Don't let kids waste beautiful summer days in front of the TV or video games. Here are five ways to keep the whole family active and healthy this summer. -- Health.com

One of those activities is sure to involve the pool or the beach, so here are top tips for keeping your child safe in the water. -- The Cradle

Babies use their cribs for such a short time, then you're left storing it or looking for friends who can use it. What if you could just throw it in the recycling bin? Check out this cardboard bed for baby. -- LilSugar

One of Momversation's latest episodes, "Are You a Stressed Out Working Mom?" has a lot of moms talking about staying at home, working at home and working outside the home. Check it out.

Here's an easy way to increase the cute factor of your Father's Day gift - an origami "tie" card. -- CafeMom

"I fell asleep," claims a teen who says she asked for three tattoos and ended up with 56 ... on her face. Do you think her story holds any water? -- Lemondrop

More trouble for "American Idol" alum David Archuleta's dad, who was arrested for soliciting a prostitute at a massage parlor in Utah. -- Popeater

Got a pet lover in the house? Here are the top 10 movies for animal lovers, most of them appropriate for kids -- Charlotte's Web, Black Beauty and The Bear, for example -- Pawnation

Parents who are not morning people still give birth to children who are. Need help dealing with a talkative child before you've had a chance to drink your morning coffee? Alpha Mom has the tips.

When I was growing up in the 70's, the only people I ever saw with tattoos were on older men who had been in the military and carnival workers. Even in 1994, when my 1 year old son barged in on my sister, who was taking a shower, and saw her undisclosed tattoo of a flower on her hip and excitedly shared with the rest of the family, "Jojo! Flower! Butt!" having a tattoo still had an aura of taboo-ness about it.

However, earlier this fall while packed in a hot and airless gymnasium for a school event, a quick look around revealed that I was one of the very few un-inked moms in attendance. There were bear paws on cleavages, butterflies on ankles, curlicues on lower backs, and up-swept hair revealed exotic symbols on the back of necks. One mom even had a heartbreaking portrait of a baby's face along with a name and date on her bicep as a permanent memorial.

My not having body art has more do to with a lack of focus than an aversion to the practice as I have never been able to come up with a design I won't get tired of. A quick peek at the photo album was a good reminder of how quickly styles can change. My ratted and teased 80's hair (thankfully!) wasn't permanent, but a Boy Toy or Izod alligator tattoo would have been.

But perhaps I've been over thinking the process. Maybe I should consider a tattoo as merely a reminder of what my life at this point in life was like for when I become old and forgetful. Using that line of thinking, here's are some possible ink ideas:

• A flaming soccer ball shaped like a skull with a gold tooth: because beside running everyone to games and practice, before all this hockey mom business, soccer moms ruled the world
• A side view of a vehicle: the front half of my minivan slowly morphing into a really sweet sports car, because if that's not how it eventually works out, at least I can look at my arm and pretend
• The words: "Old Faithful" above a picture of my crock pot
• A pile of dirty laundry with "Lather, Rinse, Repeat"
• A television with: "Mother's Little Helper"

After much deliberation, I decided I don't need to include my sons' names in a tattoo, as the stretch marks that remain from each of them seem to be here for keeps.

As a child, I don't recall ever seeing a teacher with a tattoo. This is probably because way back then, tattoos were predominantly found on bikers, military men and rock stars. But over the past decade or so, tattoos have become a lot more mainstream and now it is estimated that 14% of adults in the United States have at least one. And with numbers like that, it is inevitable that you are going to run across some permanently inked school teachers.

But regardless of how mainstream tattooing has become, there are those who still see it as the sign of a rebel and therefore inappropriate for a school teacher. In Joplin, Missouri, the Board of Education has addressed the issue of teachers with tattoos by introducing a new policy that requires all employees to completely cover any tattoos while at work.

Superintendent C.J. Huff says that the new policy came about after someone raised concerns about tattooed teachers. "Until business and industry says that we want to hire people with tattoos, I don't think it's anything out of order," Huff said. "It's how we need to do business."

Area resident, Maurice Filson, is happy with the new policy and says that a teacher who refuses to comply is making a statement that speaks louder than the body art. "You already know the problems our children are facing, so for the sake of our kids, I hope this can be properly addressed," Filson said.

