Strollerderby : daughter

WATCH: Man Drinks Daughter's Breast Milk to Cure Cancer

Cole Gamble — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Tim Browne puts a little something extra in his corn flakes every morning, and he’s hoping it will save his life. Browne’s colon cancer spread to his liver and lymph nodes. His future looked grim. Then his daughter, Georgia, came up with a radical suggestion: drink her breast milk. She came up with the idea after seeing a TV show about the benefits of breast milk. Now after feeding her son Monty, she sets aside a few ounces for dad.

"I found the milk not unpleasant, but slightly pungent and oily, but once it was mixed with cow’s milk I couldn't taste it,” Browne said.

AND NOW HERE IS YOUR QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Browne continued, ““If I have a lactating daughter, why not take advantage of her? As long as Monty didn’t mind,” Browne said.

Browne admitted slight improvement in his cancer but cannot tell if it’s the milk or his chemotherapy regiment.

watch it here

More Good Stuff:

Creepy Old Japanese Pregnant Dolls (with Attached Creepy Fetus Dolls!)

8 "PG" Movies Way Too Scary for Kids

6 Reasons Why it Sucks to Be a Kid Today

Disturbing Baby-Swinging PSA

Eating Your Baby's Placenta

10 Great Books For (Traumatizing) Children

View Video
Format: html
Duration: --:--

They Say: Having a Daughter Makes You a Liberal

JeanneSager — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:02:00 GMT

So blue might be the color most associated with boys. Turns out the blue states can thank their azure hues to the parents of little girls.

A conglomeration of studies about to be printed in a social science journal posit that parents' political leanings can be tied to the gender of their children. Notably, they say fathers of girls are more liberal.

Is that the same as saying they're more feminist?

Among the data social scientists looked at was the voting records of U.S. Congressmen. The first study (published in 2004) determined Congressman with daughters were more likely to vote liberally on reproductive rights issues. Four years later, the same researcher concluded the Congressmen with female offspring were voting liberally on a host of issues, including tax-free education and working families flexibility.

Integrating studies from Great Britain, the scientists have concluded parents with girls are more likely to sympathize with left wing ideals, while studies indicate that having a male child will lead to more right wing politics.

Interesting, because if you listened tp appeals to George W. Bush on particularly feminist issues, you'd often hear references to his daughters. As in "What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?" And I don't remember him coming out as a champion of Roe v. Wade, do you?

I'll allow that parents are more likely to weigh issues they wouldn't have otherwise focused on when faced with parenting a child of the opposite sex. A father with a daughter is more likely to have his daughter in mind when debating the rights of a woman over the rights of a fetus (although I'd wager there are a fair amount of dads who would still come down on the side of the fetus because they now equate their child with that fetus).

Even more interesting, the study suggests parents who lean to the left are more likely to stop having kids after the birth of a son - pointing to an added valuation of boys in the liberal community. Right wingers, they say, are more likely to stop making babies after a girl is born. Maybe it's all those liberal awakenings scaring them out of the bedroom?

Image: Flatrock

Via fivethirtyeight

Also on Babble:

Pick a Sex, Any Sex

Is it a Lucky Boy Who Dates Obama's Daughter?

JeanneSager — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:24:00 GMT

The president is nervous.

Not about the economy (well, probably) or swine flu (OK, maybe that too).

But President Barack Obama is a dad after all, and he can't help but think about what will happen when daughters Sasha and Malia start dating.

Can you blame him? I wrote a piece a few months ago about Jamie Foxx stressing about his daughter dating and earned a ration of comments about my need to buy into patriarchical nonsense. But come on, folks, dads worry about their daughters. Heck, I worry about my daughter!

So why is it so inappropriate for dads to stress about the day their daughter brings a boy home?

The president told a reporter recently, "dating I think will be an issue because I have men with guns surrounding them at all times, which I'm perfectly happy with, but they may feel differently about it."

He was laughing when we said it, and minus the guns, I can her it coming out of the mouth of almost any dad I know. Those poor, poor prospective suitors.

Dating is a fun time for kids, but with hormones high on both sides, it's wrought with challenges. Broken hearts. Nights spent crying in bed because he didn't call when he said he would (and it doesn't make it much better that he simply forgot because that's what teenagers DO!). It isn't just a "Ohmigod, sex," thought that runs through a parents' mind when they think about their kids dating. We don't want them to get hurt.

And yeah, there's the sex thing too. None of us want to be grandparents tomorrow. And we remember what it's like to be in lust, right? We can't tell our kids WHEN to have sex, how or where. But we can worry about protecting their hearts and their bodies.

