Blog Posts by Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine

Why is it so upsetting when kids challenge gender norms?We tell gay kids that "It Gets Better." We condemn bullying and violence, encourage expression, champion Title IX, and talk about gender-neutral parenting. And yet… look how far we haven't come.

Speaking a few days ago during "Marriage Sunday," an event coordinated by Vote For Marriage N.C., the campaign for a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage in North Carolina (where same-sex marriage is already illegal), Pastor Sean Harris told his congregation at the Berean Baptist Church:

"So your little son starts to act a little girlish when he is four years old and instead of squashing that like a cockroach and saying, "Man up, son, get that dress off you and get outside and dig a ditch, because that is what boys do," you get out the camera and you start taking pictures of Johnny acting like a female and then you upload it to YouTube and everybody laughs about it and the next thing you know, this dude, this kid is acting out childhood fantasies that should have been

Read More »from Pastor Urges Parents to Punch Boys Who Act "Girly." Why Are We so Uncomfortable About Kids Who Challenge Gender Norms?

Jessica Simpson and her fiance, Eric Johnson, welcomed their baby girl, Maxwell Drew Johnson, on Tuesday.Jessica Simpson and her fiance, NFL player Eric Johnson, welcomed their daughter Maxwell Drew Johnson on Tuesday. The baby girl was 9 pounds, 13 ounces, and 21-3/4 inches long, according to the birth announcement posted at Simpson's official website.

"We are so grateful for all of the love, support and prayers we have received," the 31-year-old new mom said in a statement. "This has been the greatest experience of our lives!"

While we wait for the details, here are five facts to ponder:

1. She was about 10 days overdue. Most people forget that the due date is just an estimate -- a woman isn't technically "post term" until she hits 42 weeks -- but still, when the whole world seems to be waiting for you to give birth, every minute beyond 40 weeks must feel like an eternity. (Just ask Beyonce.) "To everyone who keeps congratulating me on the birth of my baby girl...I'm still pregnant!!"she Tweeted on April 21. "Don't believe what you read ladies and gents."

2. She thought about naming

Read More »from Jessica Simpson Has Her Baby: Welcome Maxwell Drew! Plus: Five facts about her pregnancy

Selma and Kenny have some advice for their newlywed grandson and his wife. And it's awesome.Kenny and Selma have figured out the secret to a long and happy marriage (they'll celebrate their 72nd anniversary this year!). So, when they couldn't make the cross-country trip to attend their grandson's California wedding in March, they agreed to share their wisdom via webcam instead.

"Hello, everybody!" the bespectacled 90-somethings say together as they lean into the webcam. "We are so happy that you all are together and witnessing my Michael's and Sue's wedding."

Related: 25 secrets to a happy, long-lasting relationship

And then, the advice: A five-point plan for making marriage work.

"I wanted them to be part of the wedding in some way," the groom, Michael Bender, told Yahoo! Shine.

His regular video chat sessions with them provided the inspiration. If they couldn't make it to Santa Barbara for the ceremony, "Why not do a wedding toast over iChat?"

Bender helped edit the video, but he was the only one who saw it before the wedding. "At the wedding, it was definitely the Read More »from WATCH: Grandparents Offer Tips for a Long and Happy Marriage

Nadya Suleman (left, fighting adult film star Amy Fisher during the With her home in foreclosure and plenty of bills to pay, Nadya Suleman -- better known as Octomom -- is saying that she'll consider doing what she once swore she'd never do: pornography.

"I don't even give a crap if people think I'm a hypocrite," the 36-year-old mother of 14 -- including a set of octuplets -- tells CNN's "Showbiz Tonight." "If the opportunity comes up, I'm going to eat my words. Because all that matters is that I take care of my family."



On Friday, Suleman filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, listing assets of about $50,000 and debts of about $1 million. Her home is due to be auctioned out from under her on May 7. Desperate to pay the bills -- she gets about $2,000 a month from the state of California, but that money can only be used to buy food -- in March Suleman posed nearly nude for the European magazine "Closer" for about $8,000. The photos immediately went viral -- something that Suleman says took her by surprise, in spite of the fact that she knowingly posed for

Read More »from Octomom Nadya Suleman Says She'd Do Anything to Pay the Bills -- Even Porn. Awful or Admirable?

