Archive for December, 2010

Adoption Not Final In North Carolina

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Imagine adopting a child and being that child’s parent for nearly a decade and then being told, oops, you’re not the parent after all.  Now imagine that the reason for this is that the child’s birth mother, with whom you were raising the child, didn’t give up her parental rights.  That’s the ruling handed down by the North Carolina Supreme Court on Monday.  Apparently, if an unmarried man wants to be a father to his partner’s child but isn’t the biological father, the mother has to give up her parental rights.

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No Internet For You, Young Man

Monday, December 20th, 2010

According to a new study, parents see internet access similar to how they see watching television — especially when it comes to using it as punishment.  More than half of American households take away television viewing privileges as punishment, a figure that has not changed significantly over the last ten years.  What has changed is the number of parents that use internet access as a form of punishment as well.

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Hooters: Prurient Pleasure or Family Fun?

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

Even if you’ve never been to a Hooters restaurant and know nothing about the chain of eateries, chances are you can guess what draws people to them.  Sure, I’ve heard tell the chicken wings are good, but it’s not wings that people think of when they think “hooters”.  Indeed, the company has been successfully sued by men for not being hired as waitstaff and the employee handbook at one time allegedly required female employees to acknowledge and accept that “the essence of the Hooters concept is entertainment through female sex appeal.”

So would you take your kids there?

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The Video A Mother Should Never Have To Make

Friday, December 17th, 2010

Imagine losing a child — a teenager who is an intelligent, beautiful person with a great future ahead of them.  Imagine losing that child not because of some accident of nature or incurable disease but because of something easily preventable.  Imagine losing your child because of the thoughtlessness of their peers and the indifference of their teachers.  Wendy Walsh doesn’t have to imagine it; she lives it every day.

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Making Minivans For Dad

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

So now that you have kids, chances are you’re stuck driving a minivan a fair bit of the time.  They handle poorly, they’re ugly, and they’re not exactly manly.  I suspect most guys would jump at the chance to drive a sports car or pick-up truck instead.  The problem is that very few vehicles will haul a whole mess of kids as efficiently and as affordably as a minivan.  But don’t give up hope, dads — Nissan’s got your back.

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Building A Better Chess Set

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Chess is a great game that offers intellectual challenge to kids and adults alike.  Studies have shown that kids who play chess experience a significant increase in cognitive development as well as improved test scores.  On top of that, it’s just plain fun.  I decided, recently, that my kids — at least the older two — needed to learn to play.  But, of course, I can never do things the normal way.  I had to have a chess set that was unique and would capture their imagination.

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What’s A Book?

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Most kids today have no clue what a typewriter is.  Most have never seen a rotary telephone.  Some may have seen examples of that ancient technology known as the VCR, but probably only in their grandparent’s attic or garage.  Our kids may read more printed books than electronic ones, but that very well could change in the future.  Perhaps it is worthwhile to make sure that our children know that there is value in books that can’t be found online.

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The World’s Oldest Computer Made From LEGO

Sunday, December 12th, 2010

LEGO is big in our house.  Pretty much everyone, including the kids, likes building with it.  My oldest has made some pretty impressive models using LEGO bricks.  I’ll admit, however, that none are anywhere near as impressive as Andrew Carol’s functional model of the Antikythera mechanism.

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Teaching Children The Reason For The Season

Friday, December 10th, 2010

As we gather with friends, exchanging gifts and good tidings, sharing a communal meal, and basking in the warm comfort of holiday lights and decorations, it’s important to make sure that kids understand the “reason for the season.”  If you’re not sure how to best explain it to your kids, there is help available.

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Should Toy Donation Programs Censor Toys?

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

When I was growing up, toy guns were strictly forbidden in our house and we were not even supposed to play with them elsewhere.  While I didn’t like that policy as a kid, now that I am a parent myself, I have the same rule in place for my children.  I don’t think guns are an appropriate toy for kids to play with and I don’t think I’m alone.  So what sort of donated toys do you suppose the Salvation Army destroys rather than see end up in the hands of children?

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