And let's face it, dads with daughters have an especial worry chiefly because they know what HE is thinking (or at least have an inkling of it). When my husband gets a look on his face about our daughter's little boyfriends, I don't worry that he's spending too much time thinking up ways to exert his patriarchical thumb over her femininity. He's just a dad who doesn't want his daughter to get hurt.

He may not be surrounded by guys with guns and access to his FBI file, but let me put it this way - the boy who messes with our daughter is no luckier than the boy who has to come face to face with the leader of the free world on prom night.

Image: DenverPost

Playdate: Breastfeeding Bonds for Better Mom-Kid Relationships?

JeanneSager — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:32:00 GMT

I've read a lot more blogs since I took over the "What They're Babbling About" section for Strollerderby, and Breastfeeding Moms Unite! was sent my way via a "friend" on Twitter.

Not afraid to take on some of the bigger breastfeeding topics, it's worth a read anytime. But one post in particular caught my attention this week.

She asks women today if they were breasted . . . and how their relationships are with their mothers.

It's nothing scientific, and she makes clear she's not actually attributing her lack of a perfect relationship with her mother to her mom's decision NOT to breastfeed. Why then, I wondered, did she even bring it up?

Curiosity, it sounds like. And it is interesting to ponder - although entirely inconclusive. I was breastfed until just shy of the year mark. So was my brother. Neither of us has a terribly great relationship with our mother (his is better than mine). I tried breastfeeding and failed at it, and I would like to think a good relationship with my daughter is possible - at least something akin to what we have now. (I asked my husband, by the way, if he was breastfed, and he had no idea - and his mom breastfed into the toddler stage).

What's bothered me most about so many pro-breastfeeding mantras isn't the idea that breastfeeding is good for kids (because it is!) but the idea that it promotes better bonding between mother and child. Do they bond? Certainly. But better bonding? Isn't that a little subjective? A little "well, my kid loves me best?"

Because, try as we might, as parents, we can't control the feelings of our kids or the personalities of our kids. Some parents and children have horrible relationships because of bonds during childhood that were TOO tightly woven (think helicopter parenting), others clash because they as people are simply too alike. There's also the mere fact that as human beings, we all relate differently to one another.

Our own personalities as parents are distinctly different. Our personalities mesh differently with our different kids. I know some readers will take this as an attack on breastfeeding, so again, please understand, I think breastfeeding is a wonderful thing for women who do it (and something every woman should try to do). But reading through the comments on the BMU site, I pondered once again how much pressure we are putting on one small part of childhood to solve life's problems.

Take this comment: "Had I been weaned as an infant, I’m not sure I would have maintained that physical closeness with my mom. She let me breastfeed as long and as often as I needed or wanted, and I do feel that that contributed to my feeling that she was always available to me, throughout my life."

That's just one opinion, but it struck me as a perfect example of the attempts to make breastfeeding into a panacea. God forbid her mother stopped at, say one year, perfectly acceptable according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, and just showered her with love, affection and a roof over her head, clothes on her back? That wouldn't be enough to retain a sense of physical closeness with her?

As one friend said when I mentioned the idea of breastfeeding in childhood in relation to an adult mother/child relationship, sometimes mothers are unhappy breastfeeders, women who did it because they knew it was best for their child's health, but end up resenting their children for a miserable eight, ten, twelve months. She posited her own mother probably had post partum depression and was not a happy breastfeeder. Today, they have a stilted relationship.

The best benefit of having a mother who breastfed? Besides the health benefits we got if we were breastfed? In my mind it's the positive role model, the knowledge that someone we know did it and made it work. If we're lucky, when it comes time to breastfeed, we have a good enough relationship with that woman (our mother) to turn to her for advice on how to proceed ourselves.

But if a mom wasn't breastfed, will it make or break her relationship? Take this comment over at the BMU site and ponder it. I think it answers it quite nicely: "You may simply be posing the question of whether or not breastfeeding can make a significant impact on mother-daughter relationships but I believe the answer has long been apparent in the relationships between women and adopted daughters."

Image: EcoStreet

American Incest Dad Gets 109 Years In Jail

Brett Singer — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:55:00 GMT

Austrian Incest Dad, meet American Incest Dad.

Josef Fritzl's American counterpart, Lindolfo Thibes of Los Angeles, was sentenced to 109 years in prison for having a sexual relationship with his own daughter and fathering three children with her.

"I hope he suffers," the daughter said. "I want him to die in there in jail because that's what he did to me. He confined me." She is 29 now; her father began abusing her when she was 6. He threatened to kill her if she told anyone, and used surveillance cameras to keep track of her. Thibes physically abused her as well.

Well, I guess this time, justice was served. Horrible story but now he'll be off the streets and out of his poor daughter's life. Physically, at least.

