Blog Posts by Mommyish

One of the things I found most curious about the Casey Anthony trial was that it seemed that her parents both thought that she was guilty as sin but also that they wanted her to avoid punishment for her actions. I joked yesterday that if I ever did anything like this to my children, my mother would be leading the campaign to see me imprisoned for life. I called her to ask her if my suspicions were true and she confirmed them.

Carolyn explained to me that she wouldn't want me to get the death penalty but "I can't see how - it would not make sense for me to have you out free, walking around, without any punishment. I would think that you would need to be punished."

She reminded me that as Christians we must take responsibility for our sins and show contrition by accepting blame if we're guilty.

"Everyone says 'Well my mother would do the same thing for me.' No way. I wouldn't do it for you. Because you're not helping your child to have them avoid justice. To me more

More than 1.1 million people have put their names on an internet petition demanding a new federal law that would make it a felony for a parent to not notify law enforcement of a missing child within 24 hours or of a dead child within an hour.

The proposed "Caylee's Law" was proposed by a woman seeking vengeance for the manner in which Florida mother Casey Anthonylikely got away with the murder of her young child named Caylee Anthony. She failed to report the 2-year-old girl missing or dead and instead had gone out partying with her friends. Caylee's grandmother eventually reported her missing.

According to Breaking News Online, supporters are explaining why they support this law:

Welcome to Splitsville. This weekly column will focus on parenting after a divorce, break-up or one-night stand that didn't end like a Katherine Heigl movie.

Do you know what its like to try to get a child a passport these days? A single parent with all legal and custodial rights must either petition the courts to bypass their ex's approval or convince their ex to come down to the passport office to sign off on the application in person. Apparently, the passport office goes by the name on the birth certificate, not the actual legal guardians. And they must bring their child with them. Now I completely and totally understand why these rules are necessary. It should be difficult to take your child out of the country. I'm thankful that you need the written permission of both parents. That doesn't make sitting in line for hours with your toddler and your ex any more fun.

So getting a passport is not a joy. There's also the obvious complication of asking for permission from your

Free Range Mom Lenore Skenazy discusses a disturbing trend of charging women with criminal neglect if they take naps around their children.

A couple of weeks ago in Delaware, a woman put her 3-year-old down for a nap and then took a nap herself. The 3-year-old got up and somehow escaped the house. After the girl was found, police charged her mother with child endangerment.

In New York, a woman's 3-year-old son got up in the middle of the night and wandered around. The woman woke up at some point and called the police. A man who had spotted the child had already called police. After the child was found, the police arrested her. Her parenting will now be monitored indefinitely.

Victoria Beckham Knows What It Takes To Be A Working Mom

Good thing Child Protective Services wasn't nearby when I momentarily lost track of one of my children in the Denver airport. It was terrifying but it made for a good story. And several of my friends have stories of how they escaped their

Any woman who has ever been pregnant knows what it's like to stress over the risk of miscarriage. It's the whole not knowing aspect that freaks people out, not to mention the fact that some things are just completely out of our control (welcome to parenthood!).

But now scientists are recommending a simple urine test that they say will result in fewer miscarriages. Researchers at St. Mary's Hospital in Manchester found they could predict the outcome of more than nine out of 10 problematic pregnancies by measuring the amount of bleeding a pregnant woman has, as well as her levels of hCG (a pregnancy hormone).

"This research has, for the first time, offered us a robust tool to begin to attempt to rescue pregnancies threatening to miscarry when, currently, all we can do is fold our hands and hope for the best," lead researcher Dr. Kaltum Adamtold the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Stockholm.

Adam and her team monitored 112

It's a common assumption that a little girl who speaks up at the dinner table and makes it known that she will not be complying with your directions is "bratty." Unlike their wall flower sisters, outspoken girls who have an opinion on what she will or will not be wearing, what precisely she'll be eating for lunch, and what books she would like from the library have a tendency to be slapped with a "diva" label. Told that they're being too "bossy" when they assert their own beliefs, much of what makes these young girls strong-willed often deems them a problem - despite that little boys exhibit the same behavior with little to no scorn.

Well-intentioned parents often don't know notice the unconscious gender bias that happens around the house when children of both sexes are present. Harboring notions that "good" little girls are complaisant little girls, many parents find the same headstrong, vocal qualities in their sons not so tolerable in their daughters.

Grimm Fairytales

"Mommy, why is your vagina black?" my little guy asked me while I was getting dressed the other week.

Huh?! Oh, right, to a 5-year-old, pubic hair is a novelty.

"Uh, well, umm, you see…" I began, not knowing what on earth I was supposed to tell him. We're pretty open about sex in my family: we label body parts, discuss where babies come from. Even taking a shower, once considered cherished alone time, has become a free-for-all in this household.

But there I was, totally stumped. It's never about being truthful (which I always am) or even embarrassed (which I'm not). For me, it's a fear of revealing too much. There's only so much a 5-year-old can absorb when it comes to sex, and so I want to be sure I get it right.

My Kids Have Impeccable Timing When It Comes To Ruining My Sex Life

"The best approach is to answer questions as honestly and briefly as possible, both to encourage further questions and yet not to overwhelm," Parenting Network co-founder Doone Estey

The other day I received a Facebook message from one of my boyfriend's daughters that read, "I love you so much. I miss you so much. Xoxoxo."

I absolutely loved receiving that e-mail because I've become very close with my boyfriend's daughters and, apparently, they love me, too. I will babysit them if their dad needs to be at soccer. I take them shopping. I cuddle and watch movies with them. I helped the eldest with talk of periods and went swimsuit shopping with her. I wrestle with his youngest daughter and share her hairdryer. I'm doing things that, well, are very motherly things. In fact, I

pretty much will do for them what I do for my own daughter.

My boyfriend and I have discussed marriage and moving in together in the next few months. The marriage and the moving into together do not scare me. What scares me is becoming a "stepmother." Not that I don't love his children, because I do. But, frankly, they already have a mother, and a good mother who loves them. I