Brendan Adams' mother didn't want him to play middle school football. She was afraid he might get hurt.

Wait a minute. Brendan is almost 7-feet-5-inches tall -- the tallest teenager on the planet, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. And she's worried about him getting hurt?

The sad irony is it took a lot of work to get Brendan on the gridiron. His mother's concerns are more than justified. The 14-year-old eighth-grader from Ellensburg, Wash., about 100 miles east of Seattle, has health problems as formidable as his height. His body is full of tumors. His joints are enlarged. And doctors recently discovered an arrhythmia in his heart.

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For most, childbirth and everything leading up to it is a private affair. For others, it's a public display of affection.

Wayne and Coleen Rooney, a famous British couple (Wayne plays soccer for England and Manchester United), took the grainy ultrasound scan of their unborn baby to another level by hiring someone to come to their home and perform a 4D ultrasound for family and friends, according to the Daily Mail.

In other words, they entered... The Fourth Dimension. (Cue spooky music.)

What is a 4D ultrasound? Technically the procedure is a 3D ultrasound where the images are produced quickly enough to simulate video. (The fourth dimension is time, so the 4D refers to the images being produced in real time.)

The regular ultrasounds that most of us have experienced are sound waves bouncing back to the machine. Since the baby is moving, the image will have a blurriness similar to the what you get when taking low-resolution cell phone video of anything moving.

So a 4D ultrasound offers what some feel is a more accurate image of what is happening in the womb.

Since the 4D version of the scan does not give doctors and parents any more information about the fetus than the traditional 2D ultrasound, this is an elective procedure. The Rooneys reportedly paid £300, or about $500, to rent a sonographer and the necessary equipment. Had they done it in a doctor's office, they might have saved a few bucks. One provider of 4D ultrasounds offers packages that range from $99 to $199, depending on what you want to know and how far along you are in the pregnancy.

There are some risks involved. The fetus is being exposed to sound waves for a longer period of time with the 3D/4D ultrasound than they would with a 2D scan, and a 2006 study on mice showed some neurological changes with prolonged exposure to sound waves. Doctors generally feel that ultrasounds are safe as long as the scan lasts no longer than 30 minutes.

So what's next? 5D, of course. According to Wikipedia, "In 5D ultrasound, tissue density is the 5th dimension, and 5D ultrasounds may provide clearer pictures, more accurate images, and finer detail."

The Fifth Dimension is also the band that sang "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In." Maybe they can cut a deal for the commercials.

Here is a video of a 4D ultrasound.



Would you have this procedure? And would you invite your friends and family over to see it?

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Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

It's that time of year again when otherwise normal men and women lose all their inhibitions and paint their faces the colors of a local football franchise. (Remember Seinfeld's David Putty?) Apparently, in January and early February there are two sets of cultural norms, one for everyday life and one for football games.

I love football (although the Vikings are already out of the playoffs). But I don't paint my face. I also don't get a group of my friends together, each paint a letter of the team's name on our bellies and lift up our shirts when the TV camera falls on us. Call me old fashioned. But if you want me on a Sunday afternoon, I'll be in the big chair downstairs half watching the game and half unconscious. There's a subliminal sign over my head -- Please Don't Disturb.

As much as I love watching football, I enjoy getting a group of friends together to watch big games, especially the Super Bowl. (Of course, we don't watch the game as much as the commercials.) Here are some easy ideas for snacks and appetizers to make for those big testosterone laced events.

(During the making of this video we had some problems, but just like in real life, you have to press on. See if you can find the mistake.)


You can find part two -- the onion rings -- here.

It's basketball season at my house, which means lots of playing H-O-R-S-E in the driveway with my sons. I have one child who is a natural athlete, at least at the sports he has tried so far, and one who loves the social aspects of playing on a team but isn't exactly star material.

I'm good with that, frankly.

For my children, pee wee sports are all about learning good sportsmanship and responsibility; they've committed to playing on these teams, so they need to show up for practice and do their best. My husband and I are also hoping they will learn some skills -- how to shoot a layup or catch a ball -- while they're at it. Mostly, though, we're just hoping it will be fun.

But not every parent has that attitude, and for those who want their children to excel in sports from a very young age, there's a new trick: a Boulder, CO, firm, Atlas Sports Genetics, will test your child to see what sport he or she is most likely to excel at. A simple cheek swab can tell you if your toddler is going to be an Olympic swimmer or a professional baseball player!

Okay I kid (the test isn't that specific), but honestly, what are parents thinking?

The genetic test determines "whether a person would be best at speed and power sports like sprinting or football, or endurance sports like distance running, or a combination of the two." Donna Campiglia told the New York Times that she would absolutely have her two-and-a-half-year-old son swabbed, because the knowledge of what sports he would be good at "would prevent a lot of parental frustration."

Clearly she has never watched a six-year-old play t-ball.

Kids should play sports for a lot of reasons: it's healthy, physically and mentally, and it's fun. They should not, at two or three or six or ten -- or ever -- be playing a sport because their parents need for them to succeed. And if you get right down to it, parenting is all about learning to manage your own frustration and expectation. After all, we're talking about kids here, not little NBA stars.

