Parenting I don't understand: Suri Cruise Still Takes a Pacifier

Cutie Suri Cruise, 4, and mom Katie Holmes enjoyed a hamburger outing this past weekend in Vancouver, Canada where dad Tom Cruise is busy filming scenes for the upcoming Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol.

After eating it seems Suri needed her pacifier. We have seen Suri drinking from a bottle way after pediatricians suggest doing but a four year old with a pacifier?

Say it isn't so!

Whitney Houston's Parental Nightmare: Daughter is caught doing drugs!

It is quite funny when you become a parent because all the proclamations you yelled at your parents on how you would never do that to your kid creep into your life. Like when you tell your parents your kids will not have a bedtime. How quickly you eat those words. How about when you say your kid will never have to make their bed? It creeps up slowly but soon an unmade bed become one of the ugliest sights you lay your eyes on.

Somethings your parents did to you, you promise you will never do to your child. My mother would drag me into bars every now and then when I was in my teens. This wasn't a late night thing where she was partying down and I became the designated driver but it was something I hated. While her friends and her gossiped over cocktails and a band raged in my ear, I swore I would never be that mom. When she looks back on what she did, she apologizes. A friend of mine says her parents would smoke around her as a kid. She vowed she would never do that to her child and never picked up the habit. As parents we all make mistakes but some more detrimental than others.

Whitney Houston is probably smacking herself right now as pictures of her only child, Bobbi Kristina, have surfaced showing her snorting a white powder substance. While Whitney Houston has supposedly been clean and sober since she checked herself into rehab in 2009, her child was raised around a world of drugs. As many remember, Houston and her ex-husband, singer Bobby Brown, had a tumultuous relationship that included multiple run-ins with the law to include drug use and abuse.

We can only hope Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina's father will step in and save their daughter before it is too late. Good Luck!

And Baby Makes Marriage: Bristol and Levi Engaged!

Growing up from a self absorbed teenager into a responsible young adult takes time. Add a baby to the mix and you are either forced to grow up fast or do as many do by running fast from the situation.

During the last Presidential election, the world was made aware that vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, was hiding the fact her daughter Bristol was pregnant. With the conservative beliefs that exist in the Republican Party, this sent everyone into a tizzy when the news was exposed to the public. Someone was having premarital sex and her mother was running for the second most important position in the United States Government.

As we later saw through mass media outlets, the Palin household was not very happy about all of this and especially not very happy with the father of Bristol's child, Levi Johnston. Levi basked in his new found fame; he posed for the risque magazine Playgirl and played around like any 19 year old guy would do. (They do... I'm just saying...) Sarah Palin stated in an Oprah Winfrey interview his, "aspiring porn" career was "heartbreaking." All the while, Bristol was at home playing mommy to Tripp and continuing to finish school.

During their recent custody plan for their 18-month old, something changed. Instead of arguing it seems the two began to fall back in love with each other. Doting over their son, the two rekindled the high school romance.

"I really thought it was over," Levi tells UsWeekly. "So when I went I had no hope. I think we both just started talking -and then we took Tripp for a walk."

Bristol continues, "When he left that night we didn't hug or kiss, but I was thinking how different it was. He texted me: "I miss you. I love you. I want to be with you again'... I was in shock."

Aww.... young love. I really wish them the best. How often is love just like this? Crazy and awesome and then something breaks down but if it works... it comes back.

What's up with posing with your newborn half naked?

I laughed this morning out loud and almost snorted coffee out of my nose when I switched over from my home page to UsMagazine. If any of you out there follow my blog, you know I have teeny tiny obsession with gossip magazines; their tabs sit nice and neat on my favorite's bar.

This morning, Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart are exposing the world to their new bundle of joy, Billie Beatrice. They not only expose the baby, but Eric Dane's chest is also available for viewing.

Why do some parent's feel the need to pose shirtless or half naked with their babies? Are the parents so sleep deprived that a shirt couldn't be found when the camera flashed? I mean, this couple is not at home where bottles and diapers and dirty blankets abound when private pictures are documented. These people are in a studio where clothing was required to get in there. "McSteamy" had to have arrived dressed don't you think?

