Parenting

Managing the Angry Masses

Kerry — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:24:42 -0600

Since my head injury, many have told me I seem much less angry and have far less rage in my writing. The truth is, I feel as if brain-damage has worked in my favor, as it seems I can't tap-into that rage-filled region of my brain like I did before.

Do I suggest we all have a head-banger's ball, hoping it would rid the world of infuriating rage? Not at all, that would be stupid. I wouldn't wish that traveling road to speech-recovery on anybody -- it ain't fun or pretty.... trust me!

Parenting

Herding the Flock: An American Industry Filled with Farm-Land Foundlings

Kerry — Fri, 30 May 2008 06:51:45 -0600

The American response to Baby Farming has been the following:

Child abuse

The Cost of Cultural Sensitivity -- who keeps losing?

Kerry — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:43:28 -0600

I read an interesting article about the duty and obligation teachers and schools have to the social-learning of it's child-population. [Religion in the History-Social Science Textbook Adoption] Of course, each school lesson must make the tax-paying parents happy, because when the parents are happy, the school-board is happy. I have grown to accept happiness is found in the superficial, especially when it comes to public bureaucracy...

Child placement

Pregnancy v. Placement: a parent's perspective

Kerry — Sat, 17 May 2008 11:27:43 -0600

One of the world's most famous adoptive mothers made a comment I'd like to quote:

“Like most women, I love being pregnant.” She added that pregnancy makes “you feel like more like a woman than you've ever felt. You just feel like everything about your body is there for your baby.” Angelina Jolie

Child placement

How would you respond to the following information?

neophyte — Sat, 10 May 2008 08:58:42 -0600

Your Life. Your Baby. Your Choice.

Facing an unplanned pregnancy can be very difficult and scary, and deciding what to do will be even harder.

While you may feel totally alone at this time, know that you aren't! According to the March of Dimes, nearly 60 percent of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned.

That is to say, millions of women have been in your shoes.

Keeping perspective at this time is critical. The most important thing to remember is that you have a choice. Every woman does.

Bartender !?!

Babies do's and don'ts

Niels — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:30:41 -0600

Parenting

Statistics Parents Need to Know

Kerry — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:19:00 -0600

Yesterday, hub-man read in the newspaper, recent studies show 1 in 4 U.S. teens have an STD. This shocked him, especially since we have 1 teen and three more to go through this wonderful stage of "personal discovery" (and parental defiance).

Parenting

Buddy-Body System for a Large Family

Kerry — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:24:43 -0600

I have four kids, and an absent husband who likes to think of himself as the Sports Hero Coach-Man of the Year. I'm sure he's a great coach to all the boys on my oldest son's football team... but I often feel between his job, his overtime, and his volunteer-time coaching football and baseball and attending my oldest son's hockey games, as well... well.... there doesn't seem to be much left for the other three left home waiting for daddy.

Parenting

Does this concern you?

Kerry — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 05:21:56 -0700

A trend no one likes to see is a rise in the rates of mental illness and developmental disorders in children. A study released early this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that one in 150 American children are suffering from autism—a statistic that shows a consistent rise in the disorder.

Parenting

A Mother's Sacrifice

Kerry — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 18:34:07 -0700

The following article was sent to me, but I have to preface it with a story of my own. When I first discovered a lump in my breast, I had two small children. Other than not knowing anything about my medical history, and having complete trust in my beloved Ob/Gyn who respected my adopted status, my biggest concerns revolved around my babies: IF it's the worst-case scenario, do I wear a wig, or scarf, and do I let them see me cry?

I didn't have much time, since the surgery took place within the week of discovery.

Child placement

Parenting 101, Doggie-Style

Kerry — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:59:58 -0700

News is out about Jamie-Lynn Spears, (sister of Britney, and teen-star of her own show, "Zoey 101"), about her becoming a new-mom at the tender age of sixteen.

Popular opinion can be what it is, as tags and articles will feature them in listed headlines, as anyone can read and see here: http://www.inform.com/related_content/1337577,2

Parenting

First-Time Parenting Nightmares

Kerry — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:42:41 -0700

I found the following article, "Daddy Can't You Fix This?" and it reminded me of the time my first-born was being tested for kidney disease when she was less than a year old.

Parenting

Rocky beginnings

Kerry — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:47:14 -0700

What if you fell in love with someone with a shady past or criminal record?

Is the love of a good person powerful enough to change the evils of a bad past?

The Criminal Mind

Serious-Stuff about... Sponge-Bob

Kerry — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:34:25 -0700

I'm a huge fan of the Seinfeldian humour of the Sponge-Man.

During the week, Atlantis Squarpantis aired on Nickelodeon at 10p and I watched it sans kids. [It was a school night, after all....]

I knew damn well the made-for TV movie would be playing ad-nauseum for the heathens for as long as Nick airs Sponge episodes, so it was nice to see what the adults of my generation (?) were coming up for my critters to watch for their entertainment.