Source: Times of India

Image: SXC

Parents Get Eyebrows Waxed For Jonas Brothers Tickets

Husband Loses Job, Wife Loses Respect For Him

Finish Line - Pirates Are Back

Dad Accused of Selling Daughter For Beer and Meat

Family Awarded Millions For Circumcision Mistake

Husband Loses Job, Wife Loses Respect For Him

Brett Singer — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:00:00 GMT

We all know how tough it is out there. The number of jobs is shrinking by the day, and layoffs are common. Many families still follow the traditional model where the husband is the breadwinner and the wife takes care of the children and housekeeping duties. Nothing wrong with that. But let's say dad loses his job. He didn't quit because he missed out on a promotion, nor was he fired for making photocopies of his butt. He was laid off. It happens. Mom should be supportive, right? Flexible. Do what needs to be done to keep the family together.

Well, yes. Of course. But in the case of this couple that was profiled on ABC's Good Morning America, wifey has lost respect for her fella. She's not attracted to him anymore. In fact, they are sleeping in separate beds.

The wife in question, Eleanor Hemmert, had this to say about her husband Rick: "It's the respect. I wish I could say something different, but I've lost so much respect for him. And I think the dynamics with a man and a woman is a woman has to respect her husband. And if she doesn't, that relationship just goes away."

In an illustration of what I meant when I questioned a passage from Kate Gosselin's book, Eleanor also said: "That's one of the basic things that little girls grow up thinking - that the man is going to put the roof over her head, he is going to support the family." And when it doesn't happen, you get angry. Expectations can be bad when the person is inflexible.

I'm not in their marriage, so I don't know what else is going on. But this couple chose to put themselves on TV, so I'm commenting. Anytime I hear a woman complain that her husband isn't doing the manly work that she expects her man to be doing, it really irks me. If a woman were told to stay home and get pregnant, and that her place was in the kitchen, preferably barefoot, would she like that? Or that it was perfectly reasonable to pay her less money than a man who does the same job? Granted, those things happen all the time. But they're wrong. So is this woman's attitude.

Of course, Husband Rick isn't helping matters. "I think it is in every man's DNA to be the breadwinner. It's very humbling for me. It changes the dynamic of our relationship immensely. There is a wedge that has appeared. I feel the anger. I feel the tension. This house is not as joyous as it should be."

See, that's a choice. It's not in any man's "DNA" that he has "to be the breadwinner." It's in his mind, and the mind of his wife. Sometimes things change. Is it unpleasant? Sure. Is it worth ruining your marriage for? No way.

I understand that it's probably very frustrating for any couple when the primary breadwinner loses their job. But it's not like Mr. Man decided to quit being a salesman in order to pursue his dream of being a rodeo clown. Wife Eleanor is also complaining that she has to work more hours now, and that Rick cooks dinner poorly. But is that really fair? If he's just sitting around the house all day with his feet up, I can see being annoyed about that. But that's different from being so furious about something that was outside of you and your husband's control that you can't even sleep in the same room anymore.

Their daughter Elizabeth is "picking up" the tension between mom and dad. While both husband and wife are angry at each other and feel "underappreciated", their daughter is "suffering silently," says ABC News. "If the kids sense that you are unhappy and you don't talk to them about it, they may incorrectly blame themselves," they say. Good advice. Maybe the Hemmerts will take it.

Source: ABC News

Morning News - iPhone Gets Feature Other Phones Already Have

UPDATE - Josef Fritzl Sentenced To Life In Psychiatric Institution

Kate Gosselin Dreamt Of A Husband and Children - Did You?

They Say - Older Fathers Spawn Dumber Kids

GMA Tweets Details On Levi Johnston And Son

4 Year Old Brings Pot To School, School Bans Backpacks

Oprah Gets It Right On Chris Brown

Mother Sets Fire to Her Daughter's Gloating Rapist

Cole Gamble — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Antonio Cosme Velasco Soriano, 69, was sentenced to thirteen years in Spanish jail for the rape-at-knifepoint of a thirteen year old girl. Nine years into his time, Soriano was given a three day pass to return to his home town of Benejúzar and who should he run into but his victim’s mother. Reportedly Soriano taunted the mother saying, "How's your daughter?" right before entering a crowded bar.

The victim’s mother followed him.

Shortly after, the woman walked into the bar, poured a bottle of petrol over Soriano and lit a match. She watched as the flames engulfed him, before walking out.

According to a witness:

"She didn't acknowledge anyone but walked up to Soriano, who was drinking a coffee, put her hand on his shoulder and turned him round to face her.