Would you pose half naked with your newborn?

Lady Gaga: Poster Child for Abstinence?

Lady Gaga is treading into uncharted territories speaking about reasons why not to have sex. Usually dressed in provocative outfits that warrant tell-tale signs of sexuality, no one could have ever guessed she would be one to preach abstinence.

Recently while attending a M.A.C. Viva Glam event, Lady Gaga surprised herself by saying "I can't believe I'm saying this -- don't have sex. It's not really cool anymore to have sex all the time. It's cooler to be strong and independent. It's OK not to have sex, it's OK to get to know people. I'm celibate. Celibacy is fine." [CNN]

To young women out there who were pressured into having sex because all the cool kids were, she is saying: you don't have to do something unless you want to do it.

I think she is really awesome for being up front and honest with her fans on actions that can occur when partaking in risky sexual behaviors that change many women and men forever. Whether it be STD's, AIDS, unwanted pregnancies or emotions that come along with being physically intimate with another, Lady Gaga embraces her fame in ways many in the spotlight of media do not. She tells her fans to take care of themselves and not worry what others are doing.

With a fan base of many pre-teens, Lady Gaga realizes her role as a role model. Many look up to her because of her individuality and spunkiness. Speaking to men and women on why choosing not to have sex until they are ready is a huge step in gaining ground on helping those who have yet to learn not to let peer pressure run their lives. Isn't that what mom's and dad's around the world hope for their children?

Wait, until you are ready.

Whew! And it only took a half dressed popstar to say it!

Not pulling your weight in parenting? At some point it happens to all of us!

I find it amusing that tabloid press continually insists Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie fight constantly, are on the verge of breaking up daily and that she feels Brad "isn't pulling his weight." From one day to the next, an unnamed source states something detrimental in their relationship is occurring.

Surviving a relationship where children are involved can get heated at times. What married couple with children hasn't fought over thinking the other isn't pulling the correct weight in the relationship?

In the latest report out about the couple of six children states that Angelina is so upset at Brad that she yells at him because his eggs are lousy. She feels she's shouldering the parental burden and Brad can't do anything right.

How many nights have I come home, exhausted and weary from work, wishing a hot meal was awaiting my arrival only to have my hopes dashed with questions of, "What's for dinner?"All the while the dishwasher is still loaded from the night before and laundry piles at the door. How many mornings has my husband wanted a little more shut eye, when I state "Your morning!" I know it's my morning but the dishwasher not being unloaded questions the equilibrium of whose turn it is.

I have three kids and there are times when I ask myself, "What was I thinking?" Even with nannies that help with the Jolie/Pitt clan, I'm sure all of the attention six children demand comes with a breaking point. Patience is defiantly a virtue and three children ranging in ages of 11 to 5, I am still learning.

Just today after a long day at work, kicking of my heels and collapsing on to the bed was something I want but my little bit is off with her normal daily greetings of "Watch Me!! Watch Me!! I want to play a game!! I'm thirsty!!" All the while jumping up and down she happily greets me. Middle babe files in rambling on and on about something that I will never fully understand and then oldie flaunts in throwing around her long hair, smacking gum wanting to use my phone so she can text our neighbor.

"HONEY!!! HELP!!"

I hear movement on the steps; he is here to save me for a moment. In the game of married with children, it's a give and take. Some days, we take more than others but then some days, we give way more than we ever thought possible. It's balance.

For the children's sake and for the sake of the hearts of Brad and Angelina, we should all hope they work it out.

When was having a family ever easy?

What went wrong? When Your Children Go To Jail

Out of all of the people you know, someone has spent time behind bars. It could be a friend of a friend, or a brother or maybe even yourself, but many people make bad decisions and wind up on the wrong side of a jail cell.

Cameron Douglas, the son of Hollywood's acting elite Michael Douglas, plead guilty to charges of selling large quantities of crystal meth and cocaine today in a Manhattan courthouse. [nydailynews.com]

He faces up to 10 years in prison.

