Strollerderby : parent

Jon & Kate Plus 8 Premiere Snags 9.8 Million Viewers

Brett Singer — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

So you know this Kate Gosselin we've been hearing so much about? Mother, reality show star, husband may or may not be cheating on her? Lots of backlash against her?

After all the sturm und drang that the Gosselins have generated in recent weeks, you might think that would hurt their ratings. But you would be wrong.

The season premiere of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" was watched by 9.8 million people. That's not only the largest audience for a cable show on Monday. It was the largest audience for ANY show that evening.

People, negativity sells. Big time.

Yes, it was Memorial Day. But "Jon & Kate" isn't even on a network. It's on cable. Which means that not everyone -- most people, but not everyone -- can see the show. To me, this was an astonishing feat.

I have a confession to make. I don't watch "Jon & Kate Plus 8." I don't watch any reality shows regularly, which isn't a judgment on those of you that do. It's just not my thing. (If they could make a reality show with superheroes in it, that I might watch.) But all of the tabloid news has been oddly fascinating to me. I read the People Magazine article. Someone left a copy of US Weekly in my house and I read the "Jon & Kate" article. (Well, I started it. But I'll finish it.) And I have to admit that I might just check out a few minutes of the show.

Did you watch the "JK8" premiere? Did the recent scandals surrounding the couple make you more interested in the show?

Source: Hartford Courant

Morning News - California Supreme Court Upholds Prop 8

Kate Gosselin - Mom or Monster?

Gosselins are Good for a Gander (big roundup of stories on Famecrawler)

Mom Arrested for Having 555 Pound Son

Morning News - Mike Tyson's Daughter Injured

Kids Ask Obama to Let Their Mother Back in the Country

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:39:00 GMT

Three Minnesota children have set out on a long journey to the White House in hopes of being reunited with their mother. The Zamudio children—aged 9, 11, and 12—recently lost their mother after she was sent back to Mexico because her work visa had expired.

After Mario Guadalupe Zamudio was first deported, her U.S.-born children returned with her to Mexico, but they could not keep up in school because their lessons were not conducted in English. So they moved back to the States six months ago and have been living with an aunt since then.

The arrangement is intolerable to all three children, and they are turning to the President and First Lady for help. Yesterday night, they packed up their aunt’s van and drove through the night to Washington D.C., where they plan to hold posters and deliver letters, asking the Obamas to let their mother back into the U.S. Lalo, the oldest, said, "We want to ask Obama to help us bring our mom back ‘cause we need her. We are just kids.”

It’s impossible to estimate the exact number of U.S.-born children who lose a parent to deportation each year, but researchers say it is at least in the high thousands. In many cases, the loss of a breadwinner means that the remaining single parent is forced to seek government assistance to put food on the table.

Though immigration officials try to find care for children who are left without a guardian, the law mandates that breaking up families is not a factor in the decision to deport immigrants.

Photo: kare11.com

Black Market for Blankies

Kelly Mills — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:32:00 GMT

According to the Washington Post, there's a whole slew of sellers on ebay who are buying up seemingly "'eh, what's the deal" blankets, stuffed animals, and other toys. Why? Because the items have been discontinued by manufacturers, and sellers are hoping to capitalize on the desparation of one group in particular.

The "lost lovie" parents. You know, folks whose kids are attached to a binkie, snuggle, woobie, num-num, lovie, blankie, wootsie cueball whatsit. Whatever. Sellers are counting on parents paying top dollar when their child's most precious security possession goes missing. For example, one Carter's blanket had a "buy it now" option of $54.88 and a message telling people not to ask why the price was so high, because this item could only be found on eBay.

I'm simultaneously creeped out by the idea of capitalizing on a kid's attachment to an almost irreplaceable item, and impressed by the ingenuity of people who get exactly how far parents will go to keep their kids from a lost-blankie freakout. I know my family once drove five hours back to a hotel during a packed vacation to retrieve my sister's most beloved stuffed otter.

So how far would you go or have you gone to keep your kid snuggie-satisfied? Would you pay top dollar to ebay vultures/entrepreneurs?

