Fine motor skills refers to the coordination of the small muscles of the body. These include the hands, wrists, fingers, feet, toes, lips and tongue. There are two types of motor skills: fine motor and gross motor skills, which are the movements of the larger muscles, whcih include those of the arms, legs and feet. Both fine motor skills and gross motor skills develop over time and build upon one another. Below is a general timeline for fine motor skills development during the first two years of life.

Birth-2 months
Babies will extend their arms towards objects but are unable to grasp them. As vision develops, their accuracy improves. When their vision and grasping work together, they can make contact with the desired object.

3-4 Months
At this stage, hand-eye coordination begins to develop and babies can sometimes grasp and hold larger objects. Babies may hold and shake a rattle and bring hands together.

4-5 Months
Children should be able to sit up now. Babies can begin to transfer larger objects from one hand to the other. They can crumple paper and splash water in the bath.

6 Months
Babies can now hold objects with a palmar grasp and are refining their ability to manipulate objects with their hands and mouths. They may grasp at their feet and bring their toes to their mouths.

7-9 Months
Children can now successfully grab smaller objects between their thumb and the sides of their forefingers. They should be able to transfer toys from one hand to the other and bang objects on a table. Will often put objects in their mouths.

9-10 Months
At this stage, babies begin to develop a pincer grip. This allows them to grip larger objects with all four fingers against the thumb. This is the grasp that the child will use to pick up and drink from a cup. The pincer grasp also allows children to stack and nest objects.

10-12 Months
Toward the end of their first year of life, babies can pick up very small objects and begin to use their hands independently of one another. They will also be able to point at objects using their index finger.

12-15 Months
Most children will be better able to explore the world around them at this stage. They can roll a ball on the floor and begin using their hands for more than just playing and eating. Toward the end of this period, children will begin to use tools such as cups, spoons and crayons like adults would. This allows them to begin feeding themselves.

15-18 Months
At this stage, children can use a crayon to scribble on paper in a more controlled manner. They should also be able to build towers from a few large blocks.

18-21 Months
By the end of this period, babies may be able to help dress themselves by manipulating large zippers and buttons.

21-24 Months
By the end of their second year, most toddlers can use their hands to unwrap presents and do simple puzzles. They can fold sheets of paper and string large beads. They can build a tower of six to seven blocks and turn doorknobs and unscrew lids. They can wash and dry their hands and have mastered the use of a fork and spoon.

Children continue to develop fine motor skills throughout their childhoods. There are many toys and activities designed to help develop a child's fine motor skills. Parents who are concerned that their child may have a fine motor skills weakness should contact a doctor for an evaluation.

Read more about development at ParentDish.

A middle-school math teacher is in the hot seat for including an image of a toothless black man on a homework sheet, and at least one parent is calling the illustration racist.

The Courier Times in Bucks County, Pa., reports that the African-American parent of an eighth-grader at Lenape Middle School was so distressed over the image of a black, toothless man on her son's math homework that she kept the boy home from school the following day.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTO>>>>>>>>

"I couldn't understand what I was looking at," says the woman, whose identity was not revealed by the newspaper. The work sheet, titled "Solving Equations using Multiplication and Division!," featured a photo of a black man in a straw hat and a shirt and suspenders, his mostly toothless mouth agape. Underneath the picture is the grammatically incorrect phrase, "NO WAI!!!"

Tough love is an expression used to describe a parenting technique that combines toughness and warmth to raise children. The principles of tough love hold that children, especially teenagers, should take responsibility for their actions.

Tough love is often considered a last resort for parents dealing with troubled children. The parenting style forces parents to resist manipulation by their children by stepping back and allowing their kids to suffer the natural consequences of their behavior. This doesn't mean that parents should humiliate or harshly discipline a child. Instead, parents who practice tough love are compassionate but firm. Most importantly, they are consistent in allowing their children to experience the results of their actions.

There are many examples of tough love. For example, parents who refuses to intervene when a child is suspended from school for drug possession would be acting from a "tough love" perspective. Permissive parents, who are the exact opposite of "tough love" parents, might attempt to help the child resolve the situation.

There are therapists who specialize in helping families learn to apply tough love principles. Additionally, there are wilderness therapy camps, boarding schools and many other resources to aid parents of troubled teens.