Drugs can be a huge factor in the beginnings of criminal activity. An uncle of mine spent most of his life behind bars . He chose to drive drunk one night and hit and killed another person. These actions affect not only the person who committed the crime but those of the family.

Should the the parent's of these children bare any of the brunt of these actions or are they limited to the committer?

Have you know anyone who has served time and how was it on those left behind?

How Do You Tell Your Child Ghost Stories Are Just That: Stories?

Over the holiday, my family and I met at our normal halfway point in between Eastern Virginia and Western Tennessee. Also some friends of ours with their children came with us also. Smack dab in the Smoky Mountains we shared laughter and cheer but without my knowledge also some fear was shared between the children. During their nights of getting reacquainted with friends and cousins, the idea of telling ghost stories was brought up. Bloody Mary was mentioned along with a very unfriendly wolf.

What was once a pleasurable time of the day has turned into a nightmare. Instead of kisses and chimes of "See you in the morning," it has turned into dagger hugs and "Please let me sleep with you, I can't stop thinking about Bloody Mary!!"

As as child, I can remember the stories that were told between cousins and friends that would haunt my images before bed. Imagining a blood streaked woman with deranged hair would leap from the mirror and claw me until my skin bled was frighting to me. Instead of peaceful dreams of kittens and bubbly birds, haunting images rocked me from my sleep and then there was no way I would return to "night night" land. Instead, I would run to my parents' bed and hold fast to mom or dad's arms and wish I could remember the happy ideas before the stories of death and fear ached in my head.

Why do these stories continue? What is the purpose of exposing fear from one child to another, especially fear from things that are made up?

As a parent that has never dealt with these fears from her children, it's quite disheartening. If you have ever dealt with this, what was your way used to help ease the fears?

Mackenzie Phillips Wacked Out Childhood Meant Sharing Drugs and Having Sex With Her Father

During the 60's, free love and drugs were the norm more than the exception. As a member of the band The Mamas and the Papas, John Phillips seemed to think engaging in a incestuous relationship with his daughter, Mackenzie, and getting her high on pills and cocaine was an alright thing to do.

Mackenzie Phillips, one time "One Day at a Time" star, drops a bombshell in her new book High on Arrival, that on the eve of her wedding to Jeff Sessler, a member of the Rolling Stones entourage, her father arrived at her footsteps determined to stop it.

"I had tons of pills, and Dad had tons of everything too. Eventually I passed out on Dad's bed. My father was not a man with boundaries. He was full of love, and he was sick with drugs. I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father." [via USA Today]

She is a guest today on the Oprah show. She will speak about her cocaine abuse. It was her father who shot her up the first time.

"He put the needle in my arm and pushed the plunger in and he missed."

"Missed the vein?" Winfrey asks.

"Missed the vein," Mackenzie replied, "and my whole arm went numb, because it was cocaine."

The Duggars Pregnant With 19th: Why not adopt?

Living the Quiverfull Christian movement to it's finest, Michelle Duggar told the Today Show today, (September 1, 2009) she is two and a half months pregnant. The baby will be born in the springtime after the Duggar's first grandchild will be welcomed into the world.

With eighteen children so far, all with names that start with J, I wonder how many more children they will bless the world with? They practice the Quiverfull Christian faith which tells its believers that children are a blessing from God and you are not allowed to practice any type of birth control.

Luckily the Duggar's are blessed with the monetary means to support this brood. Living in their 7000 square foot home in Tontitown, Arkansas my ex-boss was a friend of this family at one time. Because my ex-boss, I'll call him Jim, was in the construction business and Jim Bob Duggar made his fortune in real estate, these two ran with some of the same circles. Jim always said they were the nicest people but he was shocked by their continual reproduction as the rest of the non-practicing or non-believing Quiverfull Christians are. I mean how could they not be the nicest people, really?

In a world were so many children are starving and not taken care of, why would the Duggar's feel the continual need to reproduce? Why not adopt other children who could use the guidance that seems to fulfill this family and make it so productive and prosperous?

Are the Duggar's selfish in their need to populate the earth with their breed? Why not help others in need instead of reproducing you own seeds over and over?

Do your kids get new lunch boxes every year?

