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California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several bills Saturday aimed at bolstering the state’s protections for LGBTQ+ people, a day after issuing a controversial veto that was criticized by advocates. . . . . . A third requires families to show that they can and are willing to meet the needs of a child in foster care regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

It’s extraordinarily well-documented how much of a disadvantage children from single-mother households have over children whose parents remain together, but less well-documented is how much of a disadvantage they have over single-father households. For example, studies have found that children that from single-mother households are 5 times more likely to commit suicide than children from both unbroken households and single-father households, 9 times more likely to drop out of high school, 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances, 14 times more likely to commit rape, 20 times more likely to end up in prison and 32 times more likely...

In an effort to become more inclusive and welcoming to LGBT people, the French city of Marseille is moving to scrap mother and father from civil documents and replace the terms with “parent 1” and “parent 2”. The city of Marseille is moving to update its civil status forms, such as administrative documents and marriage certificates, to become “more inclusive, in coherence with the law” according to deputy mayor Jean-Marc Bonnaffous. So far the forms have been updated in select boroughs in the city but Marseille is hoping to implement the new changes across the entire city as part of...

As families prepare to celebrate a holiday focused on gratitude, many parents say their children aren't as thankful as they should be. Four in five parents in a new national poll agree that children today are not grateful for what they have, with over half of parents worrying that they're giving their children too much and two in five saying they're even sometimes "embarrassed by how selfish their child acts." But most parents do in fact want to raise appreciative kids, with three in four saying it's a high priority to teach their children gratitude, according to the C.S. Mott...

On October 30th, People ran a story as part of their ‘Women’s Choices, Women’s Voices’ “stories from abortion-seekers” campaign, featuring the example of a Texas woman named Mariah Armonta, a single mom of three living children, with her youngest being just nine months old. When she took a pregnancy test after missing her period in mid-October, the result confirmed that Armonta was expecting her fourth child. The 25-year-old, who had been back to work for just six months following her nine-month-old daughter’s birth, told People that her initial reaction was panic. She scheduled an appointment at a Texas abortion business...

Joe Biden is unfit to be President

"My Freedom Is NOT Open To Negotiation With Any Of You" Assertive parent makes strong points to his child's 'school board'. https://twitter.com/_RedWalrus_/status/1426942711609708551

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced legislation Monday that would create a tax credit aimed at helping working-class Americans overcome financial and economic barriers to start a family. Hawley introduced legislation that would establish a Parent Tax Credit, a fully refundable tax credit provided through monthly advances. Hawley’s bill would create a $6,000 credit for single parents and $12,000 for married parents.

Pandemic policies at tech companies have created a rift between parents offered more benefits and resentful workers who don’t have children. When the coronavirus closed schools and child care centers and turned American parenthood into a multitasking nightmare, many tech companies rushed to help their employees. They used their comfortable profit margins to extend workers new benefits, including extra time off for parents to help them care for their children. It wasn’t long before employees without children started to ask: What about us? At a recent companywide meeting, Facebook employees repeatedly argued that work policies created in response to Covid-19...

I consider myself a minimalist. Too much stuff gives me all kinds of stress, from ecological to financial. I’m a big believer in experiential gifts and spending time (together), not wads of money. But I’m buying my kids presents this year. They're tangible, need to be unwrapped and aren't just experiences or vouchers. And I’m feeling good about it. It’s not out of guilt or peer pressure, or any of those other powerful emotions. There is a method to my consumerism. First of all, when I say I’m buying my kids presents, I don’t mean a pile of plastic, electronics...

What is the role of a parent? Child: May I play in the street? Conservative parent: No, it’s too dangerous to play in the street. Liberal parent: No, it’s too dangerous to play in the street. Child: May I stay up past my bedtime? Conservative parent: No, you need your rest to grow strong and healthy. Liberal parent: No, you need your rest to grow strong and healthy. Child: May I play outside after dark? Conservative parent: No, it’s not safe to play outside after dark. Liberal parent: No, it’s not safe to play outside after dark. Child: May I...

The headline says it all: “Proposed Bill Would Expand Parents’ Rights, but Critics Say It Goes Too Far.” What exactly is too far when it comes to parents’ rights? In the case of this story from Fort Worth, Texas, it means that “critics” think parents shouldn’t have the right to know what their children are doing at school. Opposing this belief is Texas state senator Konni Burton, who authored the legislation. She believes that parents should be allowed access to their kids’ personal information, rather than protecting their child’s alleged right to privacy. The fact that legislation is necessary to...

...snip... When I grew up, all my male classmates were out shooting guns when they were seven. My father, of an urban liberal persuasion, wouldn’t let me near a firearm until I was 17. Still, I strongly believe that one of the most important skills a parent can teach their children is self defense. Dogs do it. Cats do it, tigers do it. Only domesticated animals like cows, sheep, chickens, turkeys, and domesticated pigs don’t. (I guess that is why we farm them for food. They don’t fight back.) Yes. Humans tend NOT to EAT animals that fight back. I...

The Village of Shorewood Hills is an upscale bedroom community on the shore of lake Mendota, surrounded by Madison, Wisconsin, Lake Mendota, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. On 23 February, 2018, Jonathan M. Fitzgerald showed some parental concern. Jonathan, who is a 35 year old graduate student in a Ph.D program of molecular and cellular pharmacology, was buzzed into the school and calmly walked to his child's classroom. There he handed a piece of cardboard with the word "Gun" written on it to the teacher. From madison.com: Shorewood Hills Police Chief Aaron Chapin said Jonathan M. Fitzgerald, 35,...

It was the most awkward and divisive of questions that I would ask of other parents, usually new acquaintances, but also of old friends. We’d be on the phone, discussing our young children, laughing, and the subject of play dates would come up. The other mom might say, “Can Chloe come over here tomorrow to play with Maddie?” I would ask, “Do you keep guns in your house?” Always it would lead to the most illuminating of answers, whether yes or no. If the response was negative, the parent would answer immediately, following up with something like, “No, never. We...

Today, I was informed by the nursing home that it is in the process of moving 2 current residents from Alzheimer's Unit to the general floor, and there will be an opening within the next 7 - 10 days. Started the process for nursing home placement for my mother with now advanced Alzheimer's Disease in December 2014. Anticipated August 7, 2015 admission date.

Let’s keep it real, shall we? I don’t like everything about parenting. I hated my daughter’s croup. Why do I need to like everything about Down syndrome? 10. I hate it when he uses his low muscle tone to his advantage in a tantrum. It’s not a fair fight. I hear parents say “All kids do it, it’s age appropriate at 2 years old!” Yeah? Well, say that to me when I’m draping a 13 kilogram liquid toddler over my arm like a highly disagreeable fish playing dead. Then still powering on with my grocery shop. 9. I hate it...

A woman was dangling her 2-year-old son over a railing at the Cleveland zoo when he fell about 10 feet into a cheetah exhibit, zoo officials said. The toddler’s parents jumped in and pulled him to safety Saturday afternoon. He was treated at a hospital for a few bumps and bruises, said Cleveland Fire Department spokesman Larry Gray. The cheetahs didn’t go toward the boy or his parents, said Chris Kuhar, executive director of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Several eyewitnesses saw the woman holding the child over the railing, Kuhar said in a statement. “While this incident is disturbing to everyone,...

The principal of Romeo High School has called an outraged father to apologize about a controversial homework assignment. The 9th grade biology worksheet sent home with students this week featured questions about a mother trying to determine the identity of her baby’s father. Possible answers included: the cable guy, the mailman, the cab driver, the bartender and the guy at the club.