"Then she pulled the bottle she was carrying from under her arm and began to tip it over him. At first I didn't realize what was happening, but then I smelt the petrol. I jumped up and tried to grab her, but when she struck a match I got clear.

"The petrol was in a pool around Soriano, and she threw the match into it. It ignited with a whoosh, and he screamed and staggered about covered in flames. As people rushed outside to escape the flames, she just looked at him, then turned and walked away."

Soriano suffered 60 percent burns on his body. 11 days later he was dead.

After her daughter’s attack all those years ago, it’s said the mother suffered from mental illness. When questioned by police about the encounter with the rapist, the woman claimed to recollect nothing of it.

She is currently incarcerated.

4 Ways Birth and Breastfeeding Will Ruin Sex

Girl, 3, raised by dogs after her alcoholic mother neglected her

Octo-Mom Erupts! Video Showdown with Octo-Mom and Her Mother Over Babies

Musical SpongeBob Rectal Thermometer. Fun for Your Kid’s Butt?

My Wife Says: 10 Reasons to Get Plastic Surgery after the Baby

10 Things They Don’t Tell You about Parenting

The 12 Do’s and Don’ts of Throwing Your Kid’s Birthday Party

Things You Should Never Say at a Chuck E Cheese Birthday Party

What Do You Call Your Daughter’s Ladyparts?

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Hopefully not 'ladyparts'—although, according to a Guardian writer who has compiled readers’ names for their daughter’s private parts, “ladybits” is the euphemism of choice for at least one parent.

Other contenders include tweenie (between the legs), front bottom (the visuals on that one are just disturbing), twinkie, minnie, muff, and pinky bo-bo (or we talking about body parts here, or desserts covered in frosting flowers?). I was rather horrified to find my mother’s name (Doris) on the list.

One of the most popular choices was “yoni,” which is the word used in the Kama Sutra. Yoni does have a nice ring to it, but I’m not sure the Kama Sutra is the most appropriate book for five-year-olds to associate their vaginas with….

Here's my favorite of the numerous funny anecdotes included in the article: “My sister overheard her daughter and son talking about this very subject. 'If a boy's willy is called a penis, what's a girl's thing called?' said my niece to her younger brother. In all seriousness, he replied that it was called 'Fine China'.”

Jezebel responded to the Guardian piece by asking the age-old question, “What’s wrong with the word ‘vagina’?” Indeed.

What do you call your daughter’s private parts?

Photo: Jezebel

Also on Babble:

10 Names to Give Your Under 5 Daughter for Her…You Know

Bad Parent: Private Matter

Little Girls Really Do Marry Their Daddies

JeanneSager — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:01:00 GMT

Did your daughter ever inform you when she grows up she's going to marry her Daddy?

It turns out she probably will - or at the very least his doppelganger. Your son, by the way? He might well grow up to marry a woman is a heckuva lot like his Mom.

Recent research and surveys have come up with the same answers - an overwhelming number of people grow up and fall in love with someone who shares either facial characteristics or personalities with one of their parents. Some researchers say it has to do with familiarity, others because they are following set patterns in their lives (ie. a girl with a missing dad might marry an emotionally unavailable man).

Let's face it, kids inherit traits from their parents. So it only stands to reason that the traits they inherited from one parent would be the same kinds of traits that drew that particular parent to the other. If a girl is more like her mother, for example, wouldn't it make sense that she'd be attracted to a guy like her father?

Is one of your kids more like you? Do they have the kind of personality that would mesh with their other parent better? Who is your little one going to grow up to marry?

Image: Sydney Morning Herald

Mom Sells Daughter's Soul to a British Tabloid - Figuratively Speaking

JeanneSager — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:06:00 GMT

There are days go by when your kids drive you nuts, no question. But do you ever stop loving them?

If you did, would you tell a British tabloid?

Shelley Price got the burden of eleven years off her chest to the Daily Mail this week, telling the paper she just can't bring herself to love the little girl she had with an ex-boyfriend eleven years ago.

"I know what people will think. Everyone will hate me. I'm the woman who doesn't like her own child. But I'm speaking out because I'm convinced I'm not alone," she told the paper.

I don't actually doubt her words. As a mom who went through a bout of postpartum depression (fixed by good drugs, take that Tom Cruise), I can identify with a mother's apathy. Fortunately, there is nothing but love for my daughter coursing through my veins these days, but I am willing to bet there are mothers whose depression never gets the appropriate treatment. There too are mothers who kill, mothers who abuse, mothers who neglect their children - a sure sign that not every mother is consumed by pure love for their offspring. What's more, there are mothers who perhaps got pregnant and never should - who (dare I say it?) should have gone for an abortion. We're not all made to be parents. Physically, perhaps. But mentally? Emotionally?