Teddy Bear Rescue Goes Horribly Wrong

Georgia Family Has Everything They Own Up on eBay

Envy the Mongoose - They Pick Their Own Parent

SunnyChanel — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:50:00 GMT

Many people wish that they could have picked their own parents. But with this recent study, you may very well wish you were born a mongoose. Why? Because mongooses (or how I like to call them mongeese), get to just that, they pick their own parent.

The banded mongoose live in large family groups. Many of the females, as many as ten, breed and birth their young around the same time. The pups, after they are born, live in a communal den. As they start to venture out, after about a month, the pup “begins to associate exclusively with one particular adult - not necessarily a parent - that provides nourishment and protection.”

After the pup claims their parent or "escort", they become very possessive and won’t let any other pup within a yard of their caregiver. But the relationship is short lived. After about three months, the pups begin to fend for themselves, and don’t need their “escort” anymore. Hope they keep in touch with their maternal and adopted parents, especially around the holidays.

My Mother Was an Egg Donor

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT

How would you feel if, out of the blue, you learned that those triplets you grew up playing with were technically your half-siblings?

This was the subject of a recent question posed to Slate’s Dear Prudence column. The writer, a college student, recently learned that his mother had her eggs harvested and donated to an infertile couple who are close friends of the writer’s family. This knowledge turned his world upside down. He feels hatred toward the triplets who were conceived with his mother’s egg, and is worried that his mother loves them more than she loves him. The writer seems surprised—as I was—by his intense feelings of jealousy and bitterness. He has tried to focus on his mother’s generosity, but he keeps focusing instead on the fact that he has three half-siblings he really doesn’t want.

Good ole Prudie points out that, while his mother simply donated a “microscopic bit of herself,” the mother to whom she gave her eggs carried triplets for nine months, gave birth to them, and raised them. In other words, being an egg donor is not even close to being a parent. While the writer’s mother helped these triplets come into the world, she is not their mother.

Would others feel similarly devastated if they discovered one of their parents had helped an infertile couple conceive? Would you be less likely to donate your eggs or sperm if you already had kids of your own?

Photo: worldrumour.blogspot.com

Is it fair to take pictures of Britney's kids?

Brett Singer — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:53:00 GMT

You may have heard about the photographs of Britney Spears smoking while 2-year-old Sean Preston was playing with her cigarette lighter. Well, the actual photo doesn't quite show that. Here it is:

Now, far be it from me to disagree with the celebrity media machine, but this doesn't look as bad as it sounds. In this pic she looks to be taking the cigarettes away from her child. That would be the right thing to do. The better thing to do would be to not smoke at all, and especially not in front of your kids. Second-hand smoke is very dangerous, especially to little lungs. It also makes me wonder if she was smoking while pregnant, which would be much worse. My guess – and I have nothing to back this up – is that she probably was. As a former smoker, I know how hard it is to quit, and it looks to me like the Britster is quite the nicotine addict.

Here's the part that gets me: the photos were taken at her house. Why? Presumably a photog with a mega-ultra-zoom lens – a "Pavarotti", as El Federline famously referred to them on his ill-fated rap album – was suspended from a helicopter or something and took the shot through her window or on her balcony.

She's a celebrity, and over 18 (although emotionally she might be, like, 12, but let's not go there). But her kids aren't. Not to sound like a celebrity defending dipstick ("LEAVE...BRITNEY...ALONE!"), but maybe there should be a law that prevents the kids from being photographed, at least when they're at home. As someone points out over at MomLogic, they didn't ask to be in this bizarre situation.

There are celebrities whose children you almost never see candid pictures of – Madonna, Howard Stern, Christie Brinkley, and I'm sure there are dozens more that I can't think of at the moment. Of course, those people aren't the unbelievable mess that Brit appears to be. At best, this photo shows poor judgment on her part, not only the smoking but also hanging out with her kid in front of an open window where a sleazoid photographer can get a clear shot. Um, curtains? A really high hedge? Move someplace else?

Of course, if nobody wanted to see the pictures, they wouldn't be worth anything, and photographers wouldn't take them. But that's a different topic.

