Jenny Sanford Puts Her Kids First, the Governor Second
Love & sex, Behaving badly, In the news
Mrs. Sanford's behavior -- including her refusal to cover for her husband when the press first came to their Sullivans Island summer house inquiring about the governor's whereabouts, and her absence as he has faced the press and calls for his resignation alone -- Mrs. Sanford has inspired a strong response from women across the country. "Team Jenny" merchandise, including mugs, bags and t-shirts with tango dancing silhouettes and the tagline, "Don't cry for me Argentina," is popping up everywhere. Clearly, Mrs. Sanford's behavior is meeting with approval from at least some voters -- and mothers.
Shortly after her husband's rambling, narcissistic press conference, the preppy mother of four boys delivered her own perfectly crafted and heartbreakingly maternal statement (no secret now about who the brain was in that outfit!). In it, she uses sacred scripture to remind her cheating husband of his ingratitude, saying, "sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him." She goes on to say, "I believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is...the character of [my] children".
Jenny Sanford is a woman who understands exactly what is at stake, and who is not willing to risk "the potential damage to [her] children." When these things happen to families, especially very public families, we all worry about the children. In this case, however, we all somehow know that those boys are going to turn out all right – thanks to Team Jenny.
Sam's Club Gives Kids Candy In Pill Bottles
Health & safety, Weird but true
Sam's Club targets children with ill-advised pharmacy promotion. Image: Pam Roth/sxc.hu
If experts are worried about pharmacies handing out prescription drugs like candy, I wonder how they would feel about a pharmacy that hands out candy like prescription drugs. That is exactly what a Sam's Club pharmacy in Salisbury, Maryland was doing last week.
Sams' Club is a membership store and has a checkpoint at the entry where shoppers must show their identification before entering. But at this particular store, employees weren't just checking member cards, they were also promoting the in-store pharmacy by giving children prescription medicine bottles filled with candy.
Parents Keep 2-Year-Old's Gender a Secret
Development, In the news, Environment
Swedish couple avoid stereotypes by refusing to reveal their child's gender. Photo: Dominik Gwarek/sxc.hu
But even if you can't tell the gender of someone's child just by looking, you can always come out and ask the parents, right? Usually, yes. But in the case of a two-and-a-half-year-old Swedish child, the answer would be "none of your business."
Aside from the parents and few other people, nobody knows if the child they call Pop is a boy or a girl. Pop's parents subscribe to a feminist philosophy in which the idea of gender is an unnecessary and potentially harmful social construction. They believe that by keeping Pop's gender a secret from the world, their child will be allowed to grow up without preconceived notions of how he or she should be treated based on his or her gender.
Jon & Kate Plus 8 - The First 10 Years
Before we move onto the next chapter in the life of the Gosselin family, it's time to look back and reminisce about how we got here. Last night's episode of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" took us back in time -- 10 years, in fact, to the very beginning of the couple's marriage. This retrospective could provide Jon and Kate answers as to what has gone wrong in their marriage, giving them points to focus on if they decide to try again.
On the other hand, some of these memories seemed to highlight exactly why they don't want to be together anymore.
Kate Gosselin of Jon and Kate Plus 8
Is it splitsville for the Gosselins?
Kate Gosselin, star of TLC's hit show "Jon & Kate Plus 8," speaks Wednesday May 13, 2009, at the Frauenthal Center in Muskegon, Mich. We may be seeing a lot more of Kate solo, now that her marriage is collapsing.
Dave Raczkowski, MLIVE.com / AP
Jon and Kate Gosselin of the hit TLC show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" film an episode where they receive their own choppers (motorcycles) from the Orange County Choppers of the other TLC show, "American Chopper." The Gosselins go for a ride with the "American Chopper" cast before Kate later takes her custom pink bike for a ride of her own. All the while their children wander about the front lawn, not receiving much attention.
