Traditionally, mothers-to-be were showered with gifts before the arrival of their first baby, receiving everything from car seats to cribs.

It was silently expected that those big-ticket items would be passed on to younger siblings, who typically didn’t receive the same barrage of presents.

But modern moms aren’t just getting showered; they’re also getting sprinkled.

Sprinkle showers are all the rave for second-time mamas (and those ladies having a third, fourth or fifth baby). These baby-shower-lite events are designed to help parents with the little necessities of having a little one, such as diapers, wipes, bottles, bibs, baby wash and more.

Though I have three children, I never had a sprinkle. My oldest children are a girl and a boy, so I was blessed with two showers that gave me all the pink and blue a parent would ever need.

Our youngest son, Dimitri, inherited many things from his brother, who is just two years older than him. With several doting grandparents eager to spoil him, he never missed out by not having his own shower.

However, had I known about sprinkles four years ago, I would’ve hoped for one.

I won’t lie: it’s fun to receive gifts. It’s even more fun to build a registry. But it’s even more important to celebrate every child.

Babies are a blessing, and they each deserve their own special welcome.

It’s time to stop worrying about outdated etiquette. With second and third marriages increasing in popularity, and families continuing to grow during a slow economy, one-time showers are a thing of the past.

Modern social graces allow for both sprinkles and showers. It’s all about what your needs are, according to a post about baby shower etiquette on Martha Stewart’s website.

Even if you’re having a second, third or fourth child, you don’t have to have a sprinkle. It can be a shower if you’ve had a lot of space between children, are pregnant with a different sex than your other children or are expecting multiples.

Party themes vary, as some events focus on different items.  For example, if diapers are your greatest need, create an incentive for guests to bring them. Include in an invite, “Bring a pack of diapers, and your name will be entered into a drawing for a great door prize.” Just make sure the door prize is, indeed, great.

It’s silly to worry people will assume you’re soliciting gifts by having yet another shower or sprinkle. If you have to worry about someone thinking differently of you because you’re welcoming a child into the world, then that’s the someone who doesn’t belong at your party.

As Dr. Seuss said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter, don’t mind.”

You are soliciting gifts, but that’s OK.

You’re having a baby. You’re bringing a new life, a person, into the world. That is always worth celebrating–no matter how many times you do it.

And if you can’t solicit gifts from your closest family and friends, who can you solicit gifts from?

Headlines everywhere have rewritten the legacy of Joe Paterno and Penn State.

The late icon is no longer college football’s winningest coach, following NCAA sanctions imposed Monday. And Penn State may be forever branded as a university that protected sports instead of children.

Crimes committed by Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator who was found guilty of sexually abusing young boys, led to an investigation by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who determined university officials covered up the wrongdoing and enabled the abuse for more than a decade.

Nittany Lion victories during that period have now been vacated, Penn State has earned a $60 million fine, the football program is ineligible from playing in bowl games for four years and will lose 20 scholarships in each of those years as it also faces a five-year probation.

Additionally, the NCAA is allowing any current or incoming football players to transfer and immediately compete at another school.

People of varying ages have reacted to the news differently. JoePa devotees have cried at both his seven-foot-tall statue and the vacancy left behind after construction vehicles removed it Sunday, claiming the wrong people are being punished for Sandusky’s heinous acts. Others have said Monday’s punishment isn’t enough.

And yet some are purely idiotic. During the postmortem of yesterday’s news, sources on broadcast programs questioned how the sanctions would affect the psyche of the football fans.

I immediately turned to a coworker and shared a longer, explicative-ridden version of “Who cares?”

That anyone would ask that question is exactly how sex crimes against children were allowed to continue on Penn State property for so long.  Nobody should have ever worried about the psyche of football fans. They should’ve worried about the psyche of the victims.

Football fans will find a way to live without watching their team compete in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s bowl.

Children of abuse, however, are prone to suicide.

And this scandal hasn’t just affected the children who were abused in State College. The constant news has likely brought to the forefront painful memories for anyone who has suffered at an unwanted hand.