According to a study by the think tank Demos, children who are raised with tough love are more likely to mature into adults with more well-developed characters and personalities than children raised by authoritarian or permissive parents. The same study found that children raised with tough love were also more likely to be empathetic, have the ability to control their emotions and deal with disappointment. In addition, tough love children were found to be more capable of concentrating and completing tasks.

Once you've perfected your parenting style, make sure that your child is surrounded by caregivers who follow your lead. ParentDish's childcare advice can help.

Parents wait with bated breath to learn the gender of their unborn baby -- and sometimes, the answer isn't what they wanted to hear. Gender disappointment is a real and often heartbreaking matter for mothers and fathers who had their hearts set on a boy or a girl.

We chatted about this in the office when our colleague, an AOL editor who's expecting his first child, admitted that had his heart set on a girl.

"Everybody in my family has girls," he tells us, preferring to remain anonymous. "I guess we need a boy in the family, but when the doctor told us we were having a boy, I was so disappointed."

Dear AdviceMama:

My five-year-old son seems to be obsessed with talking about poop and his penis. Is that normal? He tells me that a group of kids in school always joke about these things at recess. I'm a little worried.

Signed, It's soooo not funny!

Christmas is a great time for families to have fun together by playing holiday-themed games. Though there are many games that can be be fun for your family, some stand out.

Give scavenger hunts a holiday twist by having kids find Santa's reindeer. Hide at least eight reindeer toy reindeer, or nine reindeer, which would include Rudolph. The person to find the most reindeer wins, and whoever finds Rudolph can win a special prize.

Santa's Christmas Puzzle Mystery, another treasure hunt, is based on the idea that Santa misplaced the presents he's supposed to give on Christmas morning. Children get clues that lead to their presents. Once they find their presents they can open them. Or, if you're playing on or they may place them under the tree to be opened in the morning.

Families that enjoy singing Christmas carols might enjoy Christmas Carol Pictionary Relay. In this game, children and adults get a Christmas carol clue and are asked to draw that carol. Their teammates try to guess which carol is being drawn. Once the carol has been correctly identified the person who is drawing the carol must sing the tune.

Young children can be kept entertained the Christmas Stocking Guessing Game. In this imagination-inspiring activity, parents put different holiday items -- like scotch tape, pine cones, holly or misletoe -- in a stocking. Children are then asked to feel the outside of the stocking to see if they can determine what is inside.

Find more Toys and Games for any occasion on ParentDish.

This is an excerpt from Susan Stiffelman's new book, Parenting Without Power Struggles.

Newsflash: Kids don't like to be bossed around!

In her infinite wisdom, Mother Nature has designed children to resist being told what to do outside of the context of connection. Kids are wired to Just say no! when an outsider attempts to get them to do something and to only do the bidding of those to whom they are appropriately attached. This makes a lot of sense. Consider what would happen if a child's instincts told her to follow and obey people who weren't part of her village? Imagine the worries you would be saddled with if your little ones didn't instinctively refuse the demands of strangers?

No, Mother Nature knew what she was doing when she wired our children's brains to resist being pushed and pulled outside of the context of attachment.

So, let's start off with the understanding that, as frustrating as it is when your kids refuse to come to the dinner table or clean up their toys after being asked five times, there are powerful-and invaluable-instincts at work that bias our children towards resistance.

Toy robots have come a long way since Japanese creators built Robot Lilliput, the first robot. Robert the Robot, the first American robot, debuted in the Sears Christmas book of 1954, and toy robots continue to be a popular holiday gift. So, what are the hot toy robots this holiday season?

Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters have been flying off the shelves at retailers. The hamsters, which are recommended for kids ages 4 and up, crawl through mazes in their own playsets like real pets, but they can also drive toy cars that they park in their own garages.

Another popular toy is the D-REX Interactive Dinosaur. This dinosaur toy, recommended for ages 6 and up, comes with his own personality. Using robotics and proprietary software, the dinosaur is covered in leathery skin to look and act just like a real prehistoric reptile. The toy, which requires batteries, stands just more than 13-inches tall.

Another popular robotic pet is the FurReal Friends Lulu My Cuddlin' Kitty Cat. This robot, recommended for ages 4 and up, is the same size as a real cat and it can roll over, lick itself and even purr.

