He may be embroiled in one of Hollywood's dirtiest custody battles (with ex-wife Denise Richards), but Charlie Sheen isn't going to let that stop him from moving on with his life. The actor announced today that his wife, Brooke Mueller, is pregnant with their first child.

"Brooke and I are thrilled," he said in a released statement. "She's the best step mom Sam, Lola, and Cassandra could every hope for. Seeing her love and affection for those three, I'll know she'll be an amazing mom." (Awwww. It's almost enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, but yet....) Sheen is referring to his three daughters: He had Cassandra with ex-girlfriend Paula Profit in 1985, and daughters Sam, 3, and Lola, 4, with Richards.

Maybe this is a sign that Sheen really is moving forward with his life and is ready to let the healing begin between him and Richards. No word on what she thinks of the couple's exciting news, but if she's not happy about it, there's no doubt we'll be hearing about it before too long.

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When parents hold differing view on basic issues like discipline, education, or medical care for their children, it can be difficult to come to an agreeable compromise. However, when the parents have been mired in a messy divorce and bitter custody battle, those roadblocks can be insurmountable.

It doesn't appear that Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards have come to the realization that they will be forever linked by their daughters Sam and Lola. According to reports, the pair remains strongly divided on the issue of immunizations, with Denise voting for shots and Charlie maintaining the opinion that they are a potential danger that should be avoided.

So when Sheen received a nearly $400 bill from his daughter' pediatrician for the immunizations they had been given, Charlie didn't just get mad, got even in his own childish way-by paying the bill in nickels.

It doesn't matter where you stand on immunizations, one parent going ahead on an irreversible thing like that without telling the other is some dirty, dirty pool that might get what you want in the short term, but opens you up to the same treatment by your spouse down the road.

How have you handled difficult parenting decision with an ex?

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Some moms boast about their young daughter's involvement in dance or gymnastics or sports, but not Denise Richards! The bitter ex-wife of Charlie Sheen felt the need to share with In Touch magazine that the couple's two daughters Sam, 4, and Lola, 3 are both in therapy.

"It's very sad that they need to be there, but they do for now. On the other hand, it's good they have an outlet to deal with their feelings and someone who is just their advocate." Richards told the magazine.

What I find really sad is that these girls have to have a hired advocate because Mommy is too busy appearing on television denying she sent their father emails asking for sperm and her reality show and Daddy is occupied with screaming at Mommy and remarrying the next victim wife. One of the parents should be able to get themselves together enough to act in the best interest of the kids, no matter how bitter the divorce was.

And apparently Denise fancies herself the "good parent" because in full-on Mother of the Year mode, she explained exactly why she's sharing her baby girl's private lives with a glorified tabloid before they're even old enough to go to school and be teased for seeing a shrink.

"If I can help anyone feel better about their kids being in therapy - then something else good has come of this, too."

Maybe instead of feigning concern over everyone else's children (which is obviously a passive-aggressive way of trying to make herself look like a responsible adult and Charlie as the problem) Denise should worry about her daughters above all else. A good start would be to keep her daughters' private business out of the headlines to the best of her ability.

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When Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen broke up way back when, many speculated that playboy Charlie had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing. There may or may not be something to that theory, but according to Denise Richards, the final straw in the relationship had nothing to do with another woman. She says it was an ugly disagreement over vaccinations that made her realize her marriage wasn't going to work.

Denise says that when she decided to vaccinate four-year-old daughter Sam, Charlie accused her of poisoning their child. "I knew when he said that, that the marriage wasn't going to work," she tells Rebook magazine.

While that does seem a little harsh, I've seen first hand right here at Parent Dish how the subject of vaccinations can divide parents. In the end, the best we can do is agree to disagree. But when mom and dad have different opinions, things can get a little more complicated. Have you and your partner found yourselves on different sides of the vaccination debate? How did you work it out?