Parenting

What's so surprising about the strength of a woman's body?

Kerry — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:48:27 -0700

Marathon Moms come in all shapes and sizes. NYC seems to feature those sporting running-shoes.

In "Marathon mom's win sparks exercise debate", we are to be in awe of a woman who kept her shape and condition, in spite of her new-addition. WHY?

Parenting

REAL Parenting Problems

Kerry — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:27:00 -0600

I'm always on the look-out for problems in the Adoption Community... "discrepancies', if you will, in the mixed-messaging Adoption Advocates are teaching people about the virtues of taking another child in their homes, and raising it as their own. Can it be done, (re-assigning a child's place in a "new family") be done in a way that all members in that group are living well-adjusted lives?

Parenting

Focus on the family: age before baby

Kerry — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:58:46 -0600

There's a fine-line between age and maturity. However, how old is "too old" to parent a young child?

"Older Parents" young at heart adopting children who were birthed by teen mothers may be at a disadvantage in ways many are not willing to discuss openly.

Parenting

Children's Books

Kerry — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:33:23 -0600

This past winter I read some very disturbing material, and chose to take it out on myself. I banged my head on the kitchen floor three times. I remember wanting to hear a <splat> sound. Instead my dog, Bailey, came between my chest, and the floor, and stopped me from banging my head some more. Hub-man watched the entire time. He knew why I was I was so upset, yet he sat, and did nothing. I suppose he thought I had gone crazy. No. I was mad as hell and sick of the lies he and "they" kept hiding from me.

Parenting

Does an Agriculture-Environment affect your child's allergies?

Kerry — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:10:20 -0600

All my babies were born with allergies. How do I know? I was blessed to have had one of the best pediatricians in Westfield, NJ., Dr. Donna Levy, M.D. (God rest her young soul... she died before we moved out of the Scotch Plains area of New Jersey, nine years ago.)

Parenting

Motherhood for the Detatched

Kerry — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 07:35:03 -0600

For myself, Adoption Issues didn't become real until pregnancy changed me. That's when the world changed and I became my mother, with Me.

For the first time, I started thinking more and more: What was it like for HER to be pregnant with ME?

This was when my adoptive mother could not replace my original mother, and the more she tried in her own way, telling me about her own pregnancy with her own son, the more it bothered me about my own pregnancy.

Parenting

Are you packing lead in your child's lunch?

Kerry — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:09:32 -0600

MSNBC is reporting yet another great story from China. This time about lunch-boxes for sale. Check it out: 56,000 lunch boxes in Calif. recalled for lead

It's interesting how the boxes are purchased in bulk, sold, then discovered to be tainted. That medical problem is solved, the product is recalled, then the story is sold to the public.

America IS the land of great opportunity, isn't it?

Parenting

Parents need to PAY ATTENTION...

Kerry — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:16:50 -0600

MSN has a video instructing the working-parent (I'm assuming) how to be a better parent to their 'quirky children'

it can be seen here: http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=dc67944f-bafb-4160-9ca7-50962bb38f36&f=00&fg=&GT1=10357

Funny.

Parenting

Teaching Tools

Kerry — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 03:27:04 -0600

I believe a person learns by demonstration. As such, does anyone have any real-lifestories or examples on how Family Preservation can WORK so adoption can be stopped? After all, isn't it time the industry take a rest from breaking-up families?

I think it's time we start repairing the damage.

Now.

Before there's nothing left to repair.

Parenting

Walk this way...

Kerry — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:52:08 -0600

Has "Gaydar" - the imaginary ability to detect homsexuality just by watching a person's mannerisms, become a social-science study in radar and sonar technology? Well it seems wonders will never cease, as an elusive "they"have found a new way to make social judgements just by watching a person's mannerisms and moves when walking.

Parenting

The cost of keeping well

Kerry — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:15:31 -0600

How do on-line pharmacies benefit people by distributing medications to people around the globe, and does this alter the dynamics of health-care coverage costs?

Parenting

natural sense

blanche — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:29:34 -0600

are we born with a natural sense of what's right and what's wrong?

even if a parent does something bad

do we follow along

just because we're told to

because we're scared?

Parenting

Mothers in mourning (a series of questions)

Kerry — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:33:55 -0600

Let's say a mother learns her child discovered sexual pleasure at an early age, and knows orgasm can be found through different acts and can be done many ways. Does that make the child an over-sexed pervert? Is "childhood" over for that mother?

What if that child learns sexual pleasure at an early age, and learns the lessons of orgasm through an adult, or family member. Does that qualify as being sexual abuse, and needs to be reported to the authorities?

Child abuse

Escaping the parenting roles of Good Cop/Bad Cop

Kerry — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:05:53 -0600

Is it possible to grow-out of the roles so many of us learned as kids, where one parent was the fun, Good Parent... and the other was the Mean Scary Absent one?

Parenting