Playtime!

The last couple of posts have been way too serious. Invite the kid in you to come out and play!

This is a safe and fun site for kids, too!

More on the abortion debate

Alyssa's comment to my previous post prompted me to do more research on the subjects of abortion and Planned Parenthood. I realize that by expressing my frustration and disappointment with Planned Parenthood, I am leaving young women with no other options during their time of confusion, fear, and despair. If they cannot turn to Planned Parenthood, then where can they turn? Unfortunately, the answer is grim.

I tried to put myself in the shoes of a young girl, maybe 15-years-old, who just discovered that she is pregnant. After crying and freaking out, I think that I would start googling. 

So the first thing I googled was "abortion." The top three search results were as follows: Wikipedia, AbortionFacts.com, and Planned Parenthood. Beyond that, there were a couple of other potential resources, but most of the results related to the medical definitions of abortion. 

I realize that Planned Parenthood is the most available, well-known, and reputable option. I think that is why I am so disappointed with them. And I'm disappointed in our society that there isn't a less biased resource available to women. Actually I wish that Planned Parenthood offered young people equal information and resources from both "sides." In other words, what if I am a young girl who believes that abortion is a sin. Who is going to talk me through that while respecting my beliefs? And maybe that's not the role of Planned Parenthood, but then how can they claim that they stand for knowledge, equality and choice? 

I had not heard of AbortionFacts.com, but because they were the number two search result, I decided to check them out. 

AbortionFacts.com is sponsored by Heritage House, a pro-life, pro-family, Christian organization. The information is strongly pro-life, and the site offers several hotlines and resources for women contemplating abortion. 

As stated by AbortionFacts.com: "Our mission is simple. We have brought together quality information on the abortion debate from many different sources and made it available to the world in one abortion megasite. We believe these facts point to an obvious conclusion. You are free to accept or reject this conclusion. We simply ask that whatever you do, do it on the basis of fact."

One of the site's links is to OptionLine. OptionLine offers the opportunity to reach a consultant 24-hours a day via phone, email or instant message. According to OptionLine, available consultants will connect individuals to nearby pregnancy centers that offer the following confidential services:

• free pregnancy tests and pregnancy information
• abortion and Morning After Pill information, including procedures and risks
• medical services, including STD tests
• early ultrasounds and pregnancy confirmation
• confidential pregnancy options
• after Abortion resources including community resources that help with post-abortion concerns

Unfortunately, AbortionFacts.com is not well-known, reputable or user-friendly. The site is poorly constructed and hard to read. I would love to find a balance between Planned Parenthood and AbortionFacts.com - a thriving and approachable resource that truly provides EVERYTHING a young woman needs during such a difficult and potentially life-changing time.

Planned Parenthood: Not Recommended.

Abortion has and always will be a hot topic surrounded by an enormous amount of debate, and I am extremely hesitant as I consider leaving this post knowing that the word alone is enough to fire people up. But I have a thing or two to say regarding this issue, so at the risk of stirring the pot, here I go.

The abortion debate is making headlines in my state of Ohio as the Ohio Supreme Court is called to determine whether or not Planned Parenthood systematically ignored evidence of abuse against girls who visited Planned Parenthood's 37 Ohio clinics for abortions. These allegations stem from a 2004 case when "a 14-year-old girl showed up at a Cincinnati abortion clinic accompanied by a 21-year-old who was not her relative." The 14-year-old went to a Planned Parenthood clinic with her 21-year-old soccer coach who had impregnated her. The girl identified him as her step-brother, and she gave the clinic her coach's number saying it was her father's. The coach used his credit card to pay for the abortion. The coach was later convicted of seven counts of sexual battery.
The fact that Planned Parenthood fell for the ruse suggests that its staff and doctors are willing to overlook evidence of abuse. Planned Parenthood approved the child for the abortion overlooking several red flags that should have caused them to suspect statutory rape.

I'm not going to further discuss this issue because it disgusts me to no end. But the story did spark a desire in me to better understand the parent consent laws in my state (they vary from state to state).

In the State of Ohio, a minor must receive parental consent in order to receive an abortion. It's very hard for me to believe that this consent can be given over the phone, but as in the case cited above, it happens - wow. 

While researching this issue, I came across a resource developed by Planned Parenthood for teens: teenwire.com. I really want to support a resource that offers teens sex education because I believe that talking with our kids about sex is important. But Planned Parenthood's site rubs me the wrong way. They throw out phrases such as, "the best way to protect yourself is to get a prescription from a health center or private health care provider before an accident happens," and "most women, in the long-term, experience feelings of relief after they have an abortion." Um, excuse me? The best way to protect yourself is called ABSTINENCE. Who are these yahoos? I'm not a proponent of abstinence-only education, but let's get real here, it is the only surefire way to avoid STD's and pregnancy. Geesh. And what about this "relief after an abortion" b.s.? Sure, I imagine that there is an element of relief that many women experience, but the women that I know who have had an abortion struggle continuously with that decision. And by continuously, I mean they have struggled for YEARS.