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Denise Richards says that she made the decision to include her two young daughters in her new reality show after considering what people would say about her. "I'm in a no-win situation," she explains. "If I don't have my children in my show, then people will say 'Well, she's really not a hands-on mom.' If I do have my children, people are saying that I'm exploiting them. And I think there's plenty of reality shows with families, where you don't watch them - at least I never did - and think they really exploited their kids."

While Richards may have no qualms about exposing four-year-old Sam and two-year -old Lola to the television viewing public, she is concerned about what they are exposed to. She recognizes how her own attitude about her body can impact how her girls learn to feel about themselves. "I'll never talk about weight around them," she tells Shape magazine. "And they'll never hear me say, 'Mommy's feeling fat today.' That kind of attitude just makes young girls grow up to be dissatisfied with their bodies."

I agree with Richards and applaud her for her efforts. Girls do take cues from their mothers when forming ideas about themselves. However, I have to wonder what she is teaching them by making the life-changing decision to put them on television based on concerns about what 'people' will say about her.

Whether or not having their lives on public display will ultimately be harmful to Sam and Lola remains to be seen. But there is at least one person who hopes you won't see it. After losing a court battle to keep his daughters off the small screen, ex-husband Charlie Sheen is now calling for a boycott of the show.

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My celebrity news feeds all wanted to share with me the not-so-interesting news that Denise Richards has legally changed her name back to Denise Richards. The judge approved her name change petition Friday, though her divorce from Charlie Sheen was finalized two years ago.

The story got me thinking, though, about family names and what they mean to people. Traditionally, women have taken their husbands' last names when married, and then all the children from that marriage also share the same surname. These days, though, the only rule in last names is that there are no rules. Married women keep their maiden names, or hyphenate to include their husband's names. Children might get mom's last name, or dad's, or both. And that's just for married couples having children. Add single parents, unmarried-but-coupled parents, and step-parents to the mix, and it's becoming more rare to have only one last name on the household mailbox.

Yet just as we change it up and break all the conventions, I think we have to recognize that it isn't just a name. Names represent our identities; our choices about them make statements about who we are. Families who adopt a child change the child's last name in a move that says, unambiguously, "You are now part of our family." The decision to change or keep a name, hyphenate a name, or revert back to a maiden name after divorce reflects some meaning about the nature of that family. Often, the choice mirrors the struggles we have between "me" and "us," between honoring each extended family while becoming a family of our own.

What arrangement do you have for last names in your family? What meaning does that have for you?

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Hmm. Part of me wants to hooray for Charlie Sheen over his attempts to block ex Denise Richards from including their daughters Sam and Lola in her upcoming reality television show. Part of me would also totally buy the theory that he was just doing it to keep her from getting back on track. Divorce is a nastay thang.

In what could quite possibly be irony, the show Denise is to star in is about a Hollywood mom trying to make it on her own, working and being a mother at the same time. From her point of view it must look like Charlie is trying to keep her down.

Still, I have to agree with him. Regardless of what his secret motives might be I think we've seen far too much of celebrity kids and it's just not safe. They're thrust in the limelight too early and the media have attacked them as much as they attack the celebrities themselves in some cases.

Denise is taking Charlie back to court in an attempt to have a judge revoke Sheen's power as a father so she can carry on without his consent. Somehow that makes things even worse!

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I am not a big fan of Denise Richards and her very public mudslinging with her ex, Charlie Sheen. But perhaps her lashing out has something to do with the stress she's been under while her mother battled cancer. Sadly, her mother Joni lost that battle last week and died in a Long Beach, California hospital.

During her mother's illness, Denise says didn't try to hide her grief from her children, 3-year-old Sam and Lola, 2. "Sam walked in and saw me crying about my mom," she told OK! at the time. "She wiped my tear and gave me a kiss. Then I thought, 'You know what? This is life. Mommy sometimes gets sad.' "

Ellie was about 3 when my father died and there was no hiding my grief from her, either. Of course, Denise's children won't remember their grandmother and that is the saddest thing of all. I am sorry for Denise and my heart goes out to her and her family.