It has also affected parents, causing them to take pause and reevaluate all the choices they previously made with confidence, doubting community leaders they’ve called friends.

During a recent book signing for “Game Over: Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, and the Culture of Silence” by Bill Moushey and Bob Dvorchak, a parent discussed how she had sent her son to many athletic camps while he was in grade school. It never occurred to her that he would be in danger.

Sure, she knew the world was an unpredictable place, but she trusted the coaches. She trusted her son would be safe.

When she thinks of other parents and guardians who entrusted their child’s care to Sandusky, she feels sadness. And when she thinks of the Penn State leadership that essentially looked the other way, she feels anger.

If her child had been the victim, she would want every person who enabled the crimes to face justice.

Eliminating the football victories gained while victims suffered in silence won’t undo the abuse of innocent children.

But by taking away its wins, maybe Penn State will learn from its losses.

I know five couples going through divorce right now. And, in each of those life-changing situations, parents are grappling with both the end of their marriages and how to transition their children to what will surely be a new world.

I’ve been the ear or shoulder during many conversations–and, in some cases, I’ve cried along with my friends.

What I’m certain of is divorce isn’t easy for anyone. Even when it’s the right choice, it’s still hard to break up a family.

Regardless, if you asked to leave, or someone is leaving you, it hurts just the same. A loss is a loss.

However, it’s hard for a lot of parents to truly process their feeling because they’re so concerned about the feelings of their children. The best intentions place the children first, but those plans so often go awry as the divorce unfolds and lives are divvied up.

“For too long our nation has been negligent in recognizing the respect we owe to our children. This is especially true for parents experiencing the challenges of divorce or separation. We’ve all read the headlines and seen the damage inflicted onto children through divorce gone wrong. In July we need to discuss and demonstrate how parents can do it right,” said Rosalind Sedacca, author of “How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children with Love!” and founder of the Child-Centered Divorce Network.

She initiated National Child-Centered Divorce Month five years ago to bring attention to children’s emotional needs when parents divorce or separate, according to a statement.

And a child-centered divorce network, she said, includes therapists, attorneys, mediators, coaches, educators, clergy, family, friends and more. It may seem like a large network, but that’s what it often takes to shield children from what can be the negative impacts of divorce, she said.

“We can never overemphasize how dramatically parental decisions about divorce can affect their children – for years – and often for a lifetime,” she said. “Frequently, parents are so caught up in their own drama — in anger, resentment, frustration, grief and other emotions — that they forget their children love both (parents) and in most cases do not want to lose the connection with (either) parent.”

Part of that quote really resonated with me. As I have bluntly told some of my friends: Don’t let it turn into a middle school breakup.

If you find yourself doing things to purposefully be difficult or deliberately make your ex jealous,  or begin using your children as pawns, then you need to seek counseling. Those are all signs of either emotional immaturity or struggling through a difficult time.

And those who lose most in such scenarios are the children.

“Your children are innocent victims of your choices. They are also relatively powerless and emotionally fragile. If you love them, think before you act and remember to put their needs first,” Sedacca said.

I get it. Divorces are often messy and painful. Human beings are flawed, and we make poor choices that sometimes hurt those we claim to love most.

And it can be really hard not to react to that pain in negative ways–ways that ultimately rob us of dignity, maturity and grace.

If I’m with a friend spewing venom about an ex, I point out: “You’re not over (him/her) yet. Give yourself time to heal before making choices that will affect your children.”

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received was from a college mentor during a painful breakup. I was pretending like I didn’t care and listed all the reasons I–and everyone else–should never share love with that person.

My mentor told me, “You’re not over it when you’re still angry. You’re over it when you just don’t care.”

And that is truth.

Or, as Elie Wiesel said, “The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference.”

So when we act like petulant children, or emotionally-immature teenagers, it becomes very obvious that we still care. We’re not showing the other person how much we don’t want them anymore. We’re sending the opposite message, and we’re sending it in the worst way.

