ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com/media/feedlogo.gif ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Sleeping on the Job: Baby in Parliament Makes Us Go 'Aww'http://www.parentdish.com/2010/09/29/mep-licia-ronzulli-baby-in-parliament/http://www.parentdish.com/2010/09/29/mep-licia-ronzulli-baby-in-parliament/http://www.parentdish.com/2010/09/29/mep-licia-ronzulli-baby-in-parliament/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

baby in parliament Licia Ronzulli

Italian Member of the European Parliament Licia Ronzulli takes part in a vote as she cradles her baby at the European Parliament in Strasbourg eastern France on Sept. 22, 2010. Credit: Christian Lutz, AP

When images of Licia Ronzulli cradling her baby daughter while attending a voting at the European parliament showed up online, you could almost hear a collective sigh (and "Aww!") from working moms worldwide.

Fittingly, the European parliament was debating proposals to improve women's employment rights and opportunities as 35-year-old Ronzulli of Italy snuggled her 7-week-old baby Vittoria, who slept peacefully throughout the proceedings, in a sling close to her heart.

Ronzulli's colleagues gave her a round of applause as she got up to speak on behalf of women.

"I am here symbolically with my daughter Vittoria to think of all those women who cannot reconcile serenely pregnancy and jobs, professional life and family life," she said.

"It was not a political gesture. It was first of all a maternal gesture -- that I wanted to stay with my daughter as much as possible, and to remind people that there are women who do not have this opportunity (to bring their children to work), that we should do something to talk about this," she told the Guardian.

Ronzulli says does not plan on bringing her baby to work on a regular basis, though. "It's an official meeting, it's not a creche. You can't have everybody coming in with children who might cry or who might want to play ... I'll come when it's possible. If I can bring her, I will. If it's not appropriate, then I won't."

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]]>baby in parliamentbaby vittoriaBabyInParliamentBabyVittoriaEuropean ParliamentEuropeanParliamentexpire-images:2011-6-30Licia RonzulliLiciaRonzulliworking momsWorkingMomsAshwini BhatWed, 29 Sep 2010 16:00:00 ESTSoldiers' Surprise Homecomings Video Makes Us Bawl Our Eyes Outhttp://www.parentdish.com/2010/08/18/soldiers-homecoming-surprises-video-makes-us-bawl-our-eyes-out/http://www.parentdish.com/2010/08/18/soldiers-homecoming-surprises-video-makes-us-bawl-our-eyes-out/http://www.parentdish.com/2010/08/18/soldiers-homecoming-surprises-video-makes-us-bawl-our-eyes-out/#comments

It's always emotional when you return from a week-long business trip, hug your child and she tells you how much she missed you. But what if you're a soldier posted in a warzone, and you surprise your child with your homecoming? Bring on the tears.
This video does a beautiful job of mixing such surprises, and while every reunion is touching, we have a few favorites: We love the little girl on Santa's lap right about 1:30, who runs up and says "Daddy? Hi daddy. I miss you!" We smiled and teared up all at the same time at the kid who forgot to let go of his basketball right about 4:31. And how about the look of pure joy on the boy's face at 6:07? Seriously, where are the tissues?

So, if you watch this at work and your sniffling, teary-eyed self draws concerned looks from your co-workers, well, don't say we didn't warn you.

Related: Opinion: Holocaust Survivor and Family Do the Dance of Life at Auschwitz

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]]>soldiersoldiers homecomingsoldiers surpriseSoldiersHomecomingSoldiersSurprisevideoAshwini BhatWed, 18 Aug 2010 12:12:00 ESTLittle Miss Smarty Pants Dances Her Way Into Our States and Heartshttp://www.parentdish.com/2010/07/02/little-miss-smarty-pants-dances-her-way-into-our-states-and-hear/http://www.parentdish.com/2010/07/02/little-miss-smarty-pants-dances-her-way-into-our-states-and-hear/http://www.parentdish.com/2010/07/02/little-miss-smarty-pants-dances-her-way-into-our-states-and-hear/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,





When babies are cute as well as smart, we can't help but sit up and take notice.

Dad (who may be a social studies teacher, according to some comments on the video) calls out the states one by one and little Lola points to the right one on the map, followed by the Smarty Pants dance. We adore the way Lola celebrates herself at about :20 seconds, even without a prompt from Dad.

We are not going to chew over how this toddler manages to do it, but let's admit it: She's far better than most of us adults in finding Oregon. Nothing against that lovely north west state, mind you, but many are clueless about basic geography.

Enjoy the video and know that we'll be spending the rest of the day humming the Smarty Pants dance.

Related: Another Dancing Baby Makes the Rounds

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]]>Ashwini BhatFri, 02 Jul 2010 10:05:00 EST