http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/parenting/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:41:49 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418064/posts When my husband was 7 years old, his family went to Kauai. He forgot to pack his swimsuit for the trip and his dad and stepmom punished him for his forgetfulness (because 7-year-olds are so forgetful) by forcing him to wear his skivvies to the beach. My husband must have been emotionally scarred by the incident because he tells this story often, and not to make people laugh, but as an example of child cruelty. He's extremely sensitive about how I clothe our own son, and I, the unaccredited psychologist, think it might be somehow linked... His uncomfortableness with our... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418064/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:41:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417439/posts AMSTERDAM, Ohio -- Deputies found garbage wall to wall inside the Amsterdam home and now one parent is facing charges. The 10-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy are in the care of a foster parent tonight and the father is facing a charge of child endangerment. Sheriff Fred Abdalla said me he did not arrest the mother because she is pregnant with the couples third child. WTRF-TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417439/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:08:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408208/posts Are children reared by two individuals of the same gender as well adjusted as children reared in families with a mother and a father? Until recently the unequivocal answer to this question was "no." Within the last decade, however, professional health organizations1, academics, social policymakers and the media have begun asserting that prohibitions on parenting by homosexual couples should be lifted. In making such far-reaching, generation-changing assertions, any responsible advocate would rely upon supporting evidence that is comprehensive and conclusive. Not only is this not the situation, but also there is sound evidence that children exposed to the homosexual lifestyle... http://www.americancollegeofpediatricians.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408208/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:36:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405323/posts GLSEN, which claims that it wants to protect kids, has chosen to use a fundraising tool that perverts the innocence of Christmas and sexualizes the longtime, child-revered icon of Santa Claus. Yet more evidence revealing the dark side of GLSEN – the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network – has surfaced. (GLSEN was founded by President Obama’s “safe schools czar,” Kevin Jennings.) At issue this time is a GLSEN fundraiser featuring a theatrical play called Santa Claus is Coming Out! GLSEN’s fundraiser invitation says the play depicts “Santa in his heartfelt struggle to reconcile his romantic relationship with Italian toy... citizenlink.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405323/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:38:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403932/posts Wednesday December 9, 2009 Commentary: Another Major Problem with the Senate Health Care Bill: Sex Ed Commentary by Colin MasonDecember 9, 2009 (www.pop.org/) - It's funny, the things that never make the news.Take the recent amendment to the Senate health care plan by Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). This language allocates hundreds of millions of dollars of your money toward "Personal Responsibility Education for Adulthood Training."What can this possibly mean? According to the amendment's mostly vague language, $400 million from the years 2010 to 2015 will be spent on "evidence-based effective programs" that will supposedly teach kids... LifeSiteNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403932/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 19:44:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403237/posts The conflict between parenting and career is hardwired in the female brain.In the struggle for equality between the sexes, it keeps coming down to motherhood, doesn’t it? Consider a recent article by Hanna Rosin in The Atlantic. Rosin finds that nursing her infant is holding her back from the work she enjoys, despite her plan for a fully egalitarian marriage. “We were raised to expect that co-parenting was an attainable goal,” she laments, yet breast-feeding ties her, and not her husband, to their baby. She combs through research on the health benefits of breast-feeding for babies and makes a convincing... City Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403237/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 23:15:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402626/posts A video advertisement on CBS's Web site that "mashes" material from the iconic "Frosty the Snowman" Christmastime cartoon with two of the network's comedy series is offensive and should be pulled, media analysts told FoxNews.com. The video ad, "Frosty the Inappropriate Snowman," takes authentic dialogue from CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" and dubs it on top of the cartoon classic, changing well-known "Frosty" scenes to contain suggestions that the snowman and his friends visit a "strip club." The mash-up also discusses Frosty's "porn collection" and contains repeated mentions of prior sexual conquests. The... Fox http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402626/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 05:24:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400890/posts How an event about building character in children became headline advocacy for gays.A headline squawking “Lesbian parents better at raising children” flew around the English-speaking world last week, having been released by The Times of London. No doubt this thrilled the gay lobby, while alarming traditionalists of all parties. But the real story here is not about lesbians. The real story is the media’s severe case of Gay Infatuation Syndrome: anything that makes gays look good is newsworthy. This seriously misleading headline should caution readers to make a habit of looking behind the