When we’ve been wronged, though, it can be hard to do what’s right. And that’s when we need to shift our focus. That’s when we need to see the faces of the children we love and ask ourselves, “Is this what I would want them to see?”

If the answer is no, if the answer does not guarantee we are acting in the best interest of our children, then it’s time to change our actions.

To say he was mesmerized would be an understatement. My 5-year-old son Ty had Christmas morning in his eyes as he held the new iPad 3 in his hands, fingers swiftly jumping from app to app.

And he wasn’t alone.

On a recent Saturday, he was among many children trying out Apple’s latest offerings in Park City Center in Lancaster, and I realized I was staring at the future.

My children’s generation is as comfortable with computers as I was with a pencil, and their playgrounds often are Apple Stores.

It’s the latter that inspires a discussion among parents, pediatricians, toy manufacturers and investors.

That Ty inherently knew how to navigate the latest iPad is no surprise. Some of his first toys involved computer screens, and those offerings are only growing more sophisticated.

Mattel’s Fisher Price line recently launched the Laugh & Learn Apptivity Case, retailing for $35. Essentially, it’s a colorful monkey with a plastic iPhone case attached to its belly. Once an iPhone is placed inside, a child can play with apps by directly utilizing the iPhone or pressing different parts of the monkey’s limbs.

I know it’s no accident the toy is out before fall, just waiting for Apple’s iPhone 5. Those new iPhones likely won’t be given to baby. But when parents buy their new models, their kids will most likely get their older models.

The iGeneration is a savvy one. Market research shows 6 month olds eagerly swat at touch screens, 9 month olds know how to swipe the screens, 12 month olds can properly select desired objects on the screens and 18 month olds can successfully order and start movies on Netflix better than most adults.

Realizing and accommodating this with various toy computers has helped manufacturers like Mattel grow despite an economic downturn. At last look, Mattel’s stock has risen by almost 4 percent.

And Apple may be catering to its youngest users as well. Tech insiders are reporting, among its other offerings to be announced this fall, Apple will reveal an iPad about two inches smaller than its classic versions.

It’s unclear if the mini iPad would be comfortable for smaller hands, but it would clearly compete with Google’s Nexus 7, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet and the fall debut of Microft’s Surface.

There are already naysayers, claiming the mini iPad will be a flop. It’s worth noting that people said the same when the iPod was launched, but I have yet to meet someone who misses their Walkman.

I know better than to doubt Apple. As the market value of all stocks among Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index grew by $282 billion during the last fiscal year, 83 percent of those gains came from shares of Apple.

Apple already knows what so many of us are afraid to admit: TVs aren’t the babysitters. Computers are.

A Kaiser study shows children ages 8 through 18 spend an average 7.5 hours a day using electronic devices. That number climbs on days school isn’t in session.

And if you’ve ever been waiting for a table, walking around a store or sitting a traffic light, you’ll notice the reflection of glowing screens near you. Children watch TV shows and movies while waiting for dinner, shopping or traveling in the car.

Additionally, it’s not uncommon to see a mom pushing a stroller, talking on the phone as a toddler holds a tablet computer.

Technology is a great teaching tool, but let’s not fool ourselves. The majority of kids aren’t using iPads to do math problems and learn how to play the piano. They’re watching cartoons and movies.

And that may be causing problems.

Children 2 years old and younger  should be completely screen-free to ensure proper brain development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. And all other children should spend no more than two hours a day in front of electronic devices, according to the organization.

Research shows the long-term effects of very early exposure to technology are not yet clear, and some studies have revealed a link to mental illnesses.

A University of Bristol study determined children who spend long hours in front of a computer screen are more likely to suffer psychological difficulties. The British researchers said such activities can lead to depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social problems and other issues.

While many things can contribute to those maladies, I agree we need to approach the use of technology with caution and limit our kids’ exposure to it.

I love the way technology has changed my life–and it’s made it infinitely easier to do my job–but there are days I long for handwritten letters as opposed to text messages.

