Just in case there's any question of how much Mark loves his son, there will always be this shot that proves, without a doubt, they he'll do anything for him ...

including driving around a big, fluffy dinosaur-like, motorized monster ... in public ... for twenty minutes while the wife naps pictures and giggles mercilessly while singing, "Born to be Wild" at the top of her voice.

More from the previous posts ...

For a peek at more frivolous news ...if you can think of anything more frivolous than boobs on men ... how about this story about how parents dig into the kiddies goodies?

For the first time researchers have counted up the fat consumed by adults living... more

Going on from here ...

Speaking of trends in mothering, stats are showing a rise in SAHMs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of mothers in the workforce climbed steadily from 1975 to the mid-1990s, shooting up from 47 to 70 percent nationwide. But since 1997, the rate... more

It's one of those days ... a day when all the news I come across is either weird, wonderful or annoying as all get out.

Oooooh! I have to share!

Jumping right into the swing of it all with the, "Gee! I never would have thought of that in a bazillion eons!" category, how about "Milkmen: Fathers Who Breastfeed"?

... Male lactation is physiologically possible and, according to Dr. Robert Greenblatt, production in males can... more

Continued from here, where I realized the child arriving come May could be my great-grandchild (Ack! all over again!) ... Okay, that little freak-out session will be going on for a while, but while it does I'll shift focus back to the saga at hand ...

So, I have an unhelpful helper who costs us a lot (like many expats, we pay over the normal scale) who will soon need to be paid for doing nothing at all... more

Continued from here ...

Catherina's boyfriend, Richard, seems to be a nice enough guy. He's twenty-seven-years old, has a job ... he's a primary school teacher ... and he appears to be dedicated to Catherina. Unlike almost every young couple in Seychelles, they tried living on their own for a while and rented an apartment. Not prepared for the actual costs of maintaining a home, they gave up after a few months and moved in with... more

Continued from here ...

The week before Christmas, Catherina asked if she could speak to me ... not then, she said, but later in the day. Sure.

About 3:30 she came to my office door and announced it was now time for our chat. Okay ...

I made us both a cup of tea and we took seats at the table on the veranda.

"Don't look at me," she said.

Huh?

"I can't talk if you look at me. I'm... more

Continued from here where I was talking about my assistant and how disappointed I've been in her work ... Catherina had no idea how to turn on a vacuum cleaner ... the retractable cord had her totally flummoxed for starters ... or use one, and because she didn't grow up in a house with electricity or hot water needed instruction on how to make the tap water go from scalding to tepid. Ironing is done with no technique, so clothes end... more

You know that proverbial sack full of nickels I mention occasionally? Well, it smacked me upside the head something fierce a few days ago.

I'll warn you now that this post is the first in what is bound to be an ongoing saga. I have no idea how the situation I'm about to begin to describe will turn out, and I may end up being sorry I shared it with anyone. There is every chance of ugliness, resentment, regret, anger and a load of I-told-you-sos in my future. But ... and this is a big but, but not to be confused with a big butt ... there... more

In the news, no little controversy over some pretty drastic measures taken to insure that a little girl won't get big. As shocking as this may sound, a compassionate and informed look at the circumstances builds understanding, and must cause any parent to ask what they would do if the child was theirs.

The child at the heart of all this is Ashley, now nine years old. Normal at birth, at three months of age she stopped developing. Diagnosed... more