The Old Episodes Of Time

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It appears that Mevio (aka Podshow, which is how I will always remember it) has dropped the 'audio-only' folks, without warning or even the courtesy of an e-mail notice that they were planning to do so.

In light of this development, some of you (I'm not sure how many of you there are anymore) may not have access to the older podcast episodes of '101 Uses For Baby Wipes' and 'The Daddy Panel'.

 If you have interest in downloading any of the old episodes, please use the contact info above and send me an e-mail.  I'll reply with a link to the archives where the original files are stored.

The Future of Parenting: Call The Cops When Suzy Won't Attend School

While driving my son to school (no bus service due to budget cuts, yet the same number of buses and drivers are employed) I overheard a dispatch from the local PD on the police scanner, asking for officer assistance because a woman's 15-year-old daughter had locked herself in the bathroom, refusing to go to school.

I was briefly amused by that notion, and then I thought about it and drew a conclusion - that this was clearly a waste of police resources.  The officers charged with preserving the public safety surely have better things to do than retrieve distraught girls from the bathroom and take them off to high school.

The scenario kept playing out in the the theatre of my mind as I drove...

• I'm sure that when the girl heard mom call the police, she thought mom was bluffing.
• In a way, the high school is like county lock-up, but with more books.
• How is this any different from any house in the USA where there are teenage girls?
• Is there someone at school with a grudge and a Facebook account?
• I hope mom doesn't get arrested for her daughter being truant...

THAT WAS IT!!  Mom was protecting herself legally by notifying police when little Suzy wouldn't go to school.  I refer back to my own post in May 2011 when the OC Register reported that SWAT-style tactics were being used to round up moms and dads whose children didn't attend school.

OUR CHILDREN ARE NO LONGER OURS TO CHERISH AND RAISE - THEY BELONG TO THE GOVERNMENT!  IF THEY AREN'T IN SCHOOL SO FEDERAL MONIES CAN BE COLLECTED BY THE LOCAL DISTRICTS, THE COPS WILL COME FOR YOU!

If we as parents don't make sure the local school districts meet their attendance numbers (and keep their federal income to the district in doing so) the cops will be knocking on our doors!  This isn't about keeping kids in school for their benefit, this is about keeping the education establishment in the revenue stream!

I think I need to get rid of the police scanner.  Or start home-schooling my son.

FTC: Apps for Kids aka Digital Wild West (WashPost)

Fess up Apple and Google!  And you too, Facebook!

Lets face it - kids these days are just as plugged in to the social networks and app ecosystems as their moms and dads are.  And in this article from Cecilia Kang, she explains that the FTC is looking into privacy leaks where apps DESIGNED FOR KIDS are concerned.  Doesn't seem like all that scrutiny apps get before making it into Apple's app store is having any impact on privacy.

AND THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS ARE IN IT TO MAKE BIG $$$ FROM YOUR PERSONAL DATA!

Wake up, moms and dads!  These apps are NOT the product being sold - YOU and YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION are the product being sold!  Why do you think Facebook is FREE?  Why do you think apps on the app stores only cost a buck, but the shrink-wrapped versions cost $49?

You're being SOLD!  Your identity, your personal preferences, your daily schedule, ANYTHING that can be tracked and might benefit a marketer or advertiser is being collected at YOUR expense and SOLD!

Sleep And Your Kids: Researchers Disagree and get Testy (NPR)

On NPR's Shots Blog, Nancy Shute commented on a study from the University of South Australia, which in a nutshell stated that there was no foundation for the amount of sleep pediatricians have been recommending to parents for their kids.  Then she followed up with a Q&A with Dr. Judith Owens, a sleep specialist and pediatrician at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC.  Dr. Owens had a 'Not-So-Fast' exchange with Shute, and explained that recommendations for sleep have been well researched.  Perhaps the U of South Australia researchers have been pickin' and choosin' their data sets, possibly with an agenda in mind...?

Kudos, Nancy Shute, for doing your background and giving us the straight scoop on what kids really need in amounts of sleep, and steering us in the right direction for sleep info parents can really use.

Links to both of her blog entries are HERE and HERE.  Excellent read if you're concerned about your over-scheduled, tech-overloaded kids - like I am.

Parents Deemed Unfit Because Their Kid is 'Fat'

A third grader in Cleveland was yanked from his family and stuffed into foster care (who get paid for taking in children, bu have no parental connection or bond) because the child was deemed 'obese', and was found to be suffering from sleep apnea.

The mom was called 'unfit' and acused of child neglect, despite seeking medical care for the child.  She was ORDERED to participate in a weight loss program, and was actively seeking help, but was still considered unfit to be a mom.

There are some problems with this logic;

1. Mom is actively seeking medical help for her child, so how is this neglect?
2. While in foster care, the kid didn't improve, so he was returned to his family,
3. The act of ripping kids from their real families and placing them in a strangers home (something we are taught as kids is to be avoided) isn't considered to be harmful at all,
4. It does not appear that any kind of workup for genetic disposition to obesity was done prior to the state taking action.

You can read the article from ABC News HERE.  Let this be a warning - if your kid looks like he or she is packing a few too many pounds, have a good lawyer ready!