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Fighting sex trafficking in hotels, one room at a time

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
Updated 1:38 PM EST, Wed February 29, 2012

Editor’s note: CNN’s Freedom Project highlights the horrors of modern-day slavery, amplifying the voices of the victims, highlighting success stories and helping expose the web of criminal enterprises trading in human life.

(CNN) — Kimberly Ritter could not believe what she was seeing.

Girls wearing [...]

Girl Scouts accepts transgender kid, provokes cookie boycott

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
Updated 7:23 PM EST, Fri January 13, 2012

(CNN) — The Girl Scout cookie can’t seem to catch a break.

Under fire in years past for including trans fats, high fructose corn syrup and palm oil in its cookies, the Girl Scouts’ current cookie selling season is under fire because of policies [...]

Making realistic New Year's resolutions

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
Updated 7:41 AM EST, Fri December 30, 2011

(CNN) — Many New Year’s resolutions are flawed from the start, destined to fail.

People resolve to lose 20 pounds or stop eating junk food or stop smoking or keep a spotless house. The resolutions are too enormous, the behaviors too ingrained, the [...]

Holiday survival guide for divorced parents

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
Updated 7:42 AM EST, Wed December 21, 2011

(CNN) — David Murphy hasn’t started shopping for his two boys yet, and he knows he had better get started. The divorced father of two boys, ages 11 and 14, has custody for a full week around Christmas Day this year and needs [...]

Punishment without spanking

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
Updated 2:12 PM EST, Tue November 8, 2011

(CNN) — Noël Plummer can’t imagine making a conscious decision to inflict physical pain on her 8-year-old daughter as a punishment. She’s only slapped her daughter once, without thinking, when her then-5-year-old was having an enormous tantrum.

She’s never hit her again.

While she recognizes [...]

Avoiding sexy costumes for kids

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
Updated 9:47 AM EST, Fri October 28, 2011

(CNN) — I have no idea why my 3-year-old wants to be a cowboy for Halloween this year, because she won’t tell me. That’s OK. I don’t need to know her reasoning to make it happen.

Thanks to her outdoorsy grandparents who live in [...]

When your kid isn't invited

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
Updated 8:52 AM EST, Tue October 4, 2011

(CNN) — Olivia Nakamura can still remember the neighbor who always hosted a barbecue in his front yard for his son’s birthday party. He’d invite all the kids on their suburban Seattle block, except her son and the Asian-American children who lived there.

“I [...]

9/11 ten years later: parenting while grieving

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
Updated 2:57 PM EST, Fri September 9, 2011

(CNN) — Colin Ryan was attending his second day of high school on September 11, 2001, when an airplane crashed into the World Trade Center’s north tower.

Ryan, then 14, received a note in school saying his father, John, who worked on the 89th [...]

What's fueling Bible Belt divorces

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
August 25, 2011 9:34 a.m. EDT

CNN) — While the Bible Belt is known for its devotion to traditional values, Southerners don’t do so well on one key family value: They are more likely to get divorced than people living in the Northeast.

Southern men and women had higher rates of divorce [...]

I'm the good driver, you're the bad driver

By Katia Hetter, Special to CNN
August 22, 2011 9:32 AM EST

(CNN) — Katy Chamberlin says she’s a better driver than most people she sees on the road. The San Francisco human resources specialist believes she’s more observant than the average driver, noting that she’s never caused a traffic accident, but has been rear-ended twice by [...]