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In an interesting move that will surely still give the press more fire for the fodder, warring former celebrity couple Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen have ended their public custody battle and are putting their children in therapy. At least that's the story today. Given the amount of mudslinging between these two it makes Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin look like kittens playing with yarn.

I gotta tell ya, if either of these couples were my parents I'd be begging for therapy. Say what you will about the practice--some think therapy is a real lifesaver that gives insight into one's true self and sets them on a course toward understanding and healing, others think it's a crock and another way to make a ton of money at the expense of someone's emotional well-being--but, if what Denise and Charlie say is true, at least they're taking some step toward trying to repair their relationship with their daughters.

Both girls are relatively young, but obviously old enough to understand how much her parents hate each other. I mean, when I was young, my parents had their share of disagreements. There was no name-calling and bashing, however, nor was it public and turned over to the media circus.

Sam, 3, and Lola, 2, will be taken to therapy by their mother under agreement from their father, who is pleased with the turn of events. I hope for the best for the broken family. Divorce is ugly enough when the parents part amicably. When it becomes the all-out war that occurred between these two celebrity parents, however, I'm not sure the damage is repairable.

Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure who's worse: Denise and Charlie or Kim and Alec. Both sets should be ashamed at the very least for the unbelievable--and totally avoidable--pain they're causing their children. It's just... selfish. Who do you think is worse???

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Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards will not win any prizes for negotiating a civil divorce. It's been messy from the beginning, with Denise dumping Charlie while pregnant with their child. I don't know that it was ever determined just what brought about the end of the marriage, but I think it is safe to say that whatever it was, Denise is still mad about it.

Due to a court order, Sheen cannot see the ex-couple's two daughters, Sam and Lola, outside of the presence of two nannies, who must be approved by Richards. But when Richards substituted a real nanny for her assistant last week, Sheen balked. Out loud and in print. "Until I'm granted the ability to hire my own nanny, she is required to provide one and I was terribly insulted that she felt her 'assistant' was a suitable replacement," the actor said in a statement.

Sheen, who is now engaged to Brooke Mueller, goes on to say, "If it's unfortunate that I'm speaking, it's 'unfortunate' that an incredibly loving and responsible father and his terrifically capable fiancee are being subjected to these transparent and unnecessary sanctions, that have nothing to do with responsible co-parenting and everything to do with punishment and control."

I agree, it is unfortunate that he is speaking. His statement may sway public opinion, but what difference could that possibly make to their children? I think they both need to grow up.

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When Denise Richards filed for divorce from Charlie Sheen a few years ago, I felt kind of sorry for her. I don't know if it was ever determined exactly what Sheen did to her, but it must have been pretty bad considering Richards was six months pregnant with their second child when she walked.

I quit feeling sorry for Richards about the time she hooked up with her best friend Heather Locklear's ex, Richie Sambora. I am pretty sure that broke rule number one on the list of best friend etiquette. Not cool. Richards and Sambora have since parted ways and I guess Richards is alone with her two children now. According to Sheen, she would like to be alone with three children and has asked him to donate some sperm to the cause.

Richards denies this, saying she doesn't want another child right now and is happy with two. Interesting that she doesn't say something like 'no way in hell would I have another child with that cheater.' But Sheen says he has proof of her request, telling Entertainment Tonight, "there is a specific document relating to this that I am going to reserve for a court." A court? Is it illegal to ask your ex-husband to father a child with you?

"She can make every claim in the world. But what she stated in something she wrote would completely and totally defy that," Sheen says. You see, the two are still wrangling over custody issues and I guess Sheen feels this gives him some sort of ammunition when he requests unsupervised visitation rights with his children.

Sheen, who is now engaged to to another woman, makes abundantly clear his feelings on being a sperm donor for Richards. "I would sooner, in exactly what I'm wearing, walk on the surface of the moon. Does that answer it?" Yes, it does.

