Around the Web…

Some links for your Tuesday afternoon:

• Three sisters find a kidney donor for their ailing dad using Craigslist — Health.com
• The pressures teen girls face today, and how parents can help them stay grounded — Today
  
• Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who first reported a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, reportedly changed and misreported results in his research — Times Online
• New research claims the brains of pregnant women actually become sharper during gestation, not “fuzzy” — Jezebel
• How to break bad-kid behaviors — ParentDish

Comments

Jess on February 10th, 2009

I’ve just read the pressures of teenage girl’s article but it was actually a story on the right hand side that caught my attention.

Pageants.

I actually could not believe my eyes with the images shown!! A little girl, no older than 3 years old having eye liner applied – I’m 16 years old and have worn it once and quite recently!

There were a lot others, with babies and young children – fake tans, make up, hair extensions…to me this is abuse! Child abuse.

If a child is 10 + and wants to be part of the pageant, maybe but not when they’re babies!

Jess

mary on February 10th, 2009

As a mother of a 16 year old beautiful happy girl the fears I have are drugs, alcohol and and eating disorders. As well as sex. But at least to me drugs, alcolol and eating disorders are deamons she or anyone will have to face a liftime. I want my children to always give back to the community, money does not make a person. (although its damn near improtant.) You don’t have to have money to help the elderly, sick, or poor. She volunteers at childrens hospital holding very sick babies and playing with sick children. My 16 year old is street smart(important for the future New York Firefighter) and is a very happy C+ student. It drives her dad and I crazy. I know she can do better. She does great on tests. She does not want to spend a lot of time studing she is uber laid back. She is very athletic and social. (too much my husband thinks) But like I said she is very happy with herself. And I will have to take that. In fact we just got back from Disney and the poor girl is so sick with a swollen spleen. At first she got strep throat that turned into scarlet fever along with getting mono. Just took her for a check up and She has lost 7 pounds in one week she is 115 pounds now. She is upset at loosing those 7 pounds she started crying on the scale. She wants her appetite back I had to go and buy a large malt. She gets mad at her friends when they diet. And on top of all that feels she has let down Childrens Hospital for not being able to be volunteer.
To be honest I don’t know where she got her confidence from. I was not like that when I was her age. She is also outspoken (thats from me)(sorry to all those at Disney who smoked in a non smoking area and my daughter approached them telling them to put the cigarette out “its a no smoking zone here”! I was afraid for my life!) She amazes me. But don’t get me wrong she can also be a Brat at that time of the month when every one wants her to move out.
I don’t need her to be high-achieving or at a prestigious college I want her to be confident and happy with the choices she makes. We tell our children that the choices they make will not only effect them but all of us. So if her goal is to be a New York Fighter fighter Than that is her calling. Although I will admit I would be a little happier if she would stay in Milwaukee and be a F/F here with her dad or picked a safer job

Sanja on February 11th, 2009

Mary –just wanted to say that your daughter sounds amazing! And as we all know a diploma does not a person make or a salary for that matter. I’m getting my masters and will be paid less that my brother who finished a 4 year vocational high school (we have a different school system here) and has his own delivery business.

Oh, and big props to your daughter about the smoking thing!! I hate that and never have the guts to say anything:-(

Stephany on February 11th, 2009

Mary, I just wanted to comment about what a well-rounded daughter you must have! Grades don’t mean a thing when it comes to life. She may not have straight-A’s in school but she does seem to make straight A’s in life, crying over not being able to volunteer and calling people out when they were smoking at a non-smoking place. She sounds amazing! You should be super proud of her.