headlines. There may be, as in this... CE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400890/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 12:59:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400827/posts December 2, 2009School Choice and the Common Good of All Children by Kevin E. Schmiesing Ph.D. The United States justifiably celebrates its pluralism. The mandate to find unity in diversity—e pluribus unum—is predicated not on the premise that all peculiarities of creed or color must be washed away; instead, it insists that all such cultural and social differences must be respected. Part and parcel of this freedom is the right of parents to educate their children as they see fit. Like all rights, this one carries with it a duty: to prepare the child adequately for participation in society by... Action Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400827/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 10:19:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399552/posts Wednesday December 2, 2009 New Major Study Catalogues How Porn Harms Marriages, Children, Communities and Individuals By John-Henry WestenWASHINGTON, December 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Family Research Council (FRC) has released a comprehensive study on the devastating effects of pornography, identifying its harms to countless marriages, children, individuals and communities. "Pornography corrodes the conscience, promotes distrust between husbands and wives and debases untold thousands of young women," explains the study's author Dr. Pat Fagan, Senior Fellow at FRC and Director of the Center for Research on Marriage and Religion.  While it is often said that it is harmless entertainment,... LifeNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399552/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 19:26:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398465/posts The acclaimed new video game Dragon Age: Origins features a "secret" scene in which a man and an elf have gay sex, it has been disclosed. Players of the fantasy game can only access the steamy footage by seducing the warrior elf Zevran with the correct combination of cheesy chat-up lines. In a clip posted online, the gamer-controlled human character opens with the old favourite "I want to discuss something personal" - one of four dialogue options available He then makes his intentions explicit with "Can you join me in my tent?", before pressing home the point with the unequivocally... Telegraph.Co.Uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398465/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:55:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396290/posts What began as an experiment in 1992 has become 5,043 charter schools in 39 states and the District of Columbia, providing nearly 2 million American families with opportunity not available in the public school system. Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform, said parent demand fueled the rise. "No other form of school choice has provided such a dramatic impact on the lives of so many students," she said, "and no other reform has had the teeth to push conventional public schools to be better like charters have." citizenlink.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396290/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:34:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396257/posts A Vermont judge rules Lisa Miller must turn over her daughter to her former lesbian partner. Superior Judge William Cohen ruled last week that Lisa Miller, a former lesbian who is now a Christian, must hand her daughter, Isabelle, over to her former partner, Janet Jenkins by Jan. 1. Miller conceived Isabella through artificial insemination while she was in a civil union with Jenkins. About a year later, Miller left homosexuality. Jenkins sued for custody, even though she has no biological tie to the child. Miller admits she made mistakes, like signing a custody agreement while still in the relationship... citizenlink.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396257/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:30:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2395234/posts The Church and Education 1459. Do Catholics regard state schools as monuments of blind bigotry, that they won't use them? They are not monuments of blind bigotry. I believe that the state school system was evolved by men who honestly but mistakenly believed it to be the best system for our country. But they appealed to blind bigotry in order to secure their purpose. Sir Henry Parkes said publicly in support of the necessary legislation, "I hold in my hand a bill which will spell death to the calling of the Roman Catholic clergy." It did not. And in order... Celledoor.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2395234/posts#comment Fri, 27 Nov 2009 04:50:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394982/posts A German couple who tried to teach their children Christian values at home has been fined by a Kassel court for refusing to send them to school. The couple from the Hessian village of Archfeld bei Herleshausen has seven children between the ages of two and 17, who they told the court they had hoped to “give the Bible their unlimited trust” through lessons at home. Rosemarie (43) and Jürgen D. (48) were sentenced on Wednesday to pay a daily €1 fine for 60 days for defying the country's compulsory school attendance. The ruling was a lenient judgement compared to... The Local.de http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394982/posts#comment Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:00:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392803/posts A 15-year-old boy told Buffalo Grove police that his parents had taken away his video game system and asked whether they were within their rights. They were, police told him. The teen called 911 about 12:50 p.m. Sunday but then hung up, said Cmdr. Steve Husak. Officers went to the house, and after hearing the story, told the youth that his parents have the authority to take away his Xbox as punishment. The Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392803/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:50:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2391256/posts The insanity