Price says she was meant to be a parent. Her proof? She's got nothing but love for her second daughter, two-year-old Poppy.

Which makes this story all the more cruel. Price has spoken out about her plight just as eleven-year-old Catherine is hitting puberty, a time when a pre-teen's life is already in upheaval. Adding the knowledge that her mother doesn't love her, and the whole world knows took the burden off of Shelley Price and put it squarely on the shoulders of her hormonal tween daughter. Throw in her mother's assertion that she loves her younger daughter, and gone too is the comfort that "maybe her mother wasn't made to love" or "maybe her mother has a condition of some sort." There is simply no rationalizing the facts away. The likely option a child will turn to is "there must be something wrong with me," when it's very clear to adults that the fault lies with Shelley Price.

As a parent, it is our job to protect our children. Period. From the day a child is delivered (or adopted), they become our main priority. But Shelley Price has put her own discomfort first, and by opening up "for other mothers," she has sounded the death knell for her daughter's innocence.

Perhaps this child could already tell her mother didn't love her (old-fashioned sibling rivalry, if nothing else, would likely have brought that to light). Now her mother has removed all doubt. For children, who depend on their parents not only as their first line of defense but as a stumbling block, there's always that knowledge that their parents are the sole source of unconditional love.

A little girl has lost that, and her mother gets to feel better about herself because she's "done a service" to other mothers. Shelley Price says she's now going to work to improve her relationship with her eldest daughter. "'I can't change the past, but I'm hoping we can make our relationship better. I want to put it right, but perhaps it's too late for that."

She's sold her daughter's soul, and she can't get that back.

Source: The Daily Mail has removed the original story, but the piece is still available in full at We Kid You Not

What's Wrong with "Women and Children First?"

Protect Children: Prohibit Divorce

Family Adopts Eight Siblings Separated by Foster Care

Famed Child Killer Mary Bell is Now a Granny

Dad Sells Daughter for Beer; Calls Cops for Non-Payment

JeanneSager — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:44:00 GMT

I applaud stupid criminals - especially when their stupidity lands their own sorry butts in jail. Like Marcelino de Jesus Martinez.

The California father has been charged for allegedly selling his fourteen-year-old daughter into a forced marriage with an eighteen-year-old. So how did police catch him?

Martinez allegedly called them when the groom-to-be, Margarito de Jesus Galindo, didn't turn over the agreed upon some for the poor little girl's hand. According to news reports, the neighbors had worked out a deal that would have included handing over one hundred cases of beer, $16,000, several cases of meat, wine, Gatorade and soda. When Galindo reneged, cops said Martinez called for help in getting his daughter back. Ah, so now she's worth something to him? Something more than the makings of a good backyard barbecue?

Martinez has been booked for "receiving money for causing person to cohabitate" and Galindo for statutory rape.

The most disturbing part of all of this? The girl went willingly - because it's an accepted practice where she's from.

The incident happened in Los Angeles, but her family hails from Mexico - and police in the LA area say they are finding more and more Mexican immigrants (generally from remote areas of the country) are engaging in similar practices. So while many people in America still think of "human trafficking" here only in relation to a coyote bringing people over the border and forcing them into slavery, it's happening within the confines of a family life too.

Sadly, that only compounds the problem for Martinez. He is obviously lacking as a father, but if he's from a community that condones this behavior, chances are, he doesn't even think he did anything wrong.

Image: NBC Los Angeles

Dad Finds Daughter Abducted During Bosnian War

Famed Child Killer Mary Bell is Now a Granny

Cops End Search for Baby Thrown in Hospital Trash

Dying Dad Gets Extra Time Thanks to Mystery Donor

JeanneSager — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:27:00 GMT

Finally, a bit of news that reminds us hedge fund managers are people too (the NASDAQ be darned). A mystery manager here in the states has ponied up the cash to fund the cancer treatments for a British father denied care by that country's National Health System.

Jack Rosser knows he will die, but thanks to the mystery donor, he may have as much as several extra years to spend with his toddler daughter.

OK, commence weeping. I know I shed a tear or two at this story, not least because the Rosser's diagnosis with an aggressive cancer of his kidneys came just days after little Emma was born. The Rossers should have been celebrating new life; but they were staring death in the eyes.

Rosser was told he probably had two years left, unless he began treatments with Sutent, a cancer drug which costs three thousand pounds a month (currently about $4,450). The medicine would give him extra time, but it couldn't save his life. It wasn't enough of a benefit for the British National Health System. The government told Rosser the treatment was off the table. Attempts to get him into a clinical trial were out too - he was told his cancer wasn't advanced enough. He'd have to accept death . . . and leaving his wife and daughter sooner rather than later.

