Tuesday, February 14, 2012
If you're married, socialize responsibly or get off the book. Take our Facebook/online socializing poll for those in committed relationships.
It all starts with a "meaningless" poke, but where it leads from there is all up to you. Facebook affairs are running rampant in households where married individuals are vulnerable to getting snagged into a liaison that can lead to a very unhappy ending. Here's why you need to put the book down before it's too late. Don't be misled into thinking a Facebook flirtation is safe as long as it remains online. Before you know it, you could be impervious to your own fears about having a full blown affair. The incremental affair often starts with a friend request, perhaps from an old high school pal or even a new acquaintance you met at a social event. Exchanged messages will likely include empty compliments or the over-used line, "I had a crush …
Monday, September 5, 2011
There's no substitute for staying home with your children.
Pre-k programs make me think of getting a puppy and taking it to the kennel during the work week. Nobody does that, yet thousands of small children are dropped off at pre-k programs as soon as they turn 4-years-old. Pre-k programs may be a necessity and the smart choice for a single working parent, but by no means are they the catalyst of a successful launch into kindergarten and beyond. It's common knowledge that the first five years of a child's life set the foundation for emotional and intellectual development. Way too many parents are willing to entrust that massive responsibility to a program that has time again been referred to as a glorified babysitting service. Pre-k programs tout their play-based "curriculum" as high-quality …
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sympathetic activists hold a conference encouraging society to connect emotionally with pedophiles to promote tolerance.
Just as the pedophile grooms and conditions his victims, the B4U-ACT group, a pro-pedophile organization, is being criticized for attempting to condition society to tolerate the "special feelings" pedophiles have for minors. The group held a conference in Baltimore on August 17 that included clinicians, researchers and pedophiles talking about pedophilia and how those at risk for acting on their urges can seek real help. But the dominating topic of discussion was the group's intentions of changing the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) classification of pedophilia. B4U-ACT classifies pedophilia as a different type of sexual orientation, just as gay or hetero are different from each other. (Super! Let's make new laws to protect all …
Monday, August 22, 2011
Parents who never stay for the game miss the real show.
Constantly dropping the kids off at lessons and sports activities is not synonymous with parenting. It's only a small part of parenting. It may not always be convenient to stick around and watch your child at a tennis match or a football game, but you're kidding yourself if you think your child doesn't notice when you're not there. Coaches and other parents notice too. Oddly, when parents give us a consistent show of their tail lights as they leave the parking lot, we all feel compelled to give their child extra attention to pick up the slack where mom and dad fall short. Coaches make sure to include the child in the rewards banquet at the end of the season, often for good reason as these kids tend to excel in their chosen sport. All seems…
Monday, August 15, 2011
Can't decide which is best? This might help.
I have learned from first-hand experience that homeschooling children often puts them ahead of the curve in terms of standardized test scores and academic performance. I have also learned first-hand that putting them in school outside the home often keeps them ahead of the curve. When it comes to education inside or outside the home, one is not better than the other. What counts above all else, is your patience and the time and commitment you put into your child's learning experience. There are pros and cons to both homeschooling, public education and private education. Deciding what is best for your child really comes down to schedule and lifestyle. Homeschooling affords a family the freedom to educate on their own schedule, but it takes …
Monday, August 8, 2011
School is starting and you can already hear miss bossy boots clomping down the hallway with new orders for "her" team of room mothers.
Being a room mother is difficult enough without taking orders from other mothers. The moment your role as a room mother starts to feel like a popularity contest, ditch the ice cream socials and find your own niche in the classroom. If picking up cakes loaded with hydrogenated oils for classroom parties isn't your thing, there are a multitude of opportunities for you to be the room mother who stays above the fray. There are most certainly going to be circumstances when avoiding the bossy boots room mother is simply impossible, but you know why you're volunteering in the first place and it's up to you to keep the focus on the children. When you're told to bring napkins and paper cups to the "fall-fest" just do it and be glad your help is …
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Are electronic cigarettes just another way to lure young people to a lifetime addiction to nicotine?
Kids have enough technology in their lives without having to trouble-shoot the long term effects of electronic cigarettes and nicotine addiction. "E-cigs" are nothing but a gimmick manufacturers are hoping will lure the next generation to a lifelong addiction to nicotine. Are electronic cigarettes safe? Well, let's see, they aren't regulated or FDA approved, they are typically manufactured in China and they emit a nicotine vapor often concocted with other unknown elements. (Not exactly the stuff you'd pack in your child's lunch box.) One company, the Safe Cig, touts its brand as very safe. They provide a labyrinth of links on their Web site leading to vague information on "certifications" and ingredients. One such link leads customers to a…
Monday, July 25, 2011
Think twice before you stick your baby with your decision. Unless you're piercing your baby's ears for significant cultural reasons, why not let her decide when she's old enough?
I surveyed ten babies on whether or not they'd like their ears pierced, and not one of them had any comment on the matter. For that reason, parents should consider waiting before committing their children to something they may not want later. Most people like to make their own decisions when it comes to body modification, but babies can't even talk let alone possess the reasoning skills to make a decision on getting pierced. Not giving a person any choice about ear piercing suggests that earrings on a baby are purely for aesthetic value in terms of parental entertainment. Babies have a way of growing into children and teens who later hold their parents accountable for every decision made on their behalf. Adding pierced ears to the mix …
Monday, July 11, 2011
Not too many families are looking to make a stop at the Cafe Risque on their way to Disney World, yet I-75 is littered with billboards touting these strip clubs ad nauseam.
I-75 is loaded with billboards for strip clubs and adult toy stores, especially on the way to Disney World. How do parents explain what "adult toys" are to a child in the back seat wearing Mickey Mouse ears? How many children, just learning to sound out and read billboards have asked their parents what "We Bare All" means? On I-75 from South Georgia all the way to Central Florida, countless billboards remind us that there are people out there who think disrespecting themselves is just a part of the daily routine. Maybe they are the only people who actually stop by these establishments or find employment there. Whatever the case, it would be nice if the owners of these places or our state commissioners would do the rest of us a favor and …
Monday, June 27, 2011
If you're setting an example as a salon junkie for your daughter, you're exposing her to a lifetime of chemical inhalation.
With each passing year, salons come up with more new concoctions for women to tweak themselves from head to toe. It's a continual cycle many women feel obligated to manage. That sense of obligation is often handed down to daughters, perpetuating the myth that women must attain beauty at any cost. Here's the real downside: With the exception of Aveda products, the ingredients used to manipulate everything from hair structure to fingernail aesthetics are more often than not toxic, but that doesn't stop women from becoming victims of their own vanity at a very dangerous price. It's bad enough to see a mom dragging her kids to the nail or hair salon to sit there bored through a haircut and styling, but when the chemicals come out (and when do …
Fortune
3:26 pm on Sunday, June 24, 2012
A friend of mine rekindled a high school crush on Facebook. He was married at the time--(apparently unhappily married) Now he's married to the girl he had a thing for in high school. Facebook is not always a bad route to take. more ›