When I was growing up, my grandparents would take me back-to-school shopping every year. I would get new clothes, a new backpack, a new lunchbox and the necessary supplies to get me through the year. To me, this was normal. Granted I was an only child and taken shopping more than others but this was normal for me. My husband on the other hand would be taken to buy new school supplies but the backpack was reused until it was needed to be replaced and lunch was taken to school via brown bags or bought in the cafeteria.

Our daughters are getting ready to head back to school in two weeks. We have been looking around at all of the newest bags and lunch boxes and getting excited the youngest is finally going to start school. I was all ready to buy the girls their new lunchboxes when hubby puts his foot down. He says the older two do not need lunch boxes because they got new lunchboxes last year.

To me they look horrible. With brown stains that line the edges, trash is how they look to me. I tried to wash them. I spray and washed the edges, allowed them to soak in the washer for awhile, and washed them again. They look hopeless.

How often do you replace your children's lunchboxes?

K-Fed is Well-Fed!

At a California sporting event, onlookers and celebrities alike were shocked by the presence of this man: Kevin Federline. It seems that since his break from popstar Britney Spears, K-Fed has become Well-Fed!

While other participated at the Ryan Sheckler X Games Celebrity Classic, Federline sipped cocktails and smoked cigarettes with girlfriend Victoria Prince while sitting on a shaded patio.

Shar Jackson, mother to two of K-Fed's children shared her view on his plumpness. "It's daddy weight!" she told Usmagazine.com at the time. "When you are a full time parent, sometimes you can't focus on you. If gaining a few pounds is your only problem, life's not too bad!"

How do I get more help cleaning my house?

With summer here and the kids always here, my house has turned into a war zone. Remnants of the snack eaten after lunch litter the family room carpet. Barbie houses designed by the girls fill the downstairs den and could never be thought of being picked up because "It took so long to put it together". Puzzles that have been put together are not allowed back in their boxes because they want to enjoy looking at their hard work in physical form. Clothing that has been dirtied from outside play waits in line by the washing machine that never seems empty. Wet towels from the beach or the pool need to be constantly washed and dried. Pens, pencils and colors that were missed when the girls "cleaned up" seem to find their way into your bare feet while making the beds or when carrying a load of laundry.

I've had it!

My mother always had a day of the week when we cleaned: a time to dust, a time to fold, a time to empty the dishwasher. Although it was only her and I for many of the years of my childhood and not much mess ensued, we did our duty to keep the house as clean as we could find time for.

Last night, as it tried to relax on my back porch, my youngest daughter wanted to play cards. As I look around at the shambles my house had become since summer vacation began, my blood pressure started to rise. From somewhere deep down, a fire was beginning to burn and at some point my voice was destined to get loud-- real loud. I tried to calm myself down by getting up out of the chair I just settled into, after cleaning up some mess destined to be in my sight, and began busying myself again. Attacking the mound of books sitting on the kitchen table, she came at me again.

"Mommy, will you play cards with me." This is all it took for me to snap!

I had enough. While every other person in the house watched TV, made a paper craft with glitter, or found a way to stain the carpet in the den by some new, different way, it came. My voice had found its volume and the attention in the house was all on mom. By the time the cleaning extravaganza was over and my notebook was in front of me, I asked myself a question.

Why didn't we have one day of the week we cleaned the house? This would be the best option in getting everyone involved in the clean-up of process in the home we all shared. This could lessen my load, I thought. As I sat with my notebook, I became interested in what chores other parents have for their children.

I have tried allowing my oldest to unload the dishwasher and something always seems to get broken. Folding clothes is another chore that never seems to find a bidder. How about putting the clothes away? I feel as if it's more difficult to get this job done than pulling teeth.

What's your cleaning routine at your house? Is this a weekly things, need by need basis or maybe it never gets done?

How about your children's ages? How does this affect what they can and cannot do?

Help!!

Why Not Curse at Your Children?

