Jackie Burrell covers the Times’ family and parenting beat. A former education reporter, she got her parenting expertise the old-fashioned way, as a mother of four, ages 15-21.

Ann Tatko-Peterson, lifestyle reporter, no longer reports from Olympic tracks and pools — she hangs somewhere much scarier, watching “High School Musical” for the eleventeenth time and hearing about the latest on Webkins thanks to her 11-year-old stepdaughter.

Ari Soglin, Times online editor, can text without looking, has an inordinate fondness for TMNT and is on a rarely successful quest for movies that will appeal to both a teen-age boy and a pre-teen girl.

Kari Hulac, mom of two kids under 6, is the online entertainment editor for the Bay Area Newsgroup-East Bay. She’s still trying to figure out why her kids ask if her head is detachable.