Are Your Kids Jewish? Are You Sure?

This week the British courts took on the question of who is Jewish, and who gets to decide. In doing so, they set off a storm of controversy and raised some awkward issues for schools and families.

Responding to a lawsuit brought by a student and his family, the court decreed that a Jewish school cannot exclude a student simply because his mother is not Jewish. Instead, they are requiring the school to determine which students qualify as “Jewish” based on self-identity and religious practice. Continue reading »

School Suspends Indian Girl for Nose Piercing

A cultural ritual for an Indian tween girl in Utah turned into an ordeal for her family when her American school suspended her for it.

The AP reports Suzannah Pabla, whose father is a Sikh born in India (and hence wears a turban although he lives and works in the US), pierced her nose to connect with her Indian roots. Her school called it a violation of a body piercing ban and kicked the girl out of school. Continue reading »

Do Sex Offenders Belong at Church?

How would you feel if you knew the person sitting next to you in church was a sex offender?

Me, I’d be pretty nervous. And I’m not the only one. Some churches are banning sex offenders from the weekly service, because they offer things like a nursery for children or Sunday school. That puts offenders inc conflict with several states’ laws that require sex offenders to stay a certain distance away from any facility that cares for or serves children. Continue reading »

Egyptian Parents Tattoo Kids Amidst Screams

I have to apologize; I must admit that I did not watch the full video posted with this story.  I did not because I could not.  It’s not that I can’t handle violence or that I’m overly squeamish (though I’ll admit that I more than dislike needles and dentists).  It’s that I can’t handle watching children being tortured without destroying my monitor in a futile attempt to climb through the screen and put a stop to it.
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Dad Watched YouTube To Learn How to Circumcise Son

A man who used a box cutter to cut off his infant sons’ foreskin at home told a North Carolina jury he watched videos on the internet to learn how to do it.

Gives you a whole new look at the medical degree from Google University, doesn’t it? Continue reading »

Bible Verses Banned From Cheerleaders’ Signs

The first amendment of the constitution is pretty important around our house.  Even my five- and seven-year-olds understand that the government shouldn’t push any particular belief set on its citizenry.  Not everyone gets that, however.  “If it’s offensive to anyone, let them go watch another football game,” said Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, Mayor Ronnie Cobb. “Nobody’s forced to come there and nobody’s forced to read the signs.”  Mayor Cobb was referring to banners held by cheerleaders at the start of high school football games that included bible verses encouraging players to “commit to the Lord”.
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Morning News - Obama Wants Longer School Days

President Obama thinks that students don’t spend enough time in school. He’d like to see longer school days and less time off in the summer. As a parent, I have a hard time disagreeing with that. How about you?

The New York Yankees clinched the American League East with a sweep of the Boston Red Sox. Continue reading »

5 Reasons the Duggars are Sex Machines (?)

Okay, so there’s a headline that might get your attention. Momlogic put up this article in which they really want to convince you that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are FREAKS (you know, in the realm of sex). It would seem the several hundred children the Duggars produced at least imply they have a passing interest in sex. And you could end it right there. But Momlogic throws down 5 whole reasons we should think about how much the Duggars like doin’ it. Like a lot. All the time. Unabashedly. And with their kids’ knowledge.

Huh?

So here are those reasons, as promised and now delivered.

Momlogic’s Top 5 Duggar Sex “Facts”

1) Michelle Duggar can get her groove on.

When you’ve got 18 people calling you Mom, focusing on sex can be a challenge. To get in the mood, does Michelle Duggar work herself into a catatonic state? Is that catatonic state called “sleep”?

2) The Duggars love pregnant sex.

Continue reading »

Coach Takes Kids to Be Baptized Without Parent Permission

A high school football coach who took his players to a Baptist revival - then encouraged them to be dunked in the water and officially “baptized” - has gotten parents mad, but not his school district.

The Kentucky district has made public its faith in Coach Scott Mooney, who got parental permission for a trip to “see a motivational speaker,” even though one parent says they weren’t told it would be a religious speaker . . . or that their kid would be baptized. Continue reading »

When Your Name Was Over Five Years, Twenty States Ago

And here you thought your kid’s rank on the Social Security Administration list was the best way to rank its avant garde factor. There’s another Web gadget doing statistical analysis of inane information to make it cool again.

Think Five Thirty Eight for the parent set, the Baby Name Mapper from the Baby Name Wizard (Disclaimer, I once interviewed the site’s creator for a dispatch on Babble about baby naming trends) will let you know when “your” name peaked in popularity and when. Continue reading »