While my children and I walked to our car after a long day at our favorite waterpark, I noticed a couple with their children walking back to theirs. I smiled as we scooted past them. As we walked on, I overheard the mother tell one of the boys, "I'm gonna kick your a*% when we get back to the car." Now I am unsure of what the boy did to cause his mother to respond in such away, but she didn't seem that angry. In fact a moment later, a small girl came up and asked, "Momma, what did you say you were gonna do when we get back to the car?" She was laughing. The mother didn't seem as if she was about to blow her lid and start hounding on the boy.

As I thought about how dreadful that sounded to my ears, coming from mother to son, I wondered in certain circumstances if this a from of verbal play? Could this sentence have been misconstrued by me? Could this woman use profanity as a form of loving affection to her children?

I'm not a mother that uses profanity that often. I will curse sometimes if I have physically hurt myself but other than that, I try and watch my language, especially around children. I'm not a mother that shouts curse words at her children in the manner of being ugly and never in a playful way.

Is profanity always used in a non-loving way or can it be a term of endearment?

What Makes A Mom Cry: When Kids Go On Vacation Without Them

After two weeks with my mother in town for a visit, I allowed her to take my three kids back to my hometown to visit. They will be gone for two weeks. This will be the longest I have ever been without them and watching them drive out of the driveway this morning has been the hardest thing emotionally I have dealt with so far as a mother.

I can remember leaving on trips with my grandparents when I was younger, waving at my mom as we drove out of the driveway, smiling and waving. I was headed for fun. With her sunglasses masking her tear streaked cheeks, I never understood why she was crying. I understand now. The worry about the safety of their well being and their physical safety has wrap itself tightly around my heart. As I walk around the house and glance at certain items that up until now didn't mean as much to me as they do now, it's as if they may never return to them again. The chair my youngest daughter eats her breakfast ever morning looks lonely. I want to fling my body on it and hug it until I can no longer hug. The skateboard my middle daughter rides triggers a tear. I would love to ride it to feel closer to her but my fear of flying off it holds me on land. My oldest daughter's array of clothing piled in her closet breaks my heart and these powerful emotions take me down into a wave panic and despair. I feel I may never ask her to pick them up again.

Mom always told me how one day I would understand what it was like when they leave the nest. They haven't even left the neighborhood and I can't help but boo hoo my eyes out. My husband looks on at me and tries to make me smile but it hasn't come quite yet.

As a parent what is the longest you have been away from your children?

How long would you let them go on a vacation with their grandparents?

Should Children Wear T-Shirts With Profanity On Them?

Should children wear T-Shirts with profanity on them?

I feel a little sick a mother would dress her child in a shirt with this word on it.

What are your thoughts?

John and Kate Plus 8: Abuse Hidden On Camera?

I have watched a couple of episodes of John and Kate Plus 8 and my verdict: Kate Gosselin seems like a demanding mother/woman that treats her husband as if he is an idiot that better do what she wants him to do and better not have anything to say about it. Seems like a great marriage, right?


Seeing the news that John was out until 2 in the morning with an unidentified woman doesn't make me like him anymore but shows that when the home life is a mess, someone will stray or act out in manner that requires action. I am not promoting the activity he is taking part in, but almost feel sorry for him. While Kate Gosselin is off promoting her book Eight Little Faces, John is out having the time of his life it seems.

Being the mother of the three, time away from the children is necessary for the mother and father, especially time together, alone. This helps you reconnect and brings you back to the foundations of your relationship that began before the children. With Kate's desire to promote herself with books and more espisodes of the show John and Kate Plus 8, I ask were does John fit in? As women and men all over have watched Kate berate John for breathing, I ask: can continual vocal abuse determine if one in a marraige will stray or not?

Abuse comes in many forms. Physical, mental, sexual and neglect. Watching the way Kate speaks to her husband, the man she married and has children with, are you or have you become concerned about the mental being of John Gosselin? Is Kate right in voicing her opinions in the manner she does?

Has she seemed abusive to her husband or is this typical behavior of a woman and man in a marriage with children?

Could you stand being treated the way Kate treats her husband?

Do feel sorry for John, or should he just suck it up and take whatever is dished?

Or, is Kate the one in the right?

Would you characterize Kate's actions as abuse?