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Judging by the comments on the story about 89-year-old Edna Jester being arrested for refusing to return her neighbor's football, I think you will all be pleased with the latest development in that story. The Blue Ash, Ohio prosecutor has decided to drop the misdemeanor theft charge that was filed against Jester after she applied the 'finders keepers' rule to an errant football that landed in her yard.

We can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Jester won't be facing up to six months in jail for stealing her 13-year-old neighbor's football. But clearly Jester herself was never worried. When told the news, she said: "They are dropping them? I knew the good Lord was in my arrangements and that I had plenty of friends in back of me. I have too many friends in this world. There is nobody that is going to let anything happen to me," she said.

Since the original story, more details of how that football came to be in her yard have been revealed. It wasn't deliberate and it wasn't even the kid's fault. The boy's father, Paul Tanis, overthrew the ball and when he went to retrieve it, Jester had beaten him to it. She told him that if he wanted the ball back he would have to call the police. He did call the cops, but says he never intended for Jester to be arrested.

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The house on the corner where my kid catches the school bus is owned by a couple who look to be in their sixties. They have previously made it clear that they don't want the children on their lawn, so we stand on the street (there are no sidewalks) and try to keep the kids off the grass. This isn't always easy to do with the younger siblings, who get bored waiting for the bus and have a tendency to wander. That tendency to wander resulted in a toddler being sprayed with a garden hose last year, so the parents are extra-vigilant now. So far, there have been no incidents this year.

It sounds like Edna Jester of the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash has a similar dislike of children on her property. She doesn't want them - or their stuff - on her lawn and recently made her point by confiscating a teen neighbor's football that was in her yard. In this case, 'confiscating' is another word for 'stealing' and the teen's mom called police when Jester refused to return the ball. Jester was unrepentant. "I said go ahead and arrest me. Handcuff me if you'd like, because I said I'm not guilty of anything," she said. Police offered her a chance to sign a ticket saying she would appear in court, but she refused. So, they arrested her on charges of petty theft.

The incident was caught on tape by a neighbor, who supports Jester in her war against the football. "Taken down and interrogated, a (near) 90 year-old lady. It almost hits home like this is the United States, this can't happen and this is absolutely ridiculous," said neighbor Kevin Pike.

Kelly Tanis, the teen's mom, says this isn't the first time Jester has taken her children's balls. "This time it was a ball that my son had just bought with his own money. He works and he makes his own money, and he bought that ball ,and six days later she took it," Tanis said.

Jester says she would have given the ball back sooner or later, but waited because she didn't want to be made a laughing stock. She is due in court on November 12 to answer the charges.

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Soccer superstar David Beckham is set to launch a series of books aimed at getting kids to read through soccer. These days, Beckham is known as much for his celebrity lifestyle and products that carry his name as he is for his Euro football moves. In addition to fashion plate wife Posh and three sons, David lays claim to cologne among his other endeavors.

Beckham is not planning on writing the books, however, and will hire a ghostwriter to pen them. The books will be set in both London and his new home of Los Angeles and will focus on his soccer academies. My main question is whether or not there will be a character based on Posh!

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Every year, I'm sure, tens of high school students play on their school football without injury. Spencer Trapp, however, was not one of the lucky ones. While playing a game, recently, he got hurt -- he thought it was a strained neck, so he kept playing. Later, however, doctors told him he had actually broken his neck -- the sort of injury that could have left him paralyzed or dead. "When I went back and twisted I broke my 5th vertebrae and twisted it almost into my spinal cord. It felt like a strained neck but you don't want to go out with a strained neck," he said.

Luckily, Trapp did survive and appears to be okay. "I just couldn't believe it when the doctors told me that I had a broken neck I played a football game with a broken neck," said Trapp. He won't be playing football anymore -- with or without a broken neck -- but he says he'll be helping out from the sidelines. You've got to give him credit for not being a quitter.

I'm not a big fan of organized sports to begin with and every time I hear a story about some kid getting hurt or killed while playing, it just makes me hope all the more that my kids remain uninterested in such things.

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As a person, you know that some people never learn. You see and hear this fact every day. As a parent, you will, at some point, no doubt be forced to share this delightful bit of information with your children, even as you try to teach them to be people who do learn from their mistakes and shortcomings. Sometimes it's tough to do when those people who never learn continue to be on the receiving end of everything but karma.

As we all know by now, Don Imus, the controversial radio disc jockey, is in the news again for making what are being construed as racist remarks. Recently Imus commented on the numerous (six!) arrests of football star Andrew Jones, who is African American. During the broadcast Imus asked what color Jones was. When he received the response, he stated, "Well, that explains it. Now we know."

Imus has since come forward claiming his comments were meant to be sarcastic. The people aren't buying it though, and neither is Andrew Jones, who said he has problems with African Americans and that he will be praying for Imus. I don't necessarily think Imus has a problem with a certain set of people (maybe he does, maybe he doesn't), but I do think he doesn't know when to let well enough alone. He doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. Imus, however, doesn't get paid to do that. He gets paid to bring attention to his program, any way he knows how. And making controversial remarks is his trademark.