First Lady Michelle Obama greets participants following a women's online outlet roundtable on Yahoo! Shine senior editor Lylah M. Alphonse and her 7-year-old daughter, Alanna, joined first lady Michelle Obama and a handful of others for a discussion about fitness, friendship, role models and more this week. Given that it was also Bring Your Child to Work Day at the White House, the kids offered up questions of their own, and the conversation yielded some great advice on growing up. Here are the highlights.

Related: Michelle Obama, Ann Romney, Hillary Clinton: In personal popularity, the women rule

Make what you do count

Being the first lady is a surreal experience, she told Alphonse's daughter. "I feel like Michelle, like I've always felt. But now I have this work to do," she said. "So I'm just trying to make sure I do good work. Because you're not First Lady forever, you're First Lady for a short period of time -- so that when we're done, I want to make sure that the time I spent here, I helped some people, so that when it's time for me to move on and be something else, I'm

Read More »from Michelle Obama's Advice for Kids: On Friends, Role Models, Playing Sports, and More

Football isn't the only sport where kids are getting hurt more often.A new study released this week shows that about 1 in 3 kids who play sports get hurt badly enough to need medical attention.

The study, commissioned by Safe Kids Worldwide and Johnson & Johnson, analyzed data from 516 children ages 8 to 18, 750 parents, and 752 coaches. Among the injuries sustained by these young athletes: concussions, broken bones, dehydration, and more.

Related: The biggest sports health hazards kids face

But what's truly frightening are the misconceptions that many parents and coaches have about when a child is too hurt to continue playing. In spite of the fact that catastrophic head injuries and concussions are on the rise around the country, more than half of coaches surveyed said that a certain amount of head contact -- described in the survey as "getting your bell rung" or "seeing stars" -- was acceptable during games and practices.

"The concussion issue is a really big one," Kate Carr, President and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide, told Web MD. "The mantra should

Read More »from Study: 1 in 3 Kids Get Badly Injured While Playing Sports

Letting your toddler slide down alone may be safer that riding down with her in your lap.When your toddler is clamoring to ride down the big-kid slide at the playground, most parents assume that the safest thing to do is put her on your lap and ride down with her. But orthopedists say that doing so puts small children at risk for broken legs -- and it happens far more frequently than you'd think.

Parents may not notice when their child's shoe catches on the side of the slide for a second or two, but that, combined with the speed at which the parent and child are zipping down the slide, can create enough friction to break the child's shin bone (tibia). Instead, what parents do notice is that at the bottom of the slide, instead of laughing with joy, the child is whimpering or screaming in pain.

Related: The biggest sports health hazards kids face

"My wife was just trying to keep Hannah extra safe and make sure she didn’t fall,” Jed Dickman told the New York Times. His 18-month-old daughter's sneaker snagged on the slide, and by the time his wife freed it the child's tibia

Read More »from Danger on the Playground: Riding the Slide with Your Toddler in Your Lap Could Break Her Leg

First lady Michelle Obama speaks to children in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 26, 2012, during a celebration of the
At Thursday's official Take your Daughter or Son to Work Day event at the White House, first lady Michelle Obama paired an iridescent, peach-colored, pleated hounds-tooth skirt from J Crew with a sparkly knit shirt "from Target or something," she told Yahoo! Shine. A pair of bronze-colored flats and a beautifully embroidered cardigan topped off the outfit. "The cardigan is special," she said with a smile, hinting at its high-end origins. (Shine's fashion editor, Joanna Douglas, recognized it as one of the first lady's often-worn favorites, a classic L'Wren Scott design.)

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The first lady's style dream team
Michelle Obama goes glam while touring England and Ireland
Fashion inspiration: Michelle Obama rocks 2012 fashion trendsRead More »from Michelle Obama's Peachy Keen Peach-Colored Outfit