For kids craving a more typical robot, parents can check out the Transformers Robot Fighters Game. Thanks to the popular Transformers movie franchise, these toys are hotter than ever. The game comes with two robot Transformer action figures that are easy for little hands to hold and control. It's recommended for ages six and up.

When buying toys for small children, parents should remember that small parts can become choking hazards for children under age 3.

Check out more of ParentDish's favorite Toys & Games.

Hanukkah, from the Hebrew word for "dedication," marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. However, the oil burned for eight days -- just enough time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil.

Today, families celebrate the holiday through ceremonies, songs and games. One of the most popular Hanukkah games is the Dreidel Game. To play this game, each player gets 20 pennies at the beginning of the game. Before each turn, players put two pennies in a pot, and one player spins the dreidel, which is much like a die, except instead of numbers each side has a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Whatever letter is facing up when the dreidel stops determines what action will be taken.

If the dreidel lands on "nun," you do nothing. If it lands on "gimmel," that player takes all of the pennies in the pot. If it lands on "hey," that player receives half of what's in the pot. If it lands on "shin," that player must put one penny in the pot. Whoever has the most pennies at the end of the game is the winner. Instead of pennies, you can also play using chocolate gelt coins, which are a traditional Hanukkah food.

Pin the Candle on the Menorah is a variation of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. In this game, blindfolded children attempt to pin nine paper candles to a paper menorah (a nine-branched candle holder). Children who get the closest to each correct place for the candle win.

The game Hide the Chocolate Gelt is a twist on a scavenger hunt. Parents hide chocolate gelt coins around the house and kids then look for them. Try customizing the game by giving kids clues as to where to find the coins.

Find more activities for the holidays and more games for any occasion on ParentDish.

Thanksgiving is a time for families to express gratitude for the good things in their lives, so why not use arts and crafts to help communicate that message?

Move beyond the trace-your-hand turkeys with ideas like the Thanksgiving Tree from Preschool Education. To create the tree's base, you insert a tree branch into plaster of paris. Next, using construction paper, make red, yellow, and orange autumn leaves. Throughout the month, ask your child to write things he or she is thankful to have onto the leaves. Hang them on the tree. Once Thanksgiving arrives, you will have a beautiful symbol of gratitude for your family. The tree doesn't have to be a holiday-only craft. -- you and your family can use the tree to give thanks at any time of the year.

Preschool Education also has Stained Glass Turkeys that kids can create. Kids attach red, brown and orange tissue paper to the birds' paper-plate bodies to create beaks, feet and feathers.

Another fun craft is Fingerprint Turkeys from DLTK. Place brown, red and orange paint in separate containers and give your child a piece of paper. Have your child place her thumb in the brown paint to make the turkey's body. If her thumb isn't big enough, use a paintbrush to draw a large, oval body for your turkey. Once the body has been created, have your child dip her index finger in orange paint. Place a finger print around the turkey body to create feathers. Repeat with the red paint. Once the paint dries, use a black marker to add in details like a beak, eyes and feet.

Your child might be too young to cook, but get her involved in Thanksgiving preparations by making tabletop decorations. Make a Mayflower centerpiece from Disney Family Fun for the dinner table with a milk carton, a paper bag, skewers and white paper. Tape the empty, clean milk carton shut. Then parents should cut a hole in the side of the carton. Next, kids can glue strips of paper, cut from the paper bag, to the carton to create the ship. Place skewers with flags cut from white paper in the boat. Gluing items to the bottom of the carton that you can stab the skewers into should help your flags stick. Once the boat has been created, your family can write the things they are thankful for on slips of paper and place them in the milk carton.

Corn Candles from Moms Today are another great addition to your Thanksgiving table. To make these candles purchase several 4- to 5-inch candles in various colors. Help your child find ornamental corn cob kernels or other small items to decorate the candles. Glue the ornamental corn cob kernels to the candles.

Read more ParentDish coverage of Holidays and Fun & Activities to get you through the holidays.

Do you think babies' photos should be airbrushed in magazines? Credit: Getty Images

Critics are outraged that some parenting magazines admit to airbrushing images of babies that run on their covers, but industry insiders say that almost every photograph in a magazine is retouched.

