Archives for October 2006

Captain Underpants is banned from Long Beach High School in Long Beach, NY . For those of you who are unfamiliar with Captain Underpants, he is a superhero invented by a young man named Dav Pilkey in 1973. Captain Underpants has done battle with talking toilets and the infamous Professor Poopypants. It is recommended reading for ages 7 – 10 and published by Scholastic, Inc. The superhero has created controversy over the years. The comic book series has been banned from schools and libraries throughout the country. Some parents have found the content somewhat offensive. The series of books include story lines on bathroom humor, hypnotizing a mean principal etc.

I wonder what the parents were thinking when their daughters left for school dressed in briefs and a cape. Did the teens know that Captain Underpants was banned from schools and libraries across the country? Did the teens know that underpants were not allowed to be shown? The teens felt that the costumes was appropriate, they weren’t actually naked, it just appeared that they were. Would you allow your 17 year old daughter to leave for school dressed as Captain Underpants?

Here’s one for the books, Principal Shoots Kittens on school grounds. His reasoning, to keep them from starving. Apparently the mother of the kittens was killed, and the principal decided to shoot the kittens rather than see them starve. Students who were on the school property heard the shots. The principal stated that no students were in danger. I guess taking the kittens to the Humane Society or seeking a home for them never crossed his mind. He could have also called animal control. Most importantly, why is a school principal carrying a gun on school grounds? Besides shooting the defenseless kittens, carrying a gun on school property is a felony.

What’s happening in our school systems? Why has the world become so violent? This is an educated man who was selected to lead a particular student body and its teachers. If this is the type of decision that he made regarding kittens, I sure wouldn’t want him making decisions regarding my child’s education. Fortunately, this principal accepted a settlement and resigned. Frankly, I would have fired him without paying him a dime, but I guess the goal was to rid the school of him and his poor decision making skills as quickly as possible.

Should parents who adopt a child be allowed to unadopt them if they discover mental disabilities later? A Virginia couple has done just that. In 2003, the 12 year old boy they adopted sexually molested a 6-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl still in diapers. At that time, case workers revealed the medical records of the 12 year old boy. The records were shocking. They revealed that the boy’s biological parents were drug addicted alcoholics who abused him. The records also indicated that the boy had been hospitalized seven times in psychiatric institutions and diagnosed as possibly psychotically bipolar. The couple claims that the social worker did not reveal this information, and if they had known they would have never adopted the young man. The deciding factor to unadopt was when psychologists informed them that he was a “sexual predator.” This meant that the couple could not have their three grandchildren in their home nor could they continue to be foster parents. They were forced to choose between their grandchildren and foster children or their adopted son.

The state of Virginia has relieved the couple of their custodial rights only, they must pay $427.00 per month in child support and cover any court costs that may be incurred by the boy in the future. The state has placed the boy in foster care. The couple don’t believe they should have to pay child support, and they are looking to politicians to help them out. They believe they were deceived. What’s the chances of this young man growing up to be a productive human being? How many children will he harm when he’s on his own? What will be his attitude toward women in the future? What does the future hold for the two children that he’s already molested? What a heartbreaking story.

A recent study in Scotland revealed that breastfeeding does not make babies more intelligent. Scientist say that breastfed babies have advantages including reducing infections, respiratory illnesses and diarrhea, but enhancing a child’s intelligence does not appear to be among them. Studies show that higher IQs in babies are a result of the mother’s IQ, not because the baby was breastfed.

A person’s IQ is unrelated to their heart and character. Highly educated and intelligent people have been exposed as some of the most wicked people on the face of the earth, and those who can bearly read or write have hearts of gold. I believe that breastfeeding is a personal choice, but whatever method a mother chooses to feed her child she should be comfortable with her choice and strive to rise a healthy, productive human being.

Are you the mother of a teen? Have you invested in a cell phone? If not, you may want to consider it. Text messaging is the in thing among our youth, and it is saving lives. I recently wrote an article, Mom Don’t Embarass Me. In short, the article gives tips to parents who have teens that are trying to find themselves. I suggested that parents give their teen space, but keep a check on their whereabouts and friends. This step could require a cell phones and a family plan. You can reach them 24/7 and they can reach you.

When I purchased my cell phone, text messaging was a feature that I didn’t think I would use. My 27 year old daughter, who must keep up with the lastest trend, text messages often. I decided to learn how to communicate via text as well. I’m glad I did. I’ve read several articles recently, where people have sent a text message and in the end it saved their life. A text message was also a means of sending a love one a last message before a life was lost. I never looked at text messaging as a means of survival or a tool that could be used if I’m ever in a bind, but I’m glad that I’m keeping up with technology. Most importantly, it’s another means of communicating with my child.