Bauer-Griffin
Over the past five years, Kate Gosselin's life has gone from miracle mom to reality TV train wreck. What's next for Gosselin and her family? Maybe a return to something closer to normal. Here, Gosselin is spotted pushing around one of her daughters in a shopping cart at Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Bauer-Griffin
Kate Gosselin, seen here promoting her book "Multiple Blessings," seems to have made a life for herself that doesn't include husband Jon, who is reported to have been having an affair. But what about the kids?
David Livingston, Getty Images
Once upon a time, not so long ago, the Gosselins were our favorite reality tv family. It was hard not to love them -- after all, we all know how parenting changes us.
Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you had one more child? How about two more? How about SIX more?
Four years ago, Jon and Kate Gosselin went from being parents of two to parents of eight, and their lives have never been the same.
Getty Images
Today we all have a window into that life on TLC's Jon and Kate Plus 8. And of course, part of peeking into someone else's life is hypothesizing how we might do things differently or better, because it's always easy to imagine what you would do in someone else's shoes.
What is harder to imagine is what it would really be like to walk in those other shoes -- what's it like to wake up every morning and be Kate Gosselin? ParentDish had a chance to ask her just that recently.
TLC.Discovery.com
In a normal week, the Gosselins have a television crew in their house about half the time, which is a lot, if you think about it. And while they will occasionally opt out of filming specific moments with their kids, the Gosselins have no editorial control over the show -- what you see is what you get, packaged by a team of folks at Discovery and TLC. But, Kate says, this is reality TV, and it accurately reflects life at the Gosselin house; nothing is pre-planned or made up. "We don't have time to memorize scripts," she jokes.
I believe that.
"We set out to show the truth," Kate says, "I couldn't watch it if it weren't true." What you see, in every televised moment, is precisely what is happening -- no stage directions or do-overs. This is life at the Gosselin house.
Getty Images
Kate Gosselin has gotten quite a bit of flak, both from the media and from viewers, for the way she treats her husband; the two are often shown bickering during the show. Kate says the criticisms don't bother her; she doesn't Google herself or make a practice of reading about herself on or off line. "Everyone has an opinion," she says, "and I'm only paying attention to my own." But she does admit that the way the show is edited affects how people see her family and her marriage. "If Jon and I have three spats over a two day period, they're going to edit it to make it look like those happened in the 22 minute period." The show is just a small slice of her family's life, after all.
TLC.Discovery.com
Kate is clearly focused not on what goes on outside her family but on her children. Her goal, she says, is to treat each child like an only child -- a hard thing to do when you're the mom of eight. "I hold myself to a very high standard," she says. At the same time, though, she's not trying to be perfect, or even to appear perfect to viewers of the show. She's just living her life.
And yes, she's living it with television cameras in her house, but it's still her real life. Kate says that while the experience of being on television has changed her life, it hasn't changed who she is. She says the same about having eight children -- "It's hard to live through what we have lived through and not change. We are the same -- it's how people treat us" that is different.
Getty Images
One of the hardest things about her family, Kate says, is the noise; there are days when the older girls, Cara and Mady, come home from school and their reports about what they have done are drowned out by the noise of the sextuplets. More than anything, she says, she longs for peace and quiet -- otherwise, she would not change a thing about her life.
Getty Images
High school sweethearts who married very young, Jon and Kate almost immediately became parents to twins, Cara and Mady. Kate loved the whirlwind of being a newlywed mom of twins, but Jon seemed to wish he were elsewhere (a frat house, possibly).
As soon as the twins turn one, Kate wants another baby, although Jon mutters he was getting sick of hearing her talk about it. Maybe he should have spoken up a bit more forcefully, because Kate is already down at the fertility doctor's office, and then next thing they know they're looking at an ultrasound of six babies.
Peapod
Daily Cutie
Nobody puts baby in a corner. Thanks to Sarah Stewart for this adorable shot.
Sarah Stewart/Flickr
A future phone-talker is in the works. Thanks to anuragyagnik for this glimpse into the future.
anuragyagnik/Flickr
Such a happy little cowgirl. Thanks to 4peasinapod for this adorable portrait.