The hubbub started when a BBC documentary, My Supermodel Baby, revealed that the publication Practical Parenting and Pregnancy retouched a photograph of 5-month-old baby model Hadley Corbett. According to The Daily Telegraph, the magazine's casting director, who was not named, told filmmakers that the child's image was airbrushed: "We lightened his eyes and his general skin tone, smoothed out any blotches and the creases on his arms. But we want it to look natural."

Hadley's mom, Esther Corbett, tells the Telegraph that she was neither surprised nor offended that her child's image was altered. "You kind of know that they do it because if you look at the front cover of magazines, most of the images don't look really real," she says. "But it didn't put me off."

Plenty of other people are put off, however, and some say that the practice is "shocking." Jo Swinson, a U.K. political leader, campaigns against airbrushing in magazines. "People will be appalled that a magazine would not think images of beautiful healthy babies are alright as they are and instead have to conform to some standard," she tells the Telegraph. "The idea that babies must look more perfect – that they can't have creases in their skin – shows the obsession with a particular ideal. Where does this end?"

"You will have parents thinking, my baby isn't attractive enough, how do I make my baby more attractive?" she says.

Industry insiders who have worked with children in media say that retouching photographs -- of everything and everyone -- is standard operating procedure at most publications and is in no way sinister. A friend who has a long resume working with children's publications tells me that the goal is to improve the likeness by adjusting the color, lighting and yes, getting rid of drool or flyaway hairs.

With photo-editing software and services readily available today, plenty of parents are doing the same thing with their private snapshots. I'm not above editing out the chocolate smears on my kids' faces to get the perfect holiday card, and I don't think I'm alone.

November is National Adoption Month and ParentDish is giving a shout-out to all parents who've opened their hearts and homes to adopted children. Check out the famous folks who share the love as well.

Shannon Lea Dedrick was a seven-month-old Florida baby who went missing for five days in the fall of 2009 before she was discovered under her babysitter's bed.

Though Shannon was returned unharmed, the statistics surrounding the discovery of missing children are grim.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported that 2,185 children were reported missing each day in 2002, or 797,500 children in a year. The majority of those children were victims of family abduction, but 115 children were victims of a "stereotypical," which means the it involved "someone the child does not know or a slight acquaintance who holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom, or intends to keep the child permanently," according to the Department of Justice.

How do you help prevent your child from becoming a kidnapping victim? The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers parents these safety tips:

1. Encourage children to check with a parent, guardian or other adult before going anywhere with a stranger.

2. Remind kids to take friends with them when playing outside, walking to school or going to the library.

3. Tell children to speak up if someone treats them in a way that makes them scared or uncomfortable. Kids should also be reminded to get out of the situation quickly. They don't need to worry about upsetting others.

4. Communicate with your children regularly to build an open and caring relationship. Children must understand that there is always someone available to help them.

5. Address these issues with teens and preteens as well as with younger children, as all kids are potential victims.

ParentDish has additional resources to keep your kids safe.

"Liberty and justice for all?"

Will Phillips doesn't believe that describes America for its gay and lesbian citizens. He's a 10-year-old at West Fork Elementary School in Arkansas, about three hours east of Oklahoma City. Given his beliefs, he refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, specifically because that one phrase, "liberty and justice for all," he says, does not truly apply to all.

That did not go over well with the substitute teacher in his fifth-grade classroom.

The Arkansas Times reports that he started refusing to say the pledge Mon., Oct. 5. By Thursday, the substitute was steamed. She told Will she knew his mother and grandmother and they would want him to recite the pledge.

Will told the Times the substitute got more and more upset. She raised her voice. By this point, Will told the newspaper, he started losing his cool too, adding: "After a few minutes, I said, 'With all due respect ma'am, go jump off a bridge.'"

You know the saying, "Pick on someone your own size?" Tell that to this reporter from Chicago's WGN-TV, who played a little b-ball with a child and proceeded to dunk on him, yell in his face and make him cry.

He almost redeemed himself. After the boy started crying, Pat Tomasulo said, "I feel like the lowest person on the planet right now." But then, the reporter took it back.

Hey, Tomasulo, we're curious...were you bullied as a kid?