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Strollerderby
Sometimes, a father just doesn't know.
There’s a sentiment that makes the rounds every Father’s Day, one that is meant to separate good men from the rest. It goes something like, “Any man can be a father, but it takes a special one to be a dad.”
Fathers make babies, but dads support, raise and love their children from birth and beyond.
Writing for the Good Men Project and excerpted on Jezebel, Hugo Schwyzer explains there’s a third option, a kind of father/dad. Schwyzer says there’s a strong possibility that he’s one such parent, and he’s pretty sure he’s not the only one. Continue reading »
How badly do you need to know if the next Michael Jordan is shooting hoops in your driveway?
Do you have a hunch that the next Michael Jordan is dunking right under your roof? Or that the successor to Maria Sharapova is hitting balls against your garage door?
If you’re so convinced that your kid is an athletic prodigy and don’t want to wait to find out if endorsement deals will be forthcoming, new technology exists that can tell you how your child will perform in sports.
But here’s the question: do you really want to know? And will you do something differently once you know the answer?
Continue reading »
DNA testing can reveal possible health risks. Is it worth knowing?
If you could use genetic testing to peer into your child’s future and get a glimpse of her likely health risks, would you do it? Many parents would, according to a new study.
Be warned though: you might not like what you see. Most genetic testing does not offer a clean bill of health. Most of us carry a genetic disposition towards some kind of large-scale health issues like heart disease and diabetes. Do you really want to know that your healthy, vibrant little kid is carrying a genetic predisposition for lung cancer? We may believe that knowledge is power, but researchers and policy makers warn that parents may not really be up for the truth about their kids’ genes.
Better sit this one out, kid, you don't have the right genes.
If your kid was predisposed to excelling at sports, would you want to know? Would you pay money to know? Would you believe the results?
Makers of genetics tests are selling their cheek-swab kits to parents who hope to learn whether their kids possess all or any of the genetic traits associated with athletic ability. Parents are paying the less than $200 for the tests so, they say, they’ll know which sports to steer their kids toward.
But doctors say some of the genes they’re testing for a also common in non-athletes. Continue reading »
A new, non-invasive test for Down Syndrome is much safer than an amniocentesis
To what will likely be the relief of thousands of pregnant women, a study published this week in the Journal of British Medicine said that technology developed in Hong Kong in 2008 has resulted in a new pre-natal screening for Down syndrome that produces more accurate results with fewer risks than the current methods available.
The current screenings for Down syndrome, the most common genetic condition in the United States in which those afflicted have three copies of chromosome 21, generally come with risks to the fetus because of the invasive nature of the procedures.
An amniocentesis, which is generally performed at 18 weeks gestation, is when a needle is inserted into the uterus to extract amniotic fluid. Fetal injury or miscarriage can occur in 1 out of 200 patients. The Chorionic villus (CVS) test, which can be done at 10 to 13 week, is when a placental tissue sample is extracted. In that case, the risk of fetal injury or miscarriage is 1 in 100, and there is also a chance of false positive results, according to ABC News.
It’s not uncommon for parents to hope their children have some type of talent, be it artistic, athletic or intellectual. So it’s reasonable that anxious parents are being scammed into purchasing expensive (and bogus) DNA tests to determine whether or not their kids have success in their genes.
The Daily Scan reports that, due to the vast amount of companies offering false promises, the FDA is about to “overhaul its regulations on genetic diagnostic testing.” According to the MIT Technology Review, more than 2,000 DNA tests are now available to consumers, including (as I previously reported) the world’s first over-the-counter DNA paternity test.
But talent testing is a particularly shady niche of the genetics testing market. The Stuff of Life ran a post on Monday called Children and genomics – the underworld of DNA talent testing. Elaine Westwick, scientist, mother and author of the blog, writes, “There is a clutch of companies who market DNA tests to children without the backing of real science. They hail mainly from Singapore and China and their marketing machines are getting slicker.”
One such item, The Inborn Talent Genetic Test, supposedly “reveals the inherited and endowed inborn talents of a child scientifically from the genetic makeup of his/her DNA,” per the LA Times. The test is offered by My Gene Profile, based in Singapore. Westwick notes that one of the “talents” this test will reveal is a “Propensity for Teenage Romance,” discovered, of course, in the Propensity for Teenage Romance Gene. Which is right next to the Ability to Pop Zits Without Scarring Gene. Now that’s talent! Continue reading »
Bad news for Maury Povich.
Courtesy of the “World’s First Over-the-Counter DNA Paternity Test,” finding out who the real father of your child is takes but a quick trip to Walgreens.
The test is called Identigene, and its logo is reminiscent of a pack Marlboro Reds. (Because guys who walk out on pregnant chicks don’t drink decaf or smoke Camel Lights.) Using a collection method not unlike CASH4GOLD, “this kit makes DNA testing easy: just collect your samples, mail in a check for lab fees and in 3-5 days, test results will come in the mail.” If you play your chromosome pairs right, a child-support check might arrive a few weeks later.
But DNA testing is not all fun and games. A visit to the Identigene website reveals its involvement with the ABC reality show, “Find My Family.” They bill it as “a heartwarming series that discovers lost family ties,” reuniting adoptees with their birth families. But as SD blogger Paula has written, not all adoptees want to be found by their birth relatives. I know the feeling. Continue reading »
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