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Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee have made quite a habit of it. Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards were briefly fans of it. Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler have taken a stab at it. And now it is rumored that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe are giving it a try. It is the post break-up reunion between two parents. It doesn't seem to matter what drove them apart in the first place, but time does heal many wounds and these couples end up making headlines when they surface holding hands and smiling in each others faces after tales of bitter feuds have rocked the tabloids. Inevitably, the old problems seem to bubble over and these famous couples go their separate ways, but not before making big headlines and adding fuel to many a rumor.

While many naysayers mock these efforts, I can understand the post break-up reunion. After all, your ex is the mother/father of your children. In all likelihood there was something pretty spectacular about them in the first place to prompt the making of a child or two. In one way or another you are forever bonded to that person once a child enters the picture. My ex and I split up several times, once for 18 months and another time for a divorce and still there was the attraction of the post break-up reunion. It is a fairly safe reunion. You know this person. You have seen them at their worst and and at their best. So why not give it another go?

Unfortunately, the euphoric haze tends to wear off after a post break-up reunion and one member or the other recalls exactly why the relationship went wrong in the first place. Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson have been through this part of the cycle several times. Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards appear to have broken the cycle. The Barker/Moakler team seem somewhat undecided. And Reese Whitherspoon and Ryan Philippe appear to be at the tender part of the reunion. Whatever the case, a post break-up reunion can breathe excitement and hope into a troublesome situation, it just isn't often a long lived hope.

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Denise Richards sounds like a pretty cool ex. Not only is she not upset over Charlie Sheen's engagement to Brooke Mueller, but she even sent the couple a floral arrangement. Richards says she has met the upcoming Mrs. Sheen and really likes her.

This is a clever approach for Richards since Mueller will be the new step-mother to her young baby girls, Sam and Lola. If the Sheen and Richards camp has any hope of becoming a blended family, starting off on an honest foot of respect and friendship is a healthy outlook.

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You know, divorce is always painful. Regardless of the cliche, it's true. And sometimes divorce is ugly. Especially when there is a custody battle. And especially when there is suspected abuse.

I have been reading with growing horror and fascination today about the charges that have come to light from Denise Richards regarding Charlie Sheen's alleged behaviors toward her and their two daughters. Sheen's camp insists that Richards' seventeen pages of allegations are untrue, and that he will take the higher road by not responding in kind. It is so hard in these situations to turn away.

And despite the discomfort I feel in this situation, I don't think this is a typical sensationalist story. Denise Richards first filed for divorce while she was pregnant with her second child. She did not go public with any of this information at the time. She attempted a reconciliation. I don't think she is attention-seeking. But I do think that in cases where domestic violence is suspected (even if it is "only" emotional), toward women and children in particular, that we should pay a quiet attention. Of course Sheen is innocent until proven guilty. What I am interested in in this situation is not so much the fact that this case has the names of celebrities on it. Because we can't prove anything.

I am interested in the allegations themselves, because regardless of the man who commits such acts, and regardless of the women and children who are subjugated to them, they are abusive. And so I think it's important for women to read these allegations if they are in marriages in which they suspect they and their children are being treated unjustly. Because if your mate is behaving in any of these ways, then there are resources available to you. There are victim support agencies, shelters, and restraining orders available to you. All you have to do is look in the phone book and then make a quiet phone call.

I don't know what to think about the Richards/Sheen case except that I hope there can be healing for everyone involved.

I hate to judge celebrities - or anyone - but the relationship between Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen seems to have been born under an unlucky star. See, she had to go and decide to become a mom. You know what that means, right? Parenting. Diaper changing. Feeding hungry mouths - several times a day. Responsibility.

And the specter of responsibility, well, that's a little too much for Charlie to handle. It was only his dad's pressure, we heard, that convinced Denise to even let her erstwhile drinkin', gamblin', hard-partyin' husband to be present during the birth of their second child, Lola, in June.

Denise is far too independent and self-assured, it seems, to put up with his behavior just so she can keep her children's dad around. She's decided to go through with the divorce she threatened this spring, and a private arbiter is working out the details.

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