Top 10 Parenting Scandals August, 2011

August 1, State of Missouri outlaws student-teacher Facebook friendships

Missouri law stated that teachers had until August 28 to un-friend any students on their Facebook accounts. Lawmakers said the purpose of the new law was to protect young students from inappropriate student-teacher relationships and possible sexual misconduct. Teachers would still be allowed to create class Facebook pages to interact with their students in a public setting. After much protesting from teachers and others, the law was blocked on August 28th by Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetum.

August 4, Couple ordered to return adopted child: 3 years later

Timothy James Monahan and Jennifer Lyn Vanhorn Monahan from Liberty, Missouri adopted a young child from Guatemala three years ago, not knowing the young girl had been kidnapped from her mother by a child trafficking ring in 2006. Now, the couple is being ordered to return the 6-year-old child to her birth mother within two months or have the international police get involved. The couple is appealing the ruling, but the case is a sad one, no matter which way it ends up being decided.

August 4, 10-year-old French model poses topless

Some parents reacted with outrage and disgust when images were released of 10-year-old French model Thylane Loubry Blondeau posing topless and in other suggestive poses in an international Vogue editorial spread. Vogue described the piece as a symbol of “fashion’s fetishistic, often exploitative relationship with extreme youth as its subject.”

August 8, TSA takes pregnant woman's insulin

A pregnant woman flying from Denver to Phoenix had her insulin confiscated by a TSA agent who claimed it was an explosives risk, even though the woman had her medication properly packaged and a doctor’s note. On further questioning the agent said he took it away because the ice packs the woman used to keep the insulin cold weren’t frozen solid enough. The woman was able to sneak through half a vial of insulin and arranged for more to be delivered to her once she landed, but this situation could have easily endangered her life as well as the life of her unborn baby.

August 9, Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs sentenced.

After deliberating for less than 30 minutes, a jury found polygamist leader Warren Jeffs guilty on two counts of sexually assaulting underage followers he took as brides. Jeffs received the maximum sentence on both crimes and will serve life in prison. After going through seven different attorneys, Jeffs decided to represent himself during the trial.

August 10, Petition to let Bert and Ernie get married.

A petition was posted on Change.org called “Let Bert & Ernie Get Married on Sesame Street” and has already gained almost 10,000 signatures. The makers of the petition argue, “We are not asking that Sesame Street do anything crude or disrespectful. It can be done in a tasteful way. Let us teach tolerance of those that are different.” While some parents support the petition, others argue that Sesame Street is directed toward young children and should focus on children’s issues only. PR reps for Sesame Street say they have no plans for a Bert and Ernie wedding in the future, but petitioners are still going strong.

August 16, Lingerie company markets bras and panties to 4-year-olds.

The controversy of young girls acting too mature and being portrayed as too sexual for their age continues as a French lingerie company, Jours Apres Lunes, markets “loungerie” for girls as young as 4. Their look book is filled with pictures of little girls with teased hair modeling ribbon-trimmed bralets and ruffled panties.

August 17, Swedish mom investigated for leaving baby outside restaurant for 10 minutes.

In Amherst, Massachusetts, a Swedish mother was investigated when she left her baby outside an eatery while she went inside to order food. Though the mom was not arrested, Amherst police contacted the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families to file a report of potential abuse or neglect. The woman reported that she found nothing wrong with the situation, since it was common to leave children outside for short amounts of time in Sweden, which left people wondering: Who is right in this case — the mother or the police?

August 18, Diet-themed book to be released preschoolers.

A new children’s book called Maggie Goes on a Diet will be released this fall, and although the book is about a 14-year-old girl, the recommended reading age is 4-8 years old. While some parents are outraged and think the book will teach young girls to be self-conscious about weight and body image, others say the book promotes positive self-image, healthy choices, and fights to lower the childhood obesity epidemic.

August 19, Surrogacy advocates busted in baby-selling scam.

Surrogacy is supposed to involve a documented agreement between parents and surrogate before the baby is conceived, however, a group of prominent fertility advocates has recently been accused of reversing the order of operations: They would hire a woman to become pregnant and then shop her fetus around to prospective parents. The “baby-selling ring” did this with 12 couples before the FBI shut down the operation.