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Strollerderby
The 2011 Emmy winner for Outstanding Children’s Program A Child’s Garden of Poetry weaves together the words of celebrated poets voiced by favorite stars like Dave Matthews, Liam Neeson, and Julianne Moore, with the backdrop of delightful animation, as shown in the gallery below. Continue reading »
How similar is friendship to the mother-daughter bond?
A guest post from Dana Rousmaniere:
Have you seen the previews for Thursday night’s Barbara Walters interview with Oprah Winfrey? (A Barbara Walters Special: Oprah, The Next Chapter airs Thursday, December 9, 9:00 – 10:00 pm ET, on ABC.) In a preview video, Oprah is asked to describe her relationship with her best friend Gayle King and says through tears:
“She is the mother I never had. She is the sister everyone would want. She is the friend everyone deserves.”
Oprah has spoken very little in public about her own mother, Vernita Lee, who was an unwed teenager when she became pregnant with Winfrey. Oprah has stated that she respects her mother for choosing to go ahead with the pregnancy, even though it was difficult, but she has widely credited her father, Vernon Lee, for helping to raise her and make her the woman she is today. She once commented that she had chosen not to be a mother herself because she had not been mothered well.
Oprah and Gayle King have done countless segments on the show about mothers and daughters, and the tenuous relationship that often exists between the two. It’s a complex relationship, to be sure. So, what is it about Gayle King’s relationship with Oprah that’s strong enough to make her the mother Oprah never had?
Little girls go nuts for this guy!
It’s perfectly natural for young girls to get all giddy over teen heartthrobs. In fact, experts say it’s even healthy.
But while girls have been swooning over teen heartthrobs for generations, there is something very different about what’s happening these days. Where I was about 12-years-old before I declared my undying love for Donny Osmond, girls today seem to catch the celebrity love bug at a much younger age. 6-year-olds are swooning over the Jonas Brothers and 8-year-olds are falling victim to Justin Bieber’s boyish charms.
Because most of us were slightly more mature when we developed our first celebrity crush, watching our very young daughters get goofy over famous boys can be a little disconcerting. But is it something something we should be worried about?
Child psychologist John Carosso agrees that girls are developing celebrity crushes at ever younger ages. But he believes there’s nothing to worry about as long as the infatuation doesn’t cross the line into obsession. Continue reading »
The first step is admitting you need help.
I know it’s a cliche, but parenting really is one of the the hardest jobs in the world. And it certainly is one of the most important. But for such a difficult and important job, it’s surprising how few of us actually bother to learn how to do it properly.
That last statement may have gotten some hackles up – of course you know how to properly raise your kid! But is it possible that you could learn to do it better through parenting classes?
Actress Helena Bonham Carter recently admitted that she and her husband, film director Tim Burton, are taking parenting classes to help them with their two children, seven-year-old Billy Ray and two-year-old Nell. I use the word ‘admitted’ because seeking help in doing what many feel should come naturally can be seen as a weakness. This is especially true if you happen to be surrounded by other parents who are secure in the knowledge that they themselves have it all figured out.
But the Harry Potter actress isn’t afraid to tell the world that she doesn’t have it all figured out. In an interview with the L.A. Times’ Hero Complex, Helena Bonham Carter sings the praises of parenting classes.
Miley Cyrus still trying too hard.
For some time now, Miley Cyrus has been desperate to shed her Disney good girl image. And I do mean desperate. After doing a poor Beyonce impression for her “Can’t Be Tamed” video, she’s back and trying even harder in her new “Who Owns My Heart” video.
The video, in which Miley Cyrus gyrates on her bed, gropes men and feels herself up while dancing, shows just how far she’s willing to go to appear to be all grown up. But while some of us think her attempts to look sexy are laughable, others don’t think it’s funny at all. Continue reading »
Sextuplets Take New York on TLC
Sextuplets Take New York, TLC’s new reality series, is bound to draw comparisons to that other famous sextuplet family. But Victor and Digna Carpio are no Jon and Kate. And that’s a good thing.
The show, which premiered last night, takes a look at the daily lives of the Carpios and their seven children: 22-month-old sextuplets (four boys and 2 girls) and 9-year-old son, Jhancarlos.
From their small home in Queens, New York, Victor and Digna face many of the same challenges the Gosselins did – not enough space, money, time, etc. – but meet that challenge in a much kinder and gentler way. Continue reading »
Teen parents or celebrity moms?
The grocery store where I shop has a checkout line that has been deemed “family friendly.” What this means, of course, is that there are no magazines or candies displayed next to the register. That’s a nice idea, but ultimately kind of worthless. Because no matter what line you stand on, the stuff you are trying to avoid is never more than a few feet away.
And what I am trying to avoid is the magazines. Saying no to candy is easy. But I resent having to explain to my fourth grader what a Snooki is and why she’s famous. Ditto for Brad allegedly cheating on Angelina and Paris Hilton’s supposed drug bust. My daughter doesn’t even know who these people are, but thanks to these prominently displayed tabloids, she thinks she knows what they did to get famous. Continue reading »
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
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