I am not exactly getting the connection between the "problems our children are facing" and a teacher's tattoo, but once the policy goes into effect, potential new-hires will be given the message. Huff says that students at universities from which the district recruits will be encouraged to think before they ink. "This is a trendy thing for people to get tattoos, but we're asking people who are going into the teaching field to ask themselves how big and where they want to put those tattoos," Huff said.

Source

OK, I get that perhaps these are supposed to be funny, and a little kitschy, but is there any real reason to put a tattoo on a baby? the folks over at PopSugar seem to be asking the same question. They came across these inexpensive and mildly entertaining $5 set of tattoos for babies recently and took a poll.

According to the site, 50% of its readers like the idea of getting a tattoo of their beloved tots on themselves, but I'm not sure how many would agree it's a good idea to pen one on a baby--real or otherwise. I've heard of people getting their kids' ears pierced right after their born, or when they're little, but this is something all together different. Like I said, kinda funny, but way out of the ballpark. That said, many would argue it's fun and no real harm is done. Plus it is kinda cute, in that aforementioned kitschy way.

To be honest, I thought the whole tattoo trend was losing its umph--very been there, done that...and then had pricey surgery to have that removed. The fake tattoos are great for those who want to get in on the trend but not be left with the ugly aftermath once the trend is over. When I was a kid it was seen as a very no-no thing to have a tattoo. When I was a teenager it was seen as the ultimate in coolness. Then everyone got one--real or fake, kids or adults--and the trend became so popular that having a tat became boring. If it's gotten to the point where even your kid has a fake tattoo, isn't it time to move on to something else?

Source

I think it is great when a child discovers a passion early in life. Deciding what you want to be when you grow up before you change your college major three times saves a lot of time, money and frustration. Fifth-grader Lilly Hibbs didn't have to look far from home to figure out what her life's work would be. With a body-piercing mom and a tattoo artist dad, it makes sense that Lilly herself would go into the 'body decoration' field. She has decided that tattoos are her passion and that she will follow her father into the business.

For Lilly, this isn't just a dream that may someday come true. She's already begun her training and completed her first job. At the age of seven, she drew and inked a likeness of Patrick from SpongeBob SquarePants on her dad's leg. As for dad, he couldn't be prouder. "Most parents would say, 'I can't believe your kid wants to be a tattoo artist.' I say, 'I can only be lucky if my kid turns out to be a tattoo artist,'" Stephen Hibbs said.

Soon after Stephen posted an online video of his daughter working on the Patrick tattoo, Lilly got her first real customer. A man drove all the way from North Carolina to Dallas to have Lilly tattoo an anchor on him. I wonder if he drove all that way just for the novelty of having a child tattoo him, or if it was Lilly's bargain rate of just $5 that attracted him.

Source

According to super-actress and celebrity mom Nicole Kidman, her children have reached that rebellious stage and she felt she needed to "lay down some ground rules."

Wow! Responsible parenting from a celebrity--how refreshing! In a world where celebrities dangles their babies over balconies and use their kids as pawns in the bitter divorce game it's nice to hear some good old fashioned values coming from a star. Now, how realistic those values are is another story.

I have news for Nicole. She can forbid her kids to get tattoos, but that doesn't mean they won't get them. I appreciate her going on the record with her opinion though. Iterating her beliefs is a good step to take as a parent, I think, even if she knows her kids are going to be rebellious.

Now, of course, Conner and Isabella (Bella) will have the whole world watching them--waiting for one of them to set foot near a tattoo parlor. I can hear the paparazzi now: "Hey--your mom said NO!" Oh, the embarrassment! Now it will be even harder to be cool.

Kidman says that in general she has nothing against tattoos, considering her husband, mega-star and mega-hottie Keith Urban has some of his own. She just feels that since tats are permanent careful consideration should be given to them--consideration it's hard to undertake when one is fifteen years old, like her daughter.

Nicole didn't mention anything about fake tattoos. I wonder what her stance is on those! I know we here at ParentDish at one point engaged in a lively discussion of tattoos both real and fake. It's interesting to me in this modern world that tattoos are everyday conversation among parents!

Source

As was the case when I was a child, any injury my toddler suffers can only be cured by the application of a band-aid. It's been months since Edan realized that a kiss from Daddy is, in fact, completely ineffective when it comes to stabilizing an owie -- yet, for whatever reason, I think she actually feels less pain when I stick a band-aid on her boo boo, as if it actually made a difference.

Go figure.

