Strollerderby : south carolina

Woman in Labor Holds Off Delivery Until After Voting for Obama

JeanneSager — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:32:00 GMT

Lakisha Smith wasn't going to let a little thing like her water breaking stop her from casting her vote for Barack Obama. The new mother from South Carolina refused to go to the hospital Monday night when her water broke and contractions began.

She made it through the night and even waited on line at the polling station to take part in the voting process. Smith, twenty-seven, then rushed to the hospital where she delivered daughter Keyonna Marie on Tuesday.

My stubborn daughter had to be induced to come into this world, so I don't know anything about the rush to the hospital with a baby on the way. But miss out on a historic moment like this? Not a chance. I'd have tried my darndest to do the same thing!

Image: City of Gainesville

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They Say: Spanking is the Gateway to Abuse

Madeline Holler — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:01:00 GMT

After unleashing a little whoop-ass on rampant corporal punishment in U.S. schools in an earlier post, I came across a report on a soon-to-be-released study about spanking within the home. Looks like moms who say they or their partners spank also tend to use other, harsher forms of physically abusive punishment on their children. Harsher forms include beating, burning, kicking, hitting with an object somewhere other than the buttocks, or shaking a child less than 2 years old.

Which is not to say every spanker goes this far. A good thing, too. Because while some surveys show a slight decline in the use of spanking as a form of discipline in the last 30 years, guess how many Americans report spanking their 3- to 5-year-old children at least once in a while:

90 percent! So now you know you're not the only one.

But lets look at these harsher punishments and the connection between them and spanking. Around 1,400 mothers in North and South Carolina were surveyed on the phone. Here's what they found (from UPI):

The study, published in the September American Journal of Preventive Medicine, said 45 percent of the mothers reported they or their partners had spanked their children in the previous 12 months, 25 percent reported spanking with an object on the buttocks and 4 percent reported using harsher forms of punishment.

"This study demonstrated that parents who report spanking children with an object and parents who frequently spank children are much more likely to report other harsh punishment acts consistent with physical abuse," Zolotor said in a statement.

Here's the upshot: nearly every parent has resorted to a thwack on the bottom at some point in their parenting history. Of those who didn't then want to collapse in a corner, rocking themselves through the waves of guilt and regret -- in other words, the ones who use the paddle/hand as a go-to discipline of choice, no prob -- they were more likely (though not guaranteed) to also have used a harsher forms of physical punishment (the burning, etc.).

So let's hear it: do you spank? Have you spanked? What do you think of this survey (just North and South Carolina? There's evidence that spanking is more accepted in the South ...). What about other people (teachers) spanking your kids?

Is it ever OK to hit your kids?

Should You Intervene When Strangers Hit Their Kids?

Photo: medicineworld.org

Hot for Teacher: Middle School Teacher Busted for Sleeping with Students

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:01:00 GMT

In the school, at a motel, in a park and behind a restaurant. Those are just some of the places that South Carolina middle school teacher Allenna Ward, 23, had sex with her students. Ward, who is married (aren't they all), is accused of having sexual relations with at least five students ranging in age from 14- to 15-years-old.

Police began investigating Ward when school officials found an "inappropriate note." ("Dude! I just banged Mrs. Ward behind the Dairy Queen!") That's the thing about school kids. They pass a lot of notes.

Mom Calls Cops on Son for Opening Christmas Present Early

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 15:01:00 GMT

A 12-year-old South Carolina boy thought he was being crafty by finding, unwrapping, and playing with a Game Boy well before Christmas, but what he didn't count on was his mom calling the cops on his punk ass. Booyah!

When his mom discovered that the $85 gift had been tampered with, she called the Rock Hill Sheriff Department and the boy was arrested for petty larceny. Mom describes her son as being "disruptive," and said he's been in trouble for stealing in the past. She hopes that this incident will serve as a wake-up call for her son.

Speaking of wake-up calls, the pair was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night where Jimmy presented the boy with a boxed set of Oz DVDs.

For Christmas this year, the boy will receive a hefty dose of bitterness as he watches his cousin unwrap and enjoy the present that was intended for him.

[photo credit: steelturman]