I’ve never wanted to be someone who needed dragged into the future, kicking and screaming, so I’ve embraced many new tech advances and carefully avoid sentences that begin with, “In my day…”

Like most things in life, it’s all about balance.

I’m OK with Ty being mesmerized by the iPad 3 because I know he also gets Christmas morning in his eyes during the first snowfall of the year, each time he sees a roller coaster, whenever he takes a bike ride, while he soars on a swing set and even when he finds a new bug.

And I will make sure his level of human connection and being loved  far outweighs logging on.

Because, regardless of what new models or apps are revealed, touching a screen will never compare to the magic of touching a life.

At just six days old, Cienna was barely more than 6 lbs. and rarely made a peep.

Since then, my talkative 8-year-old girl has more than made up for her quiet infancy, but it hasn’t erased my memory of her sleeping serenely the first time I had to say goodbye.

Various circumstances ensured I had to work, so three days after we returned from the hospital, I was back in a newsroom.

And it was a great newsroom, full of great people. But it was hard to reconcile having a heart caught up in both black and white and a bassinet.

I spent 45-minute car rides to and from work crying and exhausted, still reeling from three hours of sleep the night before (and the night before that).  And once I was home, I held Cienna in a rocking chair, reading to her, singing to her, turning my favorite Beatles’ songs into her favorite lullabies.

But, honestly, the hardest part of being a working mother was having stay-at-home moms judge me for it.

 They said kids were better off having a full-time mother. And I thought they sat around on computers and phones all day, gabbing with their friends.

I eventually learned we were both wrong.

Almost four years after I had Cienna, my oldest son Ty was born by emergency C-section.  I was laid up a little longer than expected, which ended up turning into an unexpected eight-month maternity leave.

I was ready for the pace and camaraderie of a newsroom, the witty exchanges and foul language.

While I loved having time to bond with my kids, I missed the refuge of my desk chair—even if it was simply because it wasn’t near a basket of laundry.

I had also achieved an up-close view of being a stay-at-home mom. With Cienna in preschool, I met many other moms like me. And I was sure of one thing: being a stay-at-home mom is harder.

By the time I had my third child, Dimitri, I took a typical three-month maternity leave. And when I resumed working, I mainly worked from home.  To my surprise, working from home was even harder than being a stay-at-home mom or working mom. It was the worst of both worlds.

When you’re a work-from-home mom, people think you’re not working. They invite you to do things, wonder why your house isn’t clean, and your neighbors will find it odd that you go onto a patio in 20-degree weather to take business calls.

But convincing my three young children the importance of remaining quiet while I interviewed school board members was a fruitless effort. So they got the living room with a kind neighbor, and I got the cold patio.

I remembered those days this week. More importantly, I remembered how I survived them.

Here are some of my tips for braving those busy days:

-Have a plan. Plan out your work day. Make a schedule for both you and the kids. Have set nap times and meal times, and take on your most important tasks while they sleep.

-Pack lunches. Have all of your lunches ready to go the night before. If you were on the clock in the office, chances are you wouldn’t have time to stop and cook meals for all of you. Don’t do it if you’re working from home either. It will take up an hour of your day. So, keep it simple, and brown bag it. If you really want to make it fun, go to the store and let the kids pick their own lunch boxes. With back-to-school sales going on, this is a great time of year to do that.

-Make reading corners. Have your children pick a favorite corner in the room where you often work. Decorate that space with pillow pets, blankets and their artwork. During the moments when everything gets a little too loud, tell them it’s time for their special reading corners. Let each of them pick a few books and guide them to their spaces. My kids often fell asleep in their reading corners. But on the rare days they didn’t , I asked them to draw me pictures that would show what happened in the stories.

-Become friends with their favorite TV shows. I’m not suggesting you use a television as your babysitter. But it’s OK to maximize the time while they watch their favorite shows. In our house, those shows were “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Phineas and Ferb,” “iCarly” and “Spongebob Squarepants.”

-Clock out. When you work from home, it’s easy to forget the day is over because you never leave your workplace. But you have to pick an end time.

Oh, and wine helps, too.