Preschool pros and cons

Parents of toddlers: What age do you think is appropriate for starting a child in preschool?

We're just at this stage and I'd love to hear some of the good, bad and ugly about preschool experiences. I know it builds social skills. I also know kids can learn bad habits from other kids.
On the positive side, toddlers are little sponges just waiting to learn something new everyday and preschool can feed their hunger for knowledge.

What do you think?

Any motivational parents out there?

Parents of teenagers: What techniques do you use to motivate your son or daughter to keep their grades up at school? At a certain age, friends, music, the phone, the opposite sex are all much more interesting (and motivating) than school work. We use the technique of, "Think about your future. What do you want to do with your life?" Needless to say, it pretty much goes in one ear and ... you know the rest.

Any tips?

Tip of the Day: Bribery works

Wondering how to survive a long airplane flight with a toddler? So was I. Then, a friend advised me to buy a bag full of new, small toys to pull out every time my daughter grew restless.

I took my friend's advice when my daughters and I took a 5-hour flight in June. Every time my toddler started squirming, I'd exclaim, "I have another suprise for you!" and I'd bring out a new toy she'd never seen before. She was enthralled.

Sure, it was bribery, but it was only temporary. Once back on the ground, the magic bag was retired.