June 19th, 2008
I’m not even sure what to say about this other than it is so incredibly bizarre, pathetic and sad on many levels… A high school in Massachusetts has seen high school pregnancies rise to quadruple last year’s rate. At the heart of it, a pregnancy pact. It seems as though many teens at Gloucester High thought kids were so great they made a pact to all get pregnant and raise their kids together. And no, I’m not making this up.
There are currently 17 expectant students at the high school of 1,200. If you assume that roughly 1/2 the those students are female, and of those 17 are pregnant, then almost 3% of female population is pregnant. I’m highlighting the female population because not all of the fathers were students; reportedly one of the father’s was a 24 year old homeless man. And no, I’m not making that up either. They just really wanted to get pregnant.
From Time Magazine online:
As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there’s been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, “some girls seemed more upset when they weren’t pregnant than when they were,” Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. “We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy,” the principal says, shaking his head.
I really have trouble even wrapping my mind around this. Sad, sad, sad, sad, sad.
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By Bill -- 6 comments
June 16th, 2008
Kadi at Supernanny Rules tagged me for six questions about pregnancy. I’m flattered, being the only guy on the list who was asked these questions, so here it goes.
1. How did you find out you were pregnant?
I actually guessed my wife was pregnant before she knew. She attributed it to eating too much at P.F. Chang’s while visiting D.C. I had a feeling it was something else.
2. How did you tell your partner (if you have/had one)?
I just kept telling her that she was pregnant and it had nothing to do with the exorbitant amounts of fried rice we consumed. She kept telling me that she wasn’t (she didn’t want to get over excited before taking a test), but I kept persisting. I just knew.
3. Did you secretly hope for a girl or a boy?
All I wanted was a healthy baby, I didn’t care either way.
4. Did you feel ready to have a child?
Yes. I was very excited and couldn’t wait.
5. What bit of advice did you get that you hated?
This wasn’t so much advice but more commentary. Several women said that as a male I was going to be completely clueless about and flustered by parenthood. This was mostly coming from very high strung women who had turned their own kids into little bundles of highly stressed adolescent nerves.
6. What bit of advice did you get that you appreciated?
The best piece of advice, and this came from several family members, was to enjoy every little moment and experience with my child that I could. I remind myself of that all the time, it’s never bad advice.
Thanks for tagging me, Kadi!
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June 16th, 2008
We had an awesome giveaway for Father’s Day this year, a Casio Waveceptor timepiece. This watch is solar rechargeable, can set itself via the atomic clock, has a durable resin band and looks great, too.
And the winner of the Casio Waveceptor timepiece is…. Mike G. who left a comment on our contest post about his father and sports parents. The winner was chosen at random, but Mike, I completely agree with your assessment of sports parents! Enjoy the watch and a huge thanks to our sponsor!
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June 15th, 2008
On this, the high holy day of Daddy-dom, I would like to wish all the fathers out there a very happy Father’s Day.
I would also like to thank my dad for being the great father and wonderful person that he is. Dad, I’m the adult and father that I am today because of you. Thanks for being who you are and helping me determine who I am. You’ve taught me tons and let me learn things on my own when I needed to. We’re very much the same person in many ways and I’m proud of that. You are a friend and a role model and I love you very much.
Happy Father’s Day to everyone!
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June 15th, 2008
There are three child-related product recalls in this edition of The Week in Recalls for 6/9/2008 - 6/15/2008 as issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). If you own any of these products, discontinue use immediately and follow the appropriate link below to find out how to replace, repair or get a refund.
June 10 - Backyard Leisure Recalls Swing Sets
- Fall Hazard
- http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08299.html
June 12 - Children’s Overalls Recalled by Sara Lynn Togs
- Choking Hazard
- http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08304.html
June 12 - Children’s Merry-Go-Rounds Sold Exclusively at Toys R Us Recalled by Pacific Cycle
- Fall Hazard
- http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08305.html
Tags: recalls
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June 14th, 2008
I’ll be selecting and announcing the winner of the Inside Fatherhood Waveceptor timepiece giveaway.
Check out the original post for details on how to enter and the awesome prize.
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June 13th, 2008
When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost.
Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.
If you didn’t know these facts about Chuck Norris, you need to read The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World’s Greatest Human
. My wife bought me the book for Father’s Day but gave it to me early because she knew how funny I find all the Chuck Norris “facts” circulating the Internet.
The Truth About Chuck Norris is a collection of some of the most popular and ridiculous pseudo-facts about Chuck. The book was written by Ian Spector, the guy who started the whole Internet craze about Mr. Norris in the first place. If you’re looking for a funny, mindless read or a goofy gift for a 30-something dad in your life, this is highly recommended.
Tags: Chuck Norris
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June 11th, 2008
This Father’s Day, Inside Fatherhood is giving away an awesome prize for a special dad in your life. The gift could be for you, your dad, grandfather, husband, brother, friend, whomever you deem fit (as long as they’re a dad!)
The prize is the newest Waveceptor timepiece from Casio! It’s a great looking watch loaded with tons of cool features. (It automatically updates based on the atomic clock transmitter in Ft. Collins, Colorado, how cool is that?!)
Other features include:
* LED light with afterglow
* Perpetual calendar (no need to adjust date for long / short months)
* 3 daily alarms
* Stopwatch
* Water resistant to 100M
This watch retails for about $100 and would make a great gift for any dad!
To enter, please subscribe to my RSS feed or click around a bit on the site if you don’t have a reader. Next, and this is the crucial part, leave a comment on this post about a favorite trait, memory or lesson from a father in your life. Dad’s can also enter by telling me their favorite thing about fatherhood.
Please make sure you leave your email is included in the header of the comment (not anonymous) so I can contact the winner. (Your name or email will not be given out to anyone or used for any other purpose.)
A huge thanks to Casio for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!
Tags: Casio, contest, Father's Day, gift, giveaway, Waveceptor
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By Bill -- 10 comments
June 10th, 2008
Just to let you all know, I’m going to be doing a Father’s Day giveaway here at Inside Fatherhood. Keep you eyes open over the next day or so for details on the prize and how to enter.
Good luck and happy early Father’s Day!
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By Bill -- 1 comment
June 10th, 2008
This sounds more like a tripped-out nightmare than a news story, but last week a New York state woman attending to the cries of her baby at 1 AM found a snake constricting around the child’s leg. The seven month old was apparently crying from the pain of the California King snake as it squeezed around her leg.
A relative was able to detach the snake with a back scratcher and secure it in a bucket. The child, Isabella, stopped crying as soon as the snake was removed, but it sounds like the mother started shortly there after in shock of what could have happened to her daughter.
via Newsday.com
Animal control workers identified the snake as a California king snake and said it was a little more than a foot long. Joyce Abatemarco, who lives in the home where the incident took place, said it was closer to 4 feet.
A spokeswoman for Islip Town confirmed that an animal control officer took the snake. The reptile is not venomous but is a constrictor and is sometimes kept as a pet. Officials said they could not be sure where it came from.
The snake is not indigenous to Long Island and will probably be adopted by an organization that cares for exotic animals, said Joanne Daly, supervisor of the Islip Animal Shelter.
Nobody is quite sure how the snake got into the house, but some speculate that it could have sneaked into the newly purchased crib’s packaging or been seeking indoor refuge from the heat. On Long Island of all places, can you believe it?!
I first came across this story on Babylune, great find Eliza!
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