When his story was highlighted by a group working to fight for cancer patients denied life-lengthening care (and highlighted by Bloomberg late last month), the man identified only as a hedge fund manager from the states stepped forward. He'll pay for the fifty-seven-year-old Rosser's treatments, he said, as long as he needs them.

"It's been such a fight and all I can say is thank you. He's given my daughter the opportunity to get to know her dad," Jenny Rosser told Sky News this week.

Perhaps someone could remind the National Health System - and nasty American HMOs - that sometimes the decisions they're making aren't about that one patient, but the lives around them too. A few extra months for a little girl to get to know her father can make a world of difference in her life.

Oh, and while you're at it, could someone pass me a Kleenex?

Image: Sky News

They Say: Poor Kids, Rich Kids Think Differently

Man Forced to Pay Child Support for Another Man's Child

No, the Vagina Doesn't 'Heal Up and Close' from Disuse

Sperm Donor's Teen Daughter Finds Him on Myspace

JeanneSager — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:31:00 GMT

Something tells me the creators of Myspace didn't have this kind of social networking in mind when they set up the site. A California teenager plugged in all the information she had about the man whose sperm her mom used to conceive.

The computer spit back seven possibles - including one photo that looked an awful like her. So Virginia gave Dr. Todd Whitehurst a call.

"I just want to know basic information that most people have access too," the girl said. As a physician, her "dad" could appreciate the importance of a medical history. He was even open to meeting her . . . and eventually nine other children born using his sperm banked at the San Francisco Bay area clinic.

Virginia found her nine half-siblings on the Donor Sperm Registry Website, which she shared with Whitehurst. He then went on and posted information about the two kids he has from more traditional methods. He's since met several of his "kids," including a Gavin from Pennsylvania and Tyler from New York. Like Virginia's mom, the boy's mothers were involved in the process - they were there when their kids met Whitehurst.

It's nice to see a sperm donor who cares about the kids. I've often wondered if the ease of "donation" makes it easier for men to forget about what can come out of the process. Egg donation is much more rare - and a more arduous process - but I can't honestly say that women care more for their progeny than men. We treat them differently, definitely, but I wouldn't say we "love them more."

So why aren't there more donors like Whitehurst out there?

Image: KSV

Dad Wants Daughter Back Despite Negative DNA Test

Father Can't See His Little Boy, But Can He Give Him His Organs?

Juno Goes to Washington? Congress' First Unwed Mom

Best of FameCrawler: Week of November 14th

Whit Honea — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:00:00 GMT

John Travolta Bald With Love

Who Is Barack Obama? 50 Things You Didn't Know

Will.I.Am: It's a New Day (Video)

Watch Out For Your Soul, Britney: Madonna's HUNGRY

Secret Message in Taylor Swift Lyrics: Pregnant or Not, She's Really Pissed

Rihanna Pregnant With Chris Brown's Baby?

Photos: First Daughter Sasha Obama

Caylee Anthony Remains Found?

Remember The Pregnant Man? He's Knocked Up Again!

Will Smith, Oprah and Obama: The Crying Game (Video)

It's Sunday Rose On Oprah

Presidential Perks for Obama Kids

Best of FameCrawler: Week of November 7th

Whit Honea — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Obama Elected 44th President of the United States!

Brooke Burke Says She's Married...More Kids, Please!

Sarah Palin Gets Crank Pranked But Good (Video! And Palin Response! GOD THIS IS FUN!)

Jemaine Clement Has A Son

Rahm Emanuel is Now Part of Barack Obama's Entourage (Photos)

Colbert, Stewart and Obama: The Tears of a Clown(s)

Brad Pitt's Parents Don't Want to See Angelina's Boobs

Is Taylor Swift Pregnant?

Salma Hayek Is A Thief

Did A Celebrity Convince You To Vote?

Michelle Obama is a Work of Art

Baby Brother For Suri Cruise?

Best of FameCrawler: Week of October 31st

Whit Honea — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Photos: Matilda Rose Ledger Turns 3!

Michael Jackson Is Flat Broke

The Hudson Family Tragedy

Isiah Thomas: My Kid Needs Help, Not Me

Travis Barker's Burn Pics

Jennifer Hudson's Family Confirmed Murdered; Nephew Kidnapped

Matt Damon Takes an Acting Break

I Guess It's Over: Madonna Set to Bury Guy's Memory. Literally.

Barack Obama Variety Show on SNL - Video!

This Just In- Jon Stewart Having Campbell Browns Baby

Suri Cruise Has A Private Gym!

Best of FameCrawler: Week of October 24th

Whit Honea — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Lil' Wayne Welcomes Lil' Baby

Brad's Nearly Nudes Of Angelina

Alec Baldwin Praises Sarah Palin?

