I read an incredibly disturbing article today.

For those of you who've visited my blog or professional websites, you know I am a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. And in my classes, I almost always aim to keep things upbeat, encouraging and confidence-inspiring. And I think I can speak for many women who are apart of the EmpowHer community that this entity has largely the same goal. You can empower people using a positive vibe. Or you can go for the scare tactic. And I almost never use out-right scare tactics.

I've had the opportunity, in recent weeks, to witness a variety of different parenting styles by watching the interactions between parents and children of various friends and family members. And the thought suddenly occurred to me:

As parents, what is our primary motivation during each parenting interlude? Do we parent, ie. guide, teach and nurture our children so that their behavior and actions are convenient for us, or do we parent our children so that their behavior and actions are good for them?

There is much debate about "overscheduling" your children, whether it be for playdates, classes, etc... but what is your opinion on the appropriate number of class(es) for your child to participate in? (Given that it depends on your child's temperament, your time and financial situation, your child's interests, etc.).

You can now pick up a paternity test kit at your local drug store for about $30.

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/03/25/d...

Availability and access are fantastic concepts in this arena, but willingness to take the test may be another story entirely. Apparently the results of the test don't fly in court. Turns out, you have to pay the $120 to make it legally binding.

Thoughts on this? Think the people who need to use it will use it?

I just saw the forum discussion posting on "prenatal yoga", and was wondering if anyone participated in a prenatal aquatone (or similar exercise class in a pool)? I took this class when I was pregnant (hence the "prenatal"..ha ha), and can not express how much I LOVED it! I ached everywhere, was sore, ugh...I felt like I was in physical agony throughout most of pregnancy...UNTIL I stepped into the pool!

Have you tried prenatal yoga? Share your experiences.

Okay--I have a personal question that I would love input on! I was talking with my new OB/GYN today about having a second child (not for 1-2 years...I'm a planner!!!), and since my first delivery was 2 months pre-term, I was told that any subsequent pregnancies will be "high risk",and basically, I told my new doc. that I wanted to know what I was in for.

Found this story on CNN this morning ...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- It's been a year since the parents of a severely disabled child made public their decision to submit their daughter to a hysterectomy, breast surgery and drugs to keep the girl forever small. Today, the couple tell CNN, they believe they made the right decision -- one that could have a profound impact on the care of disabled children worldwide.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/condition...

I was reminded of the importance of these tips last night as one of my nephews picked up a (clean) paint brush. While a lot of it has been repeated throughout the years, they're items that seem worthy of another run. Here are a few tips for preventing poisonings among little ones courtesy of the CDC:

1. Keep all household chemicals and medicines locked up, out of sight and out of reach;

2. Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container securely after each use. Some products also come in child-resistant blister cards, which avoid the need to re- secure;

There has been much (negative) discussion on children being "over scheduled", directed towards "structured play" and given too many toys that have a "pre-determined purpose". These are compared to the "good ol' days" where children did not have "schedules" (baseball games spontaneously erupted from a bat, ball, and enough neighborhood kids), were not directed towards any play, really, so they had to make up their own play ("imaginative play"), and were not given toys such as a Leap Frog or baby "ball popper" game (they had to make up a game like tag, freeze or build a fort).