Also of late, she's begun to notice adults' tattoos. The woman who runs Edan's daycare has a small tattoo on her ankle that the kids like, and for awhile they'd all decided that'd it'd be cool to get their own. Every time Edan told me that she'd be getting "so many tattoos," I told her that I thought that was "great" -- because, honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it, but that battle is years down the road, and I've resigned myself not to worry about it until then. Plus, the idea of gettin' inked seems to make her happy, and who am I to judge?

In any case, I think these tattoo band-aids might be a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Every time she has a scrape, I'll not only be able to cure it, but I can also give some bad-ass (albeit temporary) body art.

Awesome.

Source

It used to be easy for teenagers to freak out parents and society in general. Just one well placed tattoo or piercing (nose, eyebrow, tongue, etc.) and you were guaranteed to be the talk of the town and the headliner of family prayers.

However, with even minivan driving soccer moms sporting tattoos and/or pierced navels, today's teenage girls are having to get more aggressively creative if they want to shock and awe. Corset piercings manage to do both.

Corset piercings are eyelets or hooks placed in the skin in two symmetric rows to hold ribbon, rope or chain like the lacings on a corset. The eyelets are usually placed on a person's back, back of their legs, or side. Because of the high incidence of rejection of surface piercings, corset piercings are generally only left in for a short time, as they can result in infection and permanent scarring.

This makes me downright nostalgic for the good ol' days of nipple rings and tongue studs.

Source

Yes, that is a question my 14 year-old, Loren, asked me the other day. He was not at all joking, he actually thought it to be a valid question. Unfortunately for him, my one line reply was a simple, "No." This snippet of negativity stopped Loren cold in his tracks and he launched into a barrage of why-nots that left me drained and wishing he was not yet a teenager.

I tried to explain to Loren that he has not reached an age where his decision making skills are sufficient enough to merit a tattoo. The idea of a tattoo at 14 might be pretty cool, but is that same image on his back or neck or arm going to be quite as enticing at 25, 30, 40 or 45? His answer to that was that he could just have it removed once he gets older and enters the corporate world. I then countered with a gruesome story of a dear friend who ended up having her tattoos surgically cut out of her upper arm and chest, leaving her scarred for life. We also argued about what kind of design. He stated that his choice of a peace symbol is timeless at any age so why not go ahead and get it now. Back and forth we went until we agreed to disagree.

There is no way in the world I will sign a consent form for my son to get a tattoo before her turns 18, he will simply have to wait until then. I hope that if he still wants one at that age that he will have the maturity to choose something tasteful and on a part of his body that will not show it if he has to dress up for a board meeting.

Do your kids want tattoos? If so, how old are they? Or if you have one, how old were you when you got it?

Source

Reading Roger Sinasohn's piece about tattoos made me sit and think for a long time. And what I finally realized is that although I am deeply deeply sympathetic to his horror about how tattoos were used to brand holocaust victims, and I respect his position that tattoos are symbolic of de-humanization and slavery, we are all see the world and make decision based on the lens of our own experience.

When we first began talking about our positions about tattoos and being parents, I raised this issue: I don't think it's necessarily appropriate to talk about tattoos and children. Perhaps this is just a reflection of my own position. I think permanent tattoos for children under the age of 18 are probably akin to criminal negligence or abuse. And I think 18 years old is too young to make decisions about tattoos. I have two tattoos, but I got both of them when I was in my thirties, so I will tell my children that when they are in their thirties, if they feel really strongly about getting a tattoo, they can get one then. Of course, they will be able to make their own decisions before that age, but I think as much as I can influence anything they do, I will strongly encourage them to wait.

I spent more time talking about kids' tattoos than I intended to. What I'd really like to talk about is parents and tattoos. Jennifer Jordan and I were talking about the ages we were when we got our tattoos and how having kids has or has not changed our positions and attitudes about tattoos.

A couple of years ago, at a family vacation, one of my sisters-in-law was passing out temporary tattoos to her kids as well as to the rest of the kids. Despite my protests, Jared ended up with one and I kind of had a meltdown. I bolted for the hotel room in disgust, trying to keep from getting physically sick.

My response was likely more dramatic that was necessary due to the extreme exhaustion that comes from trying to watch a three-year-old in the swimming pool while at the same time dealing with a one-year-old and the lack of sleep that comes with having an infant. Part of the reason that I got upset at all is my utter dislike for make-up -- a long time ago, in another life, I used to have to wear it and I find it utterly disgusting. Tattoos, especially the temporary ones are, to me, extremely gross.

