I wrote recently about a group intentionally tying adoption to anti-abortion issues and how uncomfortable I was with attempts to link the two and give the impression that they are somehow related in deep and indivisible ways.

Today, I'm coming across stories out of Texas that are taking it that little bit further ... far enough to get question marks popping around in my head.

A Texas state senator proposed a plan to pay pregnant women for choosing adoption over abortion... more

Continued from here ..

Parents in both Australia and the and the UK take the rap for fat kids. Now, of course, it's a political hot potato (baked, with butter AND sour cream):

Labor today said that by blaming parents for childhood... more

There are so many things to consider over the course of making the decision to adopt a child. Although once undertaken it may feel like leaping from a precipice into uncharted waters without a life vest, it's usually a very long walk to that edge, with every step considered carefully, and frequent thoughts of turning back. The deciding process is arduous, and eventually gets to the international?/domestic?, boy?/girl?, baby?/older child? range of questions, which actually signals that, yes, you've climbed the mountain and the adoption... more

Continued from here ...

Another concern, of course, is teen pregnancy.

The consequence of starting out life as the child of a teen mother can be illustrated by the following stark comparison: The poverty rate for children born to teenage mothers who have never married and who did not graduate from high school is 78 percent. On the other hand, the poverty rate for children born to women over age 20 who are currently married... more

Continued from here ...

Here's a primer on various aspects of delinquency, including some things to look for:

The emergence of behavior problems can be detected as early as age two. Opposition to parents and aggressive behavior with other children are natural developmental pathways for toddlers. These oppositional behaviors typically decline between... more

"Do you know how old you'll be when that kid is 16?"

How many times have you heard that one? Does it make you quake in your clogs? An article out of the UK today brings to mind that most often voiced fear of people considering adopting at an older age ... the teen years.

This report illustrates that parents of any age can do a terrible job of raising... more

With the recent news of deplorable conditions at Walter Reed grabbing headlines, and continuing casualties of conflicts ... and being a product of the 60s, I can never hear of the loss of service personnel without thinking of families ... this story about ... more

Once again, I'm coming across the published results of research, much of which just seems like a silly waste of money. Of course, just how much money or resources of other sorts has gone into the 'science' that is studies isn't mentioned anywhere I can find ... it's only the 'results' that get the fanfare. With that in mind, prepare for ta daaaaaa!

Starting with stating the obvious, here's a doh! for you:

Advertising... more

Continued from here, where I was about to point out how and why having kids as an older parent works for me ...

There are differences between parenting in my twenties and doing it now that I'm in my mid-fifties. Many of these have to do with maturity, security, life on a tropical island, a sense of humor and so on, but I'm too wrung to go into depth or detail, so I'm sticking with just big differences ...

Big... more

I'm tired.

Wrung, is probably closer to the physical consequence of a week spent up to my ankles in snot ... those very same ankles being the ones covered in clinging, whiny, grumpy, bored, cantankerous snot-factories: AKA Sam and Cj. In addition to my mucus-encrusted appendages exerting extra drag, therefore requiring more of an output of energy than it normally takes to get through a day, the work load has been bumped by the fact that the month is February, so short, yet still due the 86 blog posts a 31 day month gets, and I'm behinder... more