Over the past few decades, spanking as a method of training and discipline has fluctuated in popularity among American parents. Dr. Spock's book was a major influence upon the methodology of my parents' generation. That generation also raised children responsible for the most dramatic increase in divorce, crime, and teen suicide in American History (not counting the Great Depression). We're not laying the responsibility of the country at one man's feet, but new trends affect societies. It's an unavoidable truth. And Dr. Spock said we shouldn't spank our children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' official policy says:

"Despite its common acceptance, spanking is a less effective strategy than timeout or removal of privileges for reducing undesired behavior in children. Although spanking may immediately reduce or stop an undesired behavior, its effectiveness decreases with subsequent use. The only way to maintain the initial effect of spanking is to systematically increase the intensity with which it is delivered, which can quickly escalate into abuse. Thus, at best, spanking is only effective when used in selective infrequent situations."

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Popularity: 10% [?]

It has been discovered that pedophiles and other sex offenders are driving neighborhood ice cream trucks in suburban America. That's right. The guy in your neighborhood playing the childhood siren song may not be the safest person to entrust with your children. 

Whether the appearance of a few sex offenders in ice cream trucks is a sign of deceitful strategy or simple gainful employment remains to be seen. But let's be honest. Shouldn't a sex offender be building houses or cleaning office buildings instead of befriending our kids on the street?

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Man, kids are fat these days. This is the thought that flitted through my head as I dropped off my daughter at school the other day.

Now before you send me hate comments and tell me it’s all the fast-food industry’s fault for injecting saturated and deadly trans fats into their products, or that nutrition is just too murky and complex of a subject for common folks to wrap their minds around, let me explain.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

I am not calling myself an expert on the topic of colic. I am merely one woman with a small family that survived it. You may be thinking, “Surviving colic, what the heck is this woman talking about. Colic isn’t a fatal disease!” True, it isn’t a fatal disease or condition. However, it is heart-breaking, mind-blowing, exhausting and depressing, among many other descriptions that I could use.

Let me draw a picture of the circumstances around which I experienced colic. During my last month of pregnancy with my second child, I was pressing certain stressful issues with my first child that was going turn two years old, ten days after the baby was due.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

From a Mother's Perspective
 
Sometimes I question my ability to decipher what is appropriate for my children. As it stands, I allow my young almost three year old daughter watch far too much television. I excuse this mostly because there are times that I need her occupied while I tend to my nine month old daughter.  The television is on nearly all day long. Of course I try to justify it to myself by saying that children’s programming is featured, nearly the whole time.  Whether I have on the PBS station, Nickelodeon or the Disney channel, I still feel I have been a bad parent.

My oldest girl is not overweight …yet. I attempt to have “running around” time where I chase her around the apartment. I do stimulate her creativity with arts and crafts, and inspire her imagination with actually playing with her and her toys. Somehow I feel it just is not enough.

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Popularity: 4% [?]