Is Someone Trying To Out Will Smith?

Obama Dances On Ellen

Jenny McCarthy: My Son Is Cured of Autism

Guess Who Is Having Twins?

Jennifer Aniston Pregnant with John Mayer's Baby!

Lil Wayne's Baby Mama Revealed & It's NOT Nivea!!!

Mark Wahlberg Threatens Andy Samberg, Also Talks to Animals (Video)

Father and Daughter Battle Breast Cancer Together

JeanneSager — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Usually the doc wants to know about mom and grandma when they ask for any history of breast cancer in the family. But men can get breast cancer too - a statistic that's rare, but not rare enough for Arnaldo Silva. The 58-year-old New Yorker found a lump in late 2006. A few months later, his daughter got the news that she, too, had breast cancer.

Vanessa Silva and her dad went through masectomies together after a blood test showed he had the breast cancer "gene." That's when Vanessa went for her own tests, which came back positive. They went through chemotherapy together. In late 2007, Vanessa, 32, was finished with treatment and declared "in remission." Her father got similar news in early 2008.

Like most of the nearly 1,800 men diagnosed with breast cancer every year, Arnaldo didn't think he could get breast cancer - because he doesn't have breasts. "That's the way I took it, I have no breasts," he told ABC News. But as one popular 2005 book reminded us, men have nipples . . . and that means they have breasts too.

And as the ABC News doc points out, man boobs have nothing to do with it (although if you have them, we have one solution). "It doesn't matter how skinny you are. It doesn't matter how heavy you are," Dr. Sharon Rosenbaum Smith said. "All men have breast tissue and can develop a breast cancer."

So Dads, it's time to join your partners in feeling yourself up once a month. Do it for your daughters. And your sons.

Image: ABC News

What Won't Men Do With a Diaper?

Students Suspended for Hair Dyed Pink in Honor of School Nurse's Battle with Breast Cancer

Losing Your Hair? Blame Mom . . . and Dad

Saggy Mom Boobs Get a Lift! Carry It Off with the Cleavage Caddy

Best of FameCrawler: Week of October 17th

Whit Honea — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

John McCain Does The Monster Mash

More Private Angelina Photos Leaked

Joe the Plumber: The Videos!

Tina Fey "You Ignorant Slut"*

PlumberGate: Joe The Plumber IS Related to Charles Keating, and Also Owes Back Taxes!

Lisa Bonet Confirms She's Pregnant

Russell Crowe Says Sons Are Complete Opposites

Joe the Plumber: Republican Plant and Relative of Charles Keating?

Gwen Stefani Worries About Her Weight

Michael Jackson's Kids Unmasked!

Denis Leary: Autism Means Your Kid Is Stupid and Lazy

Billy-Bob Trumps David Duchovny In The TeaLeonifornication Stakes

Best of FameCrawler: Week of October 10th

Whit Honea — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Totally Biased Political Post Containing Cute Kids and Stuff (Video)

New Video & Photos: Angelina Jolie and Kids

Katie Holmes Tells Tom- I'm Leaving

Congrats, Emma! You Endured Pain In Childbirth! JOIN THE CLUB.

Bigot Bridget Bardot Mouths Off About Sarah Palin

Tina Fey is Sarah Palin on SNL: VP Debate (VIDEO)

Mark Wahlberg Talks to the Animals on SNL (VIDEO)

Ricky Schroder Talks About Son's Accident

Madonna Scares Me

The Truth About Angelina Jolie

JLo: I Had A Nervous Breakdown

John McCain Bingo!

Best of FameCrawler: Week of October 3rd

Whit Honea — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Matt Bryant Plays, Honors Son (Updated)

Duggars Reveal Sex Of Baby # 18

Bill Maher Calls Sarah Palin "A Bimbo"

Sarah Silverman Is Still Doing That Baby-Making Thing With Jimmy Kimmel.

Angelina's Post Baby Body Revealed- Photos

Travis Henry Arrested

Jim Carrey Says Jenny McCarthy's Son Taught Him a Deeper Love

Jenny McCarthy Hits Back At Amanda Peet On Vaccine Issue

Chris Rock: Sarah Palin's A Hockey-Mom Version Of Kim Kardashian

Justin Timberlake Proposes To Jessica Biel! Is She Pregnant?

Sarah Palin: Miss Alaska Pageant Video

They Say: It Really Is Mom's Fault - But That's Not Always Bad

JeanneSager — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:33:00 GMT

Sorry Dad. She might be your little girl, but what she really wants is approval from Mom.

