Wat kids really need is time to play on their own

L.A. Mama this week:

ARE WE HAVING FUN YET? Parents are overworked, and kids are overscheduled. Have we forgotten how to have a good time? Greater Good magazine looks at the impact of shorter recess periods on school, too much time spent with TV and video games and too many adult-led activities. http://greatergood.berkeley.edu.

BEYOND JENNIFER & JASON? Every Mother's Day, the Social Security Administration and Parade magazine release their list of the year's most popular baby names. Emily and Jacob took the top honors for 2007, followed by Isabella and Emma, Michael and Ethan. See the complete list at www.socialsecurity.gov.

YOU'VE GOT THE POWER: Remember Morgan Freeman as the character Easy Reader on "The Electric Company" back in the 1970s? Now, the creators of "Sesame Street" are reviving that show, which targets kids ages 6 to 9, with new episodes set to air early next year on PBS stations. The series will promote the idea that reading is cool in an effort to improve literacy for children of low-income families.

ILL BILL: A new study from the University of California, Berkeley says paid sick leave has a positive effect on public health. On Mother's Day weekend, workers and workers' rights and health leaders in Los Angeles gathered at a downtown community forum to speak out and demonstrate support for a bill that would require employers to offer paid sick days. Last week, the L.A. City Council passed a resolution in support of the bill. More than two in five California workers have no paid sick days, according to the California Work and Family Coalition. For more information, see www.paidsickdaysCA.org.

HOT MOMS: Self-pampering and beauty treatments are frequent topics of discussion on most online groups and sites devoted to mothers. As more of us give birth at an older age, we can't pull off the makeup-less, pony-tailed look too well. Which is why I love this entry from The Huffington Post last week. It's about inexpensive ways to improve your looks - tasks as easy as getting enough sleep. See www.huffingtonpost.com/lesley-m-m-blume.

barbara.correa@dailynews.com