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• Protect Children: Prohibit Divorce

  Since Californians who voted for Prop 8 late last year to strike down the rights of gays to marry said they were doing it for the children, there's a new movement afoot to keep kids safe: Prohibit divorces. All of them. Keep heterosexual couples from breaking the bonds of holy matrimony. After all - the sanctity of marriage and the children were at the heart of Prop 8, right? Read More... Posted Jan 14 2009, 12:54 PM by JeanneSager with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: divorce, marriage, protecting children, California, petition, Lesbians, gay marriage, Jeanne Sager, Proposition 8, prop 8, sanctity of marriage, gays

• Mom Strangles Raccoon With Bare Hands. Whoa.

  Have you heard this yet? When a raccoon bit her friend's five year old son, a mom pulled the raccoon off the kid, sent the kids home, and then choked the life out of it with her bare hands. Here's an understatement: "'She had the presence of mind to choke it,' animal control officer April Leiler told the Record-Journal of Meriden. 'She is one tough lady.'" Ya think? I bet the other raccoons spread the word not to get vicious with that woman or any kids in her charge. I know I wouldn't. But hey, don't mess with a mom. I mean, raccoons are tough buggers, and still... Moms: 1; Raccoons: 0. Anyhow, turns out the raccoon did test positive for rabies, so woman and boy are undergoing treatment.   Read More... Posted Aug 12 2007, 02:02 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: protecting children, raccoons, nature, mom power

• Super V-Chip For All Devices: Good Luck With That

  Here's a nice take-down of the Senate Commerce Committee's plan for the FCC to develop a super V-chip for blocking naughty stuff everywhere, like your TV, cellphones, and the internet. The idea is that inappropriate stuff is easily increasingly accessible to kids through tons of different outlets, and television is only one arena. 'Course there's so much out there, it's unlikely any chip could catch even a speck of it, and V-chips depend on people to actually use them. Gizmodo suggests implanting kids with V-chips might be easier. I've got a low-tech solution: the government could issue blindfolds and earplugs.   Read More... Posted Aug 08 2007, 03:30 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: protecting children, censorship, v-chip, inappropriate content

• Get Your Annie a Gun: A Water Gun

  Children need water guns.  Especially little girls.  Mace is fine in a pinch, but a water gun will always have a use, what with the proliferation of Bratz dolls and inappropriate clothing for young girls. The  Water Warriors Tarantula, pictured right is recommended for its 33 foot range, 47 ounce payload, and 112 rounds per reload, which is important when the neighborhood kids need to be put in their place. My kids prefer the SuperSoaker family of guns, even though they are somewhat heavy for my 2 year old daughter to hold and shoot.   Ah well, those toddler weight-lifting classes will soon solve that problem.   [via Gizmodo]  Posted Jul 12 2007, 12:31 PM by Rachael Brownell (Redsy) with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: protecting children, Bratz Babyz, slutty cl, fun in summer, water gun

• Keeping Kids Safe at Summer Camp

  Shannon Coffield doesn't want me to send my children to sleep away camp ever, she is freaking me out. Not really, Coffield works with United Way of Central Iowa and wants to warn parents that the people we trust with our children, like music teachers or camp counselors, can still be predators.  Coffield points out the sickening statistics: one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused by the age of 18. These children are most often abused by people they know and trust. This article is geared to a local audience directing readers to seminars in protecting children offered by a local women's center geared at helping camp staff and church groups which work with children. But the article made me think, as I often do, about how we can truly keep our kids safe without keeping them locked inside missing out on valuable experiences. I love Gavin de Becker's book for this purpose and highly recommend all parents check it out because the truth is, if we want our kids to live full lives they're going to be exposed to the risk of abuse. The best we can do is make sure we teach them all we can about protecting themselves, talking to us and being certain we will protect them no matter what someone else tells them. Maybe someday I'll be ready to leave my kids with virtual strangers for a whole week at camp. I mean, not if I keep reading articles like this but otherwise.  Posted Jun 06 2007, 09:04 AM by Melissa Summers with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: protecting children, camp, summer activities

• When Children's Underwear Says "Wink, Wink" There's a Problem

  The American Psychological Association released a study that -- surprise, surprise -- says young girls today are bombarded with sexual imagery that throttles their self-esteem and could actually make them dumb. Or at least perform poorly on tests when wearing bathing suits. Seriously. It's in the study. From racy blogs to stupid dolls, thongs for 7 year olds to underdressed pop culture figures, girls face a tsunami of images and messages that could lead children to act sexually like adults and adults to act like children. Of course, it's not too late to protect childhood. While the association calls for more study, it also offers some get-real talking points for parents. I've written about this before, probably too many times, but it's good to know I'm not the only one that finds it more than a little odd that some children's underwear says "wink, wink." Posted Feb 27 2007, 03:02 PM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, child, behavior, protecting children, girls, beauty contests, beauty, studies, child development, girl's issues

• Sex and Santa: When Should a Parent Tell the Truth?

  A homeschooling and philosophizing parent writing on Nashoba.com, ponders the right timing for uncovering the truth about Santa and sex, especially when it comes to her youngest children.  She points out that while many homeschooling parents choose to educate their children outside of the public school system in order to protect their innocence, by schooling all different ages together, the younger children are sometimes exposed to more advanced information (insemination anyone?). Homeschooling parents aren't the only ones concerned about the sex-kittenish behavior of the under 10 set and most of us can appreciate the effort it takes to stand between your child and the over-sexed world around them, but I don't think sex and Santa are equal affronts to innocence, especially when it comes to the under 6s.  The questions burning the brains of the youngsters in my family have more to do with "Where's the magical fairy person?" and "Mommy, can I have wine too?" and "Does Santa know I hit Violet?"  So far, my house is free of sexual curiosity, but perhaps a little bit of homeschooling would solve that problem. Posted Feb 04 2007, 07:57 PM by Rachael Brownell (Redsy) with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: santa, homeschooling, protecting children, teaching kids about kids, innocence

• Helicopter Parents Need to Chill

  Helicopter parents -- those over-worried people who believe their children require assistance with every little task --  are being advised to ease up.  There is plenty to be afraid of these days and it is understandable that a natural inclination to protect might easily become hovering. But what is the difference between proper protection and attending to the needs of your children and training stressed out Little Freaks of Capitalism?  I think it's time to re-institute healthy neglect -- leaving your children to their own devices.  A little more "Go outside and play!" and less "Would you like to build a radio transmitter with Daddy?" I think it is quite likely that children allowed the freedom to play with low-tech toys, relax and do nothing, and left free of the flashcards, language and dance lessons and sideline instructions from tight-lipped parents, might in the end find out that freedom and creativity are more satisfying than preschool at Harvard. Posted Jan 14 2007, 06:00 PM by Rachael Brownell (Redsy) with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: parents, capitalism, helicopter parents, protecting children, Harvard, low-tech toys