A new study published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology claims daughters achieve more when their mothers are proud of them. Researchers from the University of London followed more than 3,000 kids born in 1970, and found the girls whose mothers expected them to succeed at school are more likely to have higher self esteem as adults and more likely to have pursued higher education. They found no real affect for the boys, deducing mothers of daughters may be more likely to push their girls when it comes to education.

I can't help but wonder what they would have found if they'd looked beyond education. After all, the '70s stand out in the history of women's lib - and not just in America. England had its own version of the Women's Liberation Movement that fought for equal pay for women. Moms who may not have gotten much support to be all they could be as kids were suddenly learning, hey, being a girl doesn't have to hold you back.

But considering our parents are our first role models, it's no wonder girls look to Mom for approval of how we're doing on the path to being a grown up. She's our first example of what it means to BE a grown up. And other studies have already shown that when a mom is depressed, negative or anything BUT supportive, her daughter is more likely to struggle as an adolescent.

So Mom, have heart. She might slam the door and shove the iPod buds in her ears, but she still cares what you think . . .

Images: California State University

Part I: Why Parents of Girls Have it Better

What Bristol Palin Can Expect, After Baby Algebra

They Say: To Teach Teens, You Really Have to Scare Them

Best of FameCrawler: Week of September 26th

Whit Honea — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Lindsay Lohan Trumps Clay Aiken's 'Oh, Hey, I'm A Gay Dad' Reveal. Sort Of. Maybe.

Criss Angel Car Crash Video

Was Oprah Found Dead?

Travis Barker and DJ AM's Plane Crash Explained?

Suri Cruise is Isolated and Lonely

Travis Barker Plane Crash: Statement Issued

Pamela Anderson's New Playboy Spread (Photos)

Sharon Stone Loses Custody of Child

Britney's Womanizer Leaked

Is Criss Angel Dead?

Sarah Palin Disney Movie: Head of Skate

From The There Is A God Files: Patrick Dempsey Likes A Good Spanking

Best of FameCrawler: 9-19-08

Whit Honea — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Pam Anderson Marries Fat Old Guy (Photos)

CNN Newsmaker Found Dead With Child At Side

Sarah Palin's Daughter Caught Doing Drugs On Tape

Amy Poehler Crying About Everything These Days

Ryan and Redmond O'Neal Arrested for Meth Possession (Photos)

Megan Fox in a Bikini!

Josh Howard Hates America? The National Anthem Video

Sarah Palin's Tanning Bed

Mary Louise Parker Naked on Weeds: Photo!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden Splitting Up?

All I Want For Christmas Is A Sarah Palin Action Figure

Keira Knightley's Odd Reason For Wanting To Be Pregnant

Happiness for Her Kids: Even Lynne Cheney Wants it Now

JeanneSager — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:33:00 GMT

While the world’s been watching a hockey mom who’s seen Russia attempt a move cross country, the current resident of Number One Observatory Circle has been making some big moves of her own.

Lynne Cheney earned some fans in the GLBT community this week for sort of, almost, but not exactly putting her seal of approval on gay marriage. Congratulations Mrs. Cheney, you’ve taken the next step in what it means to be a mommy.

The vice president’s wife was on CBS’ Early Show to promote her new book, We the People: The Story of Our Constitution, not talk about her openly lesbian daughter Mary. But when CBS co-anchor Harry Smith pressed for her take on Star Trek actor George Takei’s marriage in California to his long-time partner, Brad Altman, Mrs. Cheney quoted one of her husband’s speeches embraced by gays and lesbians back in the 2000 campaign.

“Freedom in this country ought to mean freedom for everyone,” she said, paraphrasing Dick Cheney’s comments during the 2000 vice presidential debates (the exact context of the statements is available here). You know, the comments he conveniently forgot when it came time to stand by his boss and support the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

But I digress. This is about his wife, the mother of his children, after all. “I would wish my daughter to have happiness and freedom to make her own choices,” Mrs. Cheney told Smith.

Even skirting the words “yes, I support gay marriage,” she’s come a long way from the mom who made a political attack against John Kerry during the 2004 campaign for discussing Mary’s sexuality. She pulled the mom card when she called out Kerry to lend credence to her claim that he was “tawdry.” Now she’s pulling the mom card to turn her back on the Republican line.

If she were a politician, I’d call her out for being a flip-flopper. But she’s not a politician. She’s a politician’s wife, and she’s a mom. And I’m just too darn hokey to believe that moms don’t always want their kids to be happy. Call me Pollyanna, but come on. If they’ve got blue hair, a bull ring through the nose plus a lesbian girlfriend, they’re still yours.

So congratulations, Mrs. Cheney. You picked your daughter over the devil perched on your shoulder. Score one for motherhood.