Growing up, I loved Christmas – everything about it. The excitement of waking up early, rushing downstairs to see if Santa had arrived, running back upstairs to wake my parents and older sister and on and on. Opening gifts was fun but for some reason, the piece-de-resistance was the stockings. They were jam packed with candy and lipsticks and any and every other impulse buy that caught Santa’s eye . . . and I loved it all.

As a parent, I still cherish those stockings. They seem like a bag of love that is wonderful to fill. But because we love our kids – no matter how old or young – let’s add a little “public safety” with these safety-minded stocking stuffers:

She should be making headlines for her incredible beauty but instead, Brandy Vela is gaining notoriety for being one of the thousands of teens driven to suicide due to cyberbullying.

All we do is read about criminal activity in Houston and the surrounding areas and study how to stop it. Case after case pours in . . . each is tragic but some hit you harder than others. That was the case this past week when we learned about the horrifying home invasion in the Del Monte area.

I love this time of year. But consider. You are busier than normal. You will spend more than normal, which means you have credit cards and probably more cash in your wallet.

According to the collaborative study published by OC&C Strategy Consultants, online retail markets like Paypal and Google will double by 2018. Where millions flock to spend, and spend in excess and quickly, criminals will gather. These criminals will look to steal identity and take credit card information. Here are some tips on staying safe while shopping online:

Thousands of young people are targets of bullying and cyberbullying every day, putting many at risk for outcomes such as depression or school absenteeism. Working with kids to create ways to address these issues is an important responsibility for adults. For example, adults can help those who are targets of bullying explore ways to respond assertively, and they can help those who carry out hurtful behaviors get support for addressing what’s underneath their actions. Adults can also assist young people in identifying strategies to use as bystanders who witness these behaviors.

Everyone seems to be running this week. Running to tie up loose ends at work. Running to kids’ performances. Running to order a turkey or decorations. Running to get ready to head out of town. Either way, we are running. And while it can be exhausting and stressful, it’s all of our blessings in life that cause all of that running around, and I’m thankful for all of it.

I was in the middle on putting on makeup and focused on the day ahead. But before I knew it, the muffled words playing from The Today Show were starting to stand out…

Despite the known risks of these behaviors, studies have shown that 30 percent of women between 18 and 23 suffer from drunkorexia.

Over the course of just one week, three Houston teens either ran away or went missing. Three. Is it a huge number? No. It is an incredibly alarming number? Yes.

Domestic violence affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men within their lifetime. Understanding this strain to our communities, Verizon has been dedicated to ending the cycle of domestic abuse through the HopeLine from Verizon program since 2001.