PHILADELPHIA -- Matt Katz wanted to know where his Jewish ancestors once lived in Eastern Europe, so in 2016 he spit into a plastic vial and mailed in his DNA test. He expected to be 100% Ashkenazi Jewish.

Instead, he learned that half his DNA came from Ireland. He was shocked, but perhaps more jarring, so was his mother. She confirmed through ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A lawsuit accusing North Carolina officials of unnecessarily warehousing foster children in locked psychiatric facilities has survived the Department of Health and Human Services’ effort to dismiss the case.

The federal complaint contends that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services discriminates against...Read more

'CIVIL WAR'

Rated R for strong violent content, bloody/disturbing images, and language throughout.

What it’s about: A team of photojournalists capture the front lines of a war raging in the United States while traveling from New York to Washington, D.C.

The kid attractor factor: This is a serious, violent, adult drama. Not much appeal for ...Read more

Potty training isn't easy and it can vary a lot from child to child. The L.A. Times spoke with experts about how parents can best navigate this chapter, how they can prepare their child for a new level of independence and how they can tell that it's actually time to start.

Here are five takeaways from a discussion among Jenny Gold, L.A. Times ...Read more

'MONKEY MAN'

Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, rape, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug use.

What it’s about: A poor fighter works his way toward the top of a powerful leadership organization in order to enact his childhood revenge.

The kid attractor factor: Not much, this is a very bloody action/revenge film. ...Read more

Children today are growing up immersed in a digital world that is taking a toll on their mental health. Many parents know it’s a problem but don’t know how to fix it. The problem is too big.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt offers a prescription in his new book, "The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an ...Read more

'GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE'

Rated PG-13 for creature violence and action.

What it’s about: Double the creatures, double the fun. Godzilla and Kong team up to fight even more monsters.

The kid attractor factor: Kids who love monsters will love this one.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Sometimes rivalries need to be set aside for the greater...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When Kate Middleton announced her recent cancer diagnosis, she emphasized the time she and her husband, William, Prince of Wales, took to share the news with their three children.

Talking to pre-adolescent children about serious illnesses is the right course of action for any family because children can sense change, said ...Read more

Zoomers fear them. Boomers want more of them. Millennials will keep making them for the rest of the year.

Born between roughly 2010 and the end of 2024, "Generation Alpha" is the demographic successor to Gen Z. Its oldest members are not quite ready for a quinceañera, while its youngest will be conceived in the coming weeks.

When the last of ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Legoland Florida Resort is entering spring with a kids ticket offer for $29.

The deal can include the Winter Haven theme park along with its attached water park plus the adjacent Peppa Pig Theme Park, an attraction geared to preschoolers.

The offer requires that when one adult ticket is purchased for regular price, up to four...Read more

'GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE'

Rated PG-13 for supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references.

What it’s about: The sequel to the lega-sequel to the 1980s action comedy finds the new and old generation of Ghostbusters back in New York City battling the evil Elsa of ghosts.

The kid attractor factor: Older kids will be drawn...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Singer Nathan Willett says he rarely ever paused to think about the history of Cold War Kids, the indie rock band he and three friends started in an apartment over an Italian restaurant in Fullerton in 2004.

There were albums to make, concerts to play, and publicity to do – like this phone interview before a recent Cold ...Read more

'ARTHUR THE KING'

Rated PG-13 for some strong language.

What it’s about: The inspirational true story of a street dog who connects with a group of adventure racers, following them hundreds of miles on a harrowing trek.

The kid attractor factor: This is aimed more at adults but could be a fun watch for older kids who love dogs.

Good ...Read more

This column is the latest in a series on parenting children in the final years of high school, "Emptying the Nest."

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Over Presidents' Day weekend, my eldest daughter took her 17-year-old sister to tour a few colleges in Northern and Central California. A part of me desperately wanted to go with them — my youngest's first real college ...Read more

KUNG FU PANDA 4

Rated PG for martial arts action/mild violence, scary images and some mild rude humor.

What it’s about: Dragon Warrior Po leaves the Valley of Peace and embarks on a journey to Juniper City in order to vanquish The Chameleon.

The kid attractor factor: It's animated and features a beloved character.

Good lessons/bad lessons:...Read more

When Olivia Rodrigo sings, “seeing you tonight, it’s a bad idea, right?” she’s referring to an ex-boyfriend. But parents taking their 9-year-old to her concerts might want to ask themselves the same question.

For months, elementary school-aged children have been begging their moms and dads for a chance to see Rodrigo perform at her Guts...Read more

'DUNE: PART TWO'

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material and brief strong language.

What it’s about: The sequel to the epic "Dune" follows Paul Atreides on Arrakis as he becomes one with the Fremen and accepts his destiny.

The kid attractor factor: Older kids and teens will be drawn to the big sci-fi spectacle...Read more

For too many American children, the future is already written. Their parents’ income broadly predicts what their earnings will be in adulthood. For those in poverty, the chances of breaking out are dwindling — resulting in a less prosperous, increasingly ossified society.

If today’s presidential candidates wanted to rewrite that future, ...Read more

'ORDINARY ANGELS'

Rated PG for thematic content, brief bloody images and smoking.

What it’s about: The true story of a community rallying around a young girl in need of a liver transplant, and how helping others is the best way to help ourselves.

The kid attractor factor: Not much, this is more of an adult family drama.

Good lessons/bad ...Read more

'MADAME WEB'

Rated PG-13 for violence/action and language.

What it’s about: This comic book movie follows a New York paramedic as she discovers her psychic powers, derived from a powerful spider bite.

The kid attractor factor: It's a superhero movie! Kids will be drawn to the action and adventure.

Good lessons/bad lessons: You are so much ...Read more