4peasinapod/Flickr
What's this little one pondering? Thanks to kiu101 for this beautiful photo.
kiu101/Flickr
Sick and snotty, but still a doll. Thanks to bilquest for sharing this cute photo.
bilquest/Flickr
This bathing beauty makes us all smile. Thanks to kmorae3 for this darling photo.
kmorae3/Flickr
Oh that first tub bath! So cute. Thanks to FabFio666 for sharing this special moment.
FabFio666/Flickr
This precious tot doesn't mind getting his hands (or face!) dirty. Great shot, mamadowdell!
mamadowdell/Flickr
This cutie wins best hairstyle of the week. Thanks to Margaret E Jacobsen for this adorable image.
Margaret E Jacobsen/Flickr
A little ballerina surrounded by doting fans. What a beautiful image, joeboba!
joeboba/Flickr
If you'd like your own picture featured here, simply upload photos into the ParentDish Flickr Pool. We'll highlight an image every day. Remember: We're on the lookout for shots with interesting backgrounds, cool angles, or original composition. Be sure to read the intro on our main Flickr page for more information and limit your uploading to 5 photos per day.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's Twins - Sneak Peek!
The Parker-Broderick brood. Photo: Robin Layton via Getty Images
Parker and Broderick were unable to conceive again after their son, James Wilkie, 6, was born, and so they opted for surrogacy instead. "Well, you know, we've been trying to expand our family for a number of years," Parker told "Access Hollywood" in May. She said that she met the news that the surrogate was carrying twins with "giggles." "We didn't expect it. I think after a certain amount of time, you tend to hold your hopes at bay a bit so as not to be disappointed. One really would have been thrilling and we would've felt incredibly lucky. And two was a comedy."
Baby Zoom
Eyes Wide Shut
One of the finest shots of Sunday Rose with mommy Nicole Kidman.
KCSPresse, Splash News
Who's that Girl?Hint: This celeb-baby always looks like a doll. At just two-and-a-half-years-old she is probably one of the youngest fashion icons of her day -- and you won't see her out of a dress. Except here. The answer comes next.
Sebastian Willnow, AFP/Getty Images
Chocolate LipsSuri Cruise walking on the streets of Manhattan on November 24, 2008.
James Devaney, WireImage
Mother-Daughter Sunglasses
Wearing matching shady looks, actress Isla Fisher and her 13-month-old daughter Olive arrive at LAX airport on December 4, 2008. Were they hijacked by Olive's daddy, Sacha Baron Cohen, in his alter ego of flamboyantly camp Austrian fashion reporter Bruno?
Splash News
The Girl Who Doesn't Age
Medical conditions, Development
Does Brooke Greenberg hold the key to the fountain of youth? Image: Dez Pain/sxc.hu
Since her birth, Brooke's body and brain have not aged in the conventional sense. She remains the size of an infant and has the mental capacity of a toddler. Her bone age is estimated to be about 10 years old and she has a mouth full of baby teeth. She rides in a stroller and, because her esophagus is so small, must be fed through a tube.
"There've been very minimal changes in Brooke's brain," says Dr. Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine. "Various parts of her body, rather than all being at the same stage, seem to be disconnected."
Baby Born at 23 Weeks Doing Well Six Months Later
Newborns, Pregnancy & birth, In the news
Jessica Hawkins was born at 23 weeks, weighing less than a pound and a half. Photo: Getty Images
Now she is 6 months old and weighs in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces. That's still very small for her age -- some children are born at or close to that weight. But she is healthy and alive. She has passed all her vision and hearing screenings, and came home from the hospital without an oxygen tank, which is huge for very premature babies.
Her parents, Pete and Sam Hawkins, are overjoyed, of course, but their joy is even more poignant than that of most parents of preemies: Mrs. Hawkins has had five miscarriages; one occurred at 19 weeks, and one at 20 weeks, which is halfway through a typical pregnancy. She had also gone through two cycles of IVF and was told it was "very unlikely" she would have children. When baby Jessica was born at 23 weeks, doctors thought the mother had again miscarried, "but a scan showed [Jessica's] heart was beating."