I wish that I could support Planned Parenthood's efforts, but I'm so disappointed by their pro-abortion and pro-sex philosophies. Sure, they can argue that they present facts and education, but anyone who has a brain can see that what they present is hardly unbiased. 

I want to believe that Planned Parenthood offers young women with everything that they need during such a difficult time: facts, counseling, prayer, resources, love, support, truth. But sadly, my research leads me to believe that they don't. 

Don't believe everything you hear as Halloween draws near.

October 31st is approaching which means it is almost time for us to send our children out collecting treats only to make them dump everything onto the living room floor so that we can sort through it all. Throw out any candy that appears partially opened, and most certainly dispose of anything that has been repackaged or hand-baked! Oh, and take test bites of each individual candy in case someone buried a razor blade in one of them. 

Every year, I receive Watch-Out! emails from friends and family that basically say the same thing - bad people want to poison and hurt your children so don't let them eat any candy that resembles x,y, or z. 

Sure enough, I received my first Watch-Out! email this morning.

This particular email claimed that the local sheriff's office is urging parents to be suspect of a drug called Strawberry Quick. The "alert" was printed on professional letterhead, and it contained information about a form of crystal meth that looks and smells like strawberry candy. There was even a link to a Fox News article that covered the dangers of this drug. 

I am always suspect of these emails, and thanks to a colleague of mine, I have discovered Snopes.com. Let me make one thing clear: Snopes.com is not the absolute when it comes to uncovering the truth about suspicious information and rumor. Snopes.com simply investigates seemingly harmless rumors and attempts to set the record straight.

In the case of Straweberry Quick, Snopes validates that some drug dealers sell crystal meth that is colored and coincidentally resembles Pop Rocks, but Snopes argues that this drug is not flavored in order to market the drug to children. Snopes backs up this information by uncovering the layers of updates and email examples that have been floating around in cyberspace attempting to freak out parents everywhere.

Let me be clear, there is always the possibility that some bad man could candy-coat crystal meth and drop it in your child's trick-or-treat bucket. But the reality is that there are more "bad" people who instigate a seemingly harmless email chain of false information than there are "bad" people who are really going to seriously harm your child. Some immature and computer savvy teenager probably thinks it's funny to send out a spooky email in order to ruffle a few feathers. 

Again Snopes.com is not the end-all-be-all. But it is a good place to start when you are wondering if maybe someone is trying to get a rise out of the public during an already eerie time of year.

Mighty Mommy

Whenever I have a grammar question, the first website that I turn to is always Grammar Girl. Hosted by Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl tackles grammar and writing in a way that is accurate, witty and funny. Her grammar tips are "quick and dirty," and her claim-to-fame is her "Quick and Dirty Tips" podcasts. 

In addition to grammar galore, her site features quick and dirty parenting tips from The Mighty Mommy. Each week, host CJ Feierabend shares her practical parenting advice in short podcasts. Feierabend offers tips from diapering to taking family photos. In addition to downloading the podcasts, one can read the entire episode transcripts online. 

Mighty Mommy is a great resource for moms-on-the-go who could use parenting advice (can't we all?) but don't spend a lot of time reading online. Simply download the podcasts and listen to them when you are squeezing in a morning jog or driving across town to pick up the kids.

Mommy Einstein

According to an article in The Sun, Babies aid mothers' brains. Though many moms-to-be report suffering from "baby brain" (forgetfulness, absent-mindedness, etc.), experts now believe that when baby is born, mom's intelligence soars. The study performed tests on rats that showed mom rats became braver and faster once becoming a mommy. Experts believe that during pregnancy, mom's brain is rewiring to cope with motherhood, and it is when baby is born that mom receives her IQ boost.

But scientifically proven or not, mom's have a remarkable ability to successfully juggle meal planning, house cleaning, baby rearing, schedule planning, spouse maintaining, and the list goes on - moms certainly don't need a rat to tell them that they are brilliant!

Veggies and Fruit and Nutrition, Oh my!

In conjunction with a grant from Ohio Action for Healthy Kids, a local elementary school initiated a "Take a Taste" program which gives children a chance to sample different fruits and vegetables. The monthly program offers elementary school children a taste of healthy foods that they might not typically find in an ordinary snack pack. The goal is to increase nutrition in young people by exposing them to a variety of nutritious foods. School is a great lab for this program because healthy kids equates to more on-task, alert, and energized students. What a wonderful and fun way to invest in a child's healthy and education!