Here are the rest of the photos. Hey, at least she looks pretty good in her bikini.

images: popsugar.com

Britney - Babe-A-Licious Again!

When playgrounds attack, the sequel

20 Disturbing Baby Products

S&M Barbie

Lourdes and Miley kidnapped?

20 mil for pics of twins

When Cynthia called Cindy

Who Would You Name Your Local Sewage Plant After?

Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to the Girl From 'Love, Sidney'?

Michael Savage says kids with autism need to get over themselves

Celebrity Baby Naming Hits New Low

Father Forced to Chose Which Child to Save

Cole Gamble — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:00:00 GMT

There are some “what if's” that, as a parent, you cringe to even say aloud, let alone ponder. One of the most prevalent is the old “what if both your children were about to die and you could only save one?” The rest of us have the luxury of pushing that horrid thought out of mind. This father had to make the choice for real.

Ian Clayton was on a canoing trip with his eight-year-old twins when their boat capsized in fast current. Clayton's son has quickly pulled downstream, while is daughter was somewhere under the water. Clayton was faced with two options, stay and look for his girl or stop his son from being carried away. Despite his son's protests of “save my sister first,” Clayton went for the boy and successful pulled him to land. Unfortunately it was too late for Clayton's daughter.

Often in parenting it is not the choices we make, but living with the choices we didn't. There is no more extreme example of that fact than this. At least Clayton had the fortitude to take decisive action in the moment, though it will haunt him forever. I think some of us might hesitate, unable to make a horrible decision, and have to live with even more disastrous consequences.

Clay Aiken ain't no fruit

Brett Singer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Far be it from me to imply that Clay Aiken is anything less than muy macho. But, you know, there have been those nasty rumors, which led to threats of a lawsuit from his devoted fan base, who are known as the Claymates. (Really. They call themselves Claymates, and one of them tried to sue Clay over rumors that he was homosexual. Don't you feel normal now?) So perhaps -- and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, you know -- Clay's recent actions are fueled by a desire to "butch it up, Mary" as the saying goes.

First: he impregnates a woman. This is a clear sign of masculinity. I mean, try doing that if you're... you know, not manly. Well, it was artificial insemination, which means there was no actual physical contact. But hey, there's nothing wrong with that either. (Even if Aiken isn't the father, he could have been. Hey! Stop laughing!)

Second: when a ~~vulture~~ cameraperson from ~~the fiery pits of Hell~~ TMZ confronted him on the street, he pulled a Sean Penn and whacked the camera. In a very aggressive, manly way. Again, nothing wrong with that. (Video of the incident is below, or click here.)

One thing that I've always found interesting is what constitutes "manliness." Impregnating a woman means that your sperm is, you know, spermy. Strong swimmers, etc. But so what?

And punching someone, even if that someone is ~~being a dick~~ just doing their jobs, is more out of control than it is "macho." To be fair, Clay just kinda pushed the guy; more specifically, he pushed the camera. If he had ripped the dude's arms off and beaten him within an inch of his life, that would have been much more manly. (Not that we advocate such behavior. But it would definitely have been big news.)

So maybe it's possible that all of this "news" just happens to be coming out (no pun intended) around the time that Mr. Aiken has a new album out. Just a thought.

In closing, let me request that the phrase "Claby" (Clay + Baby) never, ever catch on. It's just... there is something wrong with that.

(TMZ.com screenshot)

other image: offoffBway.com

Breaking News: Clay may not be the father

All Aiken, All the Time

American Idol or American Psycho? Clay Aiken Gives Pap a SMACKDOWN!

Fans Show Support For Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken Involved in Pregnancy

Breaking News: Clay Aiken might not be the father

Brett Singer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Could the whole "Clay Aiken can impregnate a woman without even touching her" news be a big fat stinkin' lie? The Calgary Herald is reporting that "several people close to" babymama Jaymes Foster are denying claims (clayms? Nope, not going there) that Aiken is the daddy.