Her parents were stunned. "We couldn't take our eyes off her and are still in disbelief every day that she's actually ours," says Sam Hawkins.
Bizarre Births
Mom, Unaware She Was Pregnant, Has Surprise Baby -- on Christmas!
She never felt kicking, didn't notice weight gain, and even kept menstruating!
Read More
buzzybee on sxc
Baby Born on London Underground
Upon exciting the train, this woman promptly went into labor.
Read More
Suserl on sxc
Woman Gives Birth to Triplet Granddaughters
This 56-year-old certainly went the extra mile for her family.
Read More
crashmattb on flickr
IVF Used to Beat Breast Cancer Gene
In a controversial procedure, this couple employed genetic screening to make sure breast cancer wouldn't be passed onto their offspring.
Read More
clix on sxc
Ticketed on the Way to the Delivery Room
They weren't only stopped and ticketed, the officer made the couple wait while he ticketed someone else.
Read More
woodsy on sxc
Twins Born From Cancer Survivor's 13-Year-Old Sperm
He froze his sperm while fighting cancer, so that one day he might be a father.
Read More
clix on sxc
Woman Goes Into Labor During Obama's Acceptance Speech
Six days past her due date, this mom-to-be really wanted to attend the President-elect's acceptance speech in Chicago.
Read More
Getty Images
Woman Conceives Triplets While on the Pill
The contraceptive didn't just fail, it really, really failed. But fortunately it was a pleasant surprise for the mom-to-be.
Read More
thesaint on sxc
59-Year-Old Gives Birth to Triplets
At an age when many women are preparing to be grandmothers, fertility treatment gave this woman three babies of her own.
Read More
biewoef on sxc
Japan's Oldest Surrogate Mother Carries Her Own Grandchild
At 61, this woman's age alone makes her story miraculous -- not to mention that she was giving birth to her granddaughter, and taking part in a procedure banned by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology's.
Read More
jeinny on sxc
Independence Day Fun - Links We Love
The fourth of July is the perfect time for family fun. Image: ginnerobot/Flickr
Spending your Fourth at the beach? Pick up some of these cool beach toys to keep the kids busy while you soak up some sunshine. -- LilSugar
On the other hand, maybe your kids enjoy hunting sea shells instead. Here's a simple recipe for cleaning the favorites they bring home. -- CafeMom
Should you rethink bringing your kids to that backyard BBQ? If kids aren't explicitly invited, maybe so, says MomLogic, or at the very least make sure you aren't making the other guests entertain your kids.
More patriotic crafts! A fan for keeping cool, a Betsy Ross-style American flag and a stars and stripes wall hanging. -- BabyCenter
Have some fun at the family barbecue with some holiday inspired games: Balloon Brigade Relay Race, Bossy Ball and the Soggy Jog Relay seem like a good place to start. -- Family Fun
Want your kids to know the story behind the fireworks and fun? Here's a short history of Independence Day and a quiz to test your knowledge about this all-American holiday. -- Kaboose
Finally, teach your youngest kids the colors red, white and blue by serving these patriotic and colorful foods for dinner. -- About.com
Kids Fast Friends After Tandem Heart Transplants
Two British kids who lived just two streets apart had heart transplants on the same day, in the same hospital. Photo: sxc.hu
Devon and Kevin Skinner watched their son suffer from leukemia and chemotherapy that weakened his heart to the point where he collapsed in his mother's arms after heart failure. Stefanie and Ian Walsh knew that their daughter would face significant health challenges after pre-natal scans revealed that her arteries were arranged in the wrong position.
Despite the fact that they were nearly neighbors, it was the months of waiting for a heart transplant that brought the children -- and their parents -- together. "It was a terrible time but was made a little bit easier by having Stef and Ian there," says Patrick's mom, Devon Skinner.
