I Can See for Miles and Miles and Miles(tones)

This week, my baby took his first steps. At nearly 14 months old with no real signs of walking, I’ll be honest – we were beginning to wonder. I wasn't worried about any developmental delays, as I knew he was taking strides (pun intended) in the right direction; I just anxiously wondered when it would happen. Then, in the kitchen one night as I was doing dishes, I saw it out of the corner of my eye – could it be? Yes, yes! He’s doing it! He’s walking! One step, then two, then three…! Ecstatic, my husband and I tried to get him to do it again…and again…and again. We cheered him on. He grinned and laughed. It was an amazing moment.

The Meta-Report - 8.3.11

I'm very excited to introduce a new feature of my site - the Meta-Report. These periodical reports will include summaries and commentary on what I'm currently reading (online and offline), as well as brief updates on evidence-based news related to parenting, pregnancy, and child development.

This week in Meta-Report:

No Kids Allowed
Holy Unplanned Pregnancy, Batman!
Sharing Sleep, the Evidence-Based Way
and Family Planning...for Blacklash

How to be Non-Compliant Without Really Trying

CNN Health recently ran an article titled, "Are You Giving Your Doctor a Headache?"

www.badheadache.org

How's that for a distressing lead-in?

The article refers to the "Patient Who Knows Too Much," a near-archetypal patron of medical offices, apparently oft-discussed in online doctors' forums.  A stereotype in the worst way, this patient is described as an overweight, frequent internet user who is gullible enough to believe anything they read on the web, without regard for the reliability of the source.

Keeping up with Mama Jones

"Even the most perfect looking family can have some serious junk going on behind closed doors. No one is immune to family issues because doing "family" is just plain hard." ~ Hal Runkel

The Brady Bunch's Jan tries to wash away her pre-teen angst with lemon juice

For as long as I can remember, I have fallen into the comparison trap. As a young girl, I would stand in front of the mirror in my bedroom, picking apart every detail of my face, comparing it to the faces of everyone else I knew. I focused on things like the freckles that covered every inch of my face - no one else I knew had freckles like this. What could I do to get rid of them? After watching an episode of the Brady Bunch where a pre-teen Jan attempts to render her own freckles invisible with lemon juice, I was convinced I had found the solution to my problem. (It didn't work).

Am I One of THOSE Parents?

A couple of months ago I saw this hilarious skit on Saturday Night Live that both entertained me and, admittedly - as someone who partakes in many parenting approaches that would be considered "natural" or "alternative" - also ruffled my feathers a bit. Take a look and see what you think:



As I watched this video, I had to wonder: Is this really how natural childbirth is perceived in our culture?