~~One Of The Signs Of The Apocalypse~~ TMZ first reported that Aiken had artificially inseminated Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster, going on to say that, "Clay is a lot more than sperm -- we're told he will have an active role in raising the child." The story was picked up by roughly 12 million media outlets. BUT one of the so-called sources is denying that he ever said Clay was the daddy-to-be, even asking People.com to retract their story. And B.J. Cook, David Foster's ex-wife and Jaymes Foster's ex-sister-in-law said, "Jaymes is definitely pregnant, that much is true...I can guarantee that it's not Clay Aiken's baby." (emphasis added.)

Of course, no one directly involved is talking to the press, including Clay, who is very busy punching cameras.

It must be pointed out that we have no knowledge of this incident, or alleged incident. Maybe Clay is on his way to fatherhood. Maybe not. Who the hell knows? Clearly this is the most important story of the decade. Well, other than the Sex and the City movie. (Election? What election?)

Aside #1: Foster went from "in her late 40's" to "50" in a matter of days -- I guess it is stressful being in the public eye. Here's a photo of the happy non-couple.

Aside #2: Even if this whole thing turns out to be bull, at least we'll always have the phrase "Clay is a lot more than sperm." Thank you ~~Satan~~ TMZ.

images: thehollywoodgossip.com, offoffBway.com

All Aiken, All the Time

American Idol or American Psycho? Clay Aiken Gives Pap a SMACKDOWN!

Fans Show Support For Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken Involved in Pregnancy

And some other news, in case you're curious:

Immigrant Gay Folks Face New Challenges

Political Nanny: Rules, Schmules, Numbers, Schmumbers

Mom Fights Church on Behalf of Autistic Son

Autistic boy voted out of kindergarten by classmates

Best of FameCrawler: Week of May 2nd

Whit Honea — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair Photos: Annie Leibovitz Speaks

Oprah Reveals Scoop On Tom Cruise Interview

Jessica Alba- A Bra Would Only Slow Her Down

Lourdes Looks Like A Young Angelina Jolie?

Claudia Shiffer and Daughter Clementine

Melissa Joan Hart Has Her Pre-Baby Body Back

Kate Hudson Tops People's Most Beautiful People List

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon Married...and Expecting?

Courteney Cox Getting Baby Help from Friend

More Halle Berry Post Baby Body Pics!

Best of FameCrawler: Week of April 25th

Whit Honea — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Kat Moss Stands Up to Pee

Brad & Angelina's Quiet Wedding

Halle Berry Is No Couch Potato

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz Are Like A Dog and His Owner

Jonas Bros Defend Miley's Bra-Baring Skank Pics, But Still No Word From Daddy

And The Most Embarassing Parent Award Goes To...

Lourdes Looks Like Mama Madonna

Bridget Moynihan Has Style Advice And So Do I

Mark Wahlberg Adding on to the Funky Bunch

Miley Cyrus' New Boyfriend Revealed!

Are Some Eco-Parents Eco-Obsessed?

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:16:00 GMT

As the bad news rolls in about toys, bottles, games, and any old thing that touches baby's skin, it is hard to not to freak out with low-grade anxiety and worry. After all, if there's one thing this generation of parents excels at it's fretting.

But when does the quest for eco-perfection exceed reason and enter the World of the Crazy Eco-Obsessed Parent?

According to some, many moms have already crossed over to the dark side, with their glass bottle washing, cloth diaper cleansing unnecessary complicated domestic chores. Still others think one can be an eco-conscious parent without going nutty over it.

What drives discussions about people and their willingness or unwillingness to go the exra mile for their parental environmentalism (buy wooden only toys, organic food, vegetarian diets for the kids) is anxiety after all.

And I don't know about you, but one of the worst feelings in the world is having something that has already happened (I fed my twins with plastic bottles -- heated in the microwave, full of formula -- no lie) cannot be undone. So glass bottles? I say PHOOEY!! Mostly because if I don't, I'll be trembling in a corner somewhere worrying over whether I've planted baby carcinogens in my babies, someday sure to sprout into a whole forest of cancer.

And honestly, isn't there enough worry to go around?

[Image Credit: Slate.com]