crept up on us slowly; we just wanted what was best for our kids. We bought macrobiotic cupcakes and hypoallergenic socks, hired tutors to correct a 5-year-old's "pencil-holding deficiency," hooked up broadband connections in the treehouse but took down the swing set after the second skinned knee. We hovered over every school, playground and practice field — "helicopter parents," teachers christened us, a phenomenon that spread to parents of all ages, races and regions. Stores began marketing stove-knob covers and "Kinderkords" (also known as leashes; they allow "three full feet of freedom for both you and your child")... Time Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2391256/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:21:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386232/posts By Paul Thigpen, Ph.D. Do Animals Go to Heaven? Responding to a common question from children Not long ago a TCA reader wrote us to ask a familiar question: What should we tell children when a pet dies and they ask whether animals have souls and go to heaven? She reported that she had upset some parents when she told their children (students in her class) that the answer to both questions was no.The answer to the first question -- do animals have souls? -- depends, of course, on how we define "soul." Ancient and medieval writers, both pagan and... OSV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2386232/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:34:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374809/posts A 1970s-era Texas law that allows parents to show “harmful material” to their children has come under fire after a prosecutor said he couldn’t file charges against a man accused of forcing his 8- and 9-year-old daughters to watch hardcore online pornography. arstarnet.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374809/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:29:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374297/posts Texas Law Challenged After Man Allegedly Forces Daughters to Watch 'Hardcore Porn' October 30, 2009 DALLAS — A 1970s-era Texas law that allows parents to show "harmful material" to their children has come under fire after a prosecutor said he couldn't file charges against a man accused of forcing his 8- and 9-year-old daughters to watch hardcore online pornography. Randall County District Attorney James Farren has asked the Texas attorney general's office to review his decision not to pursue charges in the case, which has prompted at least one lawmaker to vow to change the state's public indecency law. "Our... FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374297/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:17:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380200/posts Europe Cracks Down on Home School Parents MUNICH, Germany - Increasing custody cases in Europe are proof that officials there have declared war against home schooling and parental rights, according to some residents.In Sweden, police burst onto a plane and took 7-year-old Dominic Johansson from his parents as they were about to leave the country.Months earlier, they told school officials they were going to home school Dominic, prompting officials to open an investigation. In a similar case in Germany, the government abducted 7-year-old Dan Schulz while the family was sleeping. He can be heard on tape screaming that he... CBN.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380200/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:05:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375218/posts Real Witches Practice Samhain: Wicca on the Rise in U.S. More Americans Are Wiccan, and Will Celebrate Samhain, Not Halloween, Saturday By RUSSELL GOLDMAN Oct. 30, 2009— Patti Wigington is a soccer mom. She is the vice president of her local PTA. And she's a witch. This Saturday while her neighborhood outside Columbus, Ohio, is crawling with costumed witches in search of candy, Wigington and a group of other local witches will not be celebrating Halloween, but the new year festival Samhain, which also occurs Oct. 31. In her backyard, Wigington and six other local women who make up... AbcNews.Go.Com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375218/posts#comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:43:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373990/posts A Dallas mother wants to change an obscure Texas law that allows parents to show their young children hardcore pornography. Crystal Buckner claims her ex-husband made their two little girls watch graphic sex videos, but Buckner says the law protects him from being prosecuted. (CBS 11 / TXA 21) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373990/posts#comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:17:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2372430/posts GPS device can track children Updated: Tuesday, 27 Oct 2009, 12:13 AM EDT Published : Tuesday, 27 Oct 2009, 12:13 AM EDT KELLY JOYCE | FOX 35 News ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A GPS device the size of your pinky finger is about to hit store shelves and the web. Some parents say it's a good way to keep track of children given all of the children disappearing in central Florida. The "insignia little buddy tracker" is a Best Buy brand GPS system that's about to hit store shelves. It's already drawn so much interest it's on back... My Fox - Orlando http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2372430/posts#comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:42:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2370696/posts It’s that time of year. College seniors from around the world are graduating, and they are hitting the career world looking for a job. And the interesting thing is that most are not doing it alone. Many parents are by their Gen Y’s side and not just for support and to be a sounding board. If you are a helicopter parent who is hovering over your adult child’s job hunt and interview process, you may be hurting your child’s professional development and their chances to land the job. Helicopter parents have not only been bombarding college campuses, they are now... Fast Company http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2370696/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:54:07 GMT