hurting emotionally," Kindleysides said. But he kept going. "I didn't want to let people down. I had a team of eight, and I was raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity," he said. "I didn't want to let them down, myself down, and I thought if I would get this far, I would have to continue."So he continued and made history as the first paralyzed man to complete the London Marathon on foot.

    Then, recovering at home, he shared his accomplishment with his three children. "They used to say I'm the only dad in their whole school who's in a wheelchair, and now they say I'm their dad, the only one who has walked a marathon," he said.

    Kindleysides is training to complete three more marathons next year, including the London Marathon again.

Volunteer Chances for Teens

    About Learning Buddies

    Learning Buddies is an education program for K-5 students at the Beacon Hill, Columbia, Douglass-Truth, New Holly and West Seattle Library branches (分馆). Teen volunteers and kids read together, learn math and play educational games with support from librarians.

    If you are a high school student who enjoys math, reading and helping kids succeed in school, please consider volunteering as a Learning Buddy. You will get service learning experience and earn(获得) community service hours for school.

Learning Buddies teaches kids once a week. Volunteer chances are offered at the following Library branches, October through December and March through May.

    Beacon Hill Branch: Tuesday, 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

    Columbia Branch: Thursday, 4:15p.m. to 5:45 p.m

    Douglass-Truth Branch: Tuesday, 4:15 p.m.to 5:45 p.m.

    New-Holly Branch: Tuesday, 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

    West Seattle Branch: Tuesday, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    Become a Learning Buddy

    High school students must be at least 14 years old and live close to a Library branch that offers the Learning Buddies program.

    You can ask for a volunteer application (申请书) and attend an interview at one of the following Library branches at least one month before the fall or spring Learning Buddies series.

    Beacon Hill Branch: call the Teen Services Librarian at 206-684-4711.

    Columbia Branch: call the Teen Services Librarian at 206-386- 1908.

    Douglass-Truth Branch: call Services Librarian at 206-684-4704.

    New-Holly Branch: call the Supervising Librarian at 206-386- 1905.

    West Seattle Branch: call the Teen Services Librarian at 206-684-7444.