The bigger part of the problem, however, is the deeper significance of tattoos to me and in my family. It is quite possible that my paternal grandparents and my aunts each had one. The concentration camp at Auschwitz, where it is believed my father's family was taken and eventually killed, tattooed prisoners for ease of identification, especially after death.

To me, tattoos are a symbol of oppression, of enslavement, of mass murder. I can't see them as anything else. To voluntarily brand oneself is unthinkable to me, especially for such a trifling and empty reason as fashion. That's why I have no tattoos, why I don't let my kids have temporary tattoos, and why they won't be getting any real tattoos.

When my daughter was about five she began asking to get her ears pierced. Although none of her peers at her Waldorf school had ear decorations, she loved to rummage through my collection of earrings and pretend that she had some in her own ears. For a few months I put Cassidy off by giving her those plastic gem stickers to affix to her ear lobes, this was fun for a bit but she wanted the real thing. I decided to relent; I had gotten my own ears pierced at that age after nearly a year of everyday hounding my mother with, "Is this the day? Are we gonna get my ears pierced? Huh?"

Over the summer when she was six, Cassidy's father and I took her to one of those mall shops and got the deed done. Cass was a bit apprehensive when we got there, but after viewing the possibilities she was determined. She chose the most expensive pair of studs, no surprise there, and proceeded to have her earlobes speared. Not too long after that the trouble began. Cassidy had long hair at the time and the fine, silky strands often became entangled around the post. She hated having the posts cleaned and often insisted on doing it herself. After a few weeks we got the routine down to a minimal amount of drama, but then at an afternoon birthday party a mother was helping Cass out of a painting smock when one of her earrings caught on the fabric edge. Cassidy's earlobe tore and the pain was too much. Cass came home from the party and declared that it was the end of ear baubles for her. We removed the studs, cleaned up her ears and that was that.

I know our experience was not typical of all ear piercings, but I have heard enough similar stories to form the opinion that for many girls ear piercings are best left until an older age. Since abandoning her ears, Cassidy has amassed an extensive collection of body glitter and tiaras. She has never again expressed an interest in earrings, but she does look pretty fabulous in her sparkly skin with a crown atop her head.

If your kid has ever had an ear infection, you know how much pain it can cause a child. Tasha Childress knows. Her daughter had one, so Childress took her to see a pediatrician. That doctor, however, refused to treat the girl because Childress has tattoos. Dr. Gary Merrill of Christian Medical Services has a sign on his wall: "This is a private office. Appearance and behavior standards apply." That means, among other things, no tattoos.

Merrill is a Christian and sets standards for his patients based on his faith. Apparently, he can do that, according to the American Medical Association. In practice, that means he turns people away, such as Childress' daughter. "She had to go that entire night with her ear infection with no medicine because he has his policy," Childress said.

Personally, I'm not into tattoos or piercings. I think even less, however, of doctors who refuse to help someone who is sick and in pain because of the patient's appearance.

Source

Sirens are going off and lights are flashing, this is just simply too much. I've entered celebrity-parent overload.

Rumor has it that Britney Spears entered a rehab facility in the Caribbean, which isn't suprising considering her seemingly never-ending party of late, though she apparently didn't even stay for a full day. Instead, back in California, she showed up at a tattoo parlor to get some new ink on her wrist. Oh yeah, did I mention she is now completely bald? Pictures can be found on TMZ.com.

Now don't get me wrong - I have nothing against people getting tattoos if they so choose or shaving off all their hair if they feel like it - all the power to them. It just seems to me like her odd behaviour isn't going to end here, and I am truly afraid to see what will happen next.

The big question is, where are her kids during all of this?

Source

Yesterday Kristin Scott wrote about a teen who lost her breast due to an infection that spread after she got her nipples pierced. Another similar case has been in the news that involved a teenage girl who died from a long battle with an infection that stemmed from her belly button piercing.

As a parent of a teen I know all too well the struggles of keeping my child safe while allowing him to explore the world. It is such a fine line to walk with young people; they are developing the bodies and urges of adults but still have the mental facilities of children. I can understand why these young women would want to have various parts of their bodies pierced. They see these things on the bodies of celebrities and the piercings look fun and glamorous. But the glamor is all these girls see, they don't see the infections that are apt to arise from a piercing. When a problems do occur, they might be more inclined to not tell their parents because they don't want to lose their bit of glamor.

What bout you? Do you have a teen with a piercing or a tattoo? If so, has it worked out well for him or her?

Source