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According to a recent report, actress Bridget Moynahan recently admitted she feared being a single mom and motherhood. Moynahan found out she was pregnant nearly moments after she split with her ex--football superstar Tom Brady. Brady began dating supermodel Gisele Bundchen and Bridget gave birth to their beautiful son, John Edward Thomas Moynahan.

Moynahan says she is "...a traditional girl" and that she always figured she'd settle down and get married. She did not ever see herself going through parenthood alone. She was also candid about having a newborn, for which we get no real training, and how scary that is. I find this kind of honesty from celebrity parents so refreshing. Most of the time they make it look so easy to have a large lifestyle and kids.

I think Bridget--and any parent who goes through parenthood alone--is extremely brave for what she's doing. I admire that she and Tom are still on decent terms (at least that is how the media is presenting it) and trying to get along for the sake of their son. Could I do it? I don't know. I think it's amazing what single parents accomplish. My husband is out of town on business for a week and I am finding it very challenging to get anything done! Still, if that's the way things were, I would gladly sacrifice washing those dishes in the sink for taking full responsibility for my son. Moynahan basically agrees with that sentiment and says she wouldn't trade the role of motherhood for anything, though, and doesn't appear to be looking for anyone's pity.

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There are fans and then their are fans. Take David Witthoft, a Green Bay Packers fan who got a Brett Favre jersey for Christmas in 2003...and then never took it off. David wore the jersey every day until April 23rd, which was his twelfth birthday. Apparently, David was starting to feel a little self-conscious, because the jersey barely covered his belly.

David's mom washed the jersey every other day and repaired it as necessary. It's not unusual for kids have a favorite piece of clothing that they request to wear again and again and again, but four plus years? That's a long time! David plans to attend the Packer's game on September 8th, when the number 4 -- Brett Favre's number -- will be retired.

Does your child have a favorite piece of clothing they never want to take off? When they finally do, here are some cute craft ideas for preserving that beloved piece of their childhood.

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Team sports are an excellent way for kids to get exercise, learn a new skill, and become a better team player. But sports are also inherently risky. Some parents may worry that their child will get hurt during play, and it can be hard to know how to judge the risk vs. the benefit of joining a team.

A recent study may help parents in their decision making. Researchers looked at data from 100 public schools across the nation and this is what they found:

• High school students get hurt more often.
• High school football players get hurt most often in play, followed by girls' soccer and boys' soccer.
• The most frequent injuries are to the ankle, followed by the head and upper leg.
• The most common injuries were sprains or strains, followed by bruises, fractures, and concussions.
• Most injuries benched players for less than a week, but 10% of injuries put them out for the season or for good.

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If you're into any sort of sports, I'm sure you've noticed that as soon as a football or baseball game is over, vendors are already selling shirts and sweaters featuring the winning team's logo. It's not magic and they're not printing up the shirts in a van behind the stadium; the manufacturers actually print apparel with both teams listed as the winner. Once one team wins, they bring out the appropriate set of merchandise.

But what happens to the all those pullovers and t-shirts that they don't sell because they sport the football equivalent of "Dewey Defeats Truman"? Well, the New England Patriots' dream of winning the 2008 Superbowl will live on in Romania where clothing declaring the team the winner will go to help poor children stay warm.

The NFL and Reebok have teamed up with World Vision to get the Patriots' items to needy children around the world. Last year, the Chicago Bears' Superbowl memorabilia went to kids in Zambia, Chad, Chile, Bolivia, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Zimbabwe, and Romania. "I am glad we could provide these warm clothes," said Mihaela Ciobanu, a World Vision social worker in Romania. "Every support like this comes like a gift from heaven for all these children, I can assure you."

I'm not big on organized sports, but at least something good is coming out of it. Kudos to the NFL and the losing teams for letting their clothing go to a good cause!

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You always knew being a cheerleader was tough -- a real contact sport. This young lady's injuries go far beyond the usual twists and sprains, however. The prom queen was trying to fix a little dangling piece of paper on one of those big paper banners the players break through when...well...an accident happens.

Fortunately she wasn't hurt -- which means you can laugh at her without feeling totally horrible about yourself.

Click play above or watch the video on YouTube.

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Everyone jokes about jocks and cheerleaders are loved by teachers and staff, despite being horrible to their less-popular classmates -- but that's not real life, right? It's the plot of 80s movies and TV sitcoms.

Apparently not. Stephanie Schwehn, a 17-year-old high school student, recently had to leave school after bullying got so bad that she started having health problems. While it's always upsetting to hear about kids getting picked on, the fact that it happens -- even to extremes -- isn't very surprising. But what's shocking are Schwehn's claims that, after she reported the abuse, school officials told her: "You really don't move to Texas and mess with their football players and cheerleaders."

Seriously? Could teachers really be so wrapped up in teenage social politics that they'd let some girl get run out of school?

The school, for its part, is claiming that the lawsuit is frivolous and opportunistic, claiming that they acted appropriately in dealing with the issue.

I'll be interested to see how this turns out -- if only because a victory for Schwehn would mean just a little bit of vindication for every nerd, geek and dweeb that still resents the way they were stepped on throughout their academic career.

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