The state of Maryland is cracking down on unvaccinated kids in their school system. Their brilliant approach is to threaten jail time to the parents of those kids.
Parents in Prince George’s County have been ordered to appear at a special court hearing today where they will be given a choice: Get their children vaccinated on the spot or risk up to 10 days in jail and fines.

Does this sound strange to anyone else?

I’ve mentioned how Kevin Federline is the more sane of his kids’ two parents (versus Britney Spears) and how Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are looking to expand their village with yet another child. While these instances cause some disbelieving head shakes, this list of 8 horrid Hollywood parents will make you realize what bad caregivers some actors and actresses make. It’s got a relatively good historical outlook with inclusions like the abusive Bing Crosby and up to more recent parenting disasters like Courtney Love.
The write up on Love, for example, reads:
The offence: shooting heroin while she was pregnant.
The nasty …read more

Parentwonder.com linked to an interesting story on Reuters which refers to a new study stating:
Moms-to-be who have low vitamin D levels during pregnancy appear to be at increased risk for suffering from pre-eclampsia, according to a study.
Pre-eclampsia is a condition of pregnancy that usually begins with high blood pressure. The disorder may also lead to seizures, kidney failure or stroke. It slows the growth of the fetus, can cause early delivery, and can be fatal for the mother and the infant. The cause is unknown and there is no treatment, except to manage the symptoms.
It’s worth a read for expectant …read more

Many parents fear for their children’s safety while the kids are on the Internet. However, it is apparently dangerous for kids while the parents are on the Internet.
A man in Queensland, Australia was surfing the net when some loon walked into his house, picked up his child and walked out. Luckily the thief was not successful.
“…the father of the house was on the computer and heard a noise and turned around to find a male carrying out his three-year-old son,”
It’s not a joking matter, but just another example of just how lost you can become while on the computer.

I have no DUI’s and I have no sex tapes.
I have never spent time in jail and my dog is far too big to carry around under my arm.
I do not have armies of vapid and spoiled teenagers yearning to be me, (at least not that I know of)
…and I still want to be a parent.
A friend of Paris Hilton recently quoted her as having said “…I decided it’s time for me to grow up and take responsibility – and the best way to do that is to become a mother.”
It made me realize that I may be having a …read more

In an unbelievable commentary on society, Consumer Genetics of Sunnyvale, California is now selling paternity and genetics tests that can be “performed” at home. I put performed in quotes because the home part involves pilfering anything from a strand of hair from a brush to ABC (already been chewed) chewing gum and sending it in to their labs.
Questions of paternity are among the largest concerns on the minds of fathers and expectant dads everywhere, but apparently it fairs significantly on the minds of the mothers, too. Wow.

Despite rumors that their marriage is not doing well, Brangelina is pushing forward with their plans to raise their own village. That’s right, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie trying for another kid. I think it’s great that they love children so much, but how can two people with such busy, globe trotting schedules possibly take the time to raise all those kids?

Early on in the process of picking names for our son I threw a name into the mix that my wife did not like. (It was the name of the baker in the Godfather who was bringing flowers to Vito Corleone in the hospital when Michael met him on the stairs. Anyone know the name?) It was not nearly as bad as what the American Idol contestant named her child, but my wife wasn’t pleased, nonetheless.
While it wasn’t a name that I was tied to, it was definitely different and memorable. I like traditional names, but the idea of …read more

A 9-months-pregnant American Idol contestant went into labor while waiting for her shot at stardom. The most amazing part of this story is what she named her child.
” Fighting off contractions, Antoria went before the judges and sang her best — and even made it through to the next round.
After her tryout, she was taken to a local hospital where she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy weighing 6 lbs., 7 oz., who she promptly named Jamil Labarron Idol McCowan.“

Full story on MSNBC.

Following the lead of a few fathers outside of Boston who have begun selling bulletproof backpacks for school kids, I’m submitting a patent for Kevlar diapers. My design is actually a protection mechanism for parents against the explosive digestive tracts of young ones, while Joe Curran and Mike Pelonzi are selling My Child’s Pack ballistic bookbags to protect school-aged children.
While I’m joking about the diapers, these guys are serious about the backpacks. The pair got the idea for the bags after the Columbine school shootings, and have the packs on the market just in time for back to school shopping. …read more