Free Republic

Many married couples cite the birth of their first child as the happiest day of their lives; but childless couples are in fact more happily married than those who have children, a study has found. The project has found that people without children are more satisfied with their relationships and more likely to feel valued by their partner. The study, by the Open University, involved interviews and surveys with more than 5,000 people of all ages, statuses and sexual orientations. When people were asked to rate the quality of their relationship those without children emerged as happier overall. […] Yet...

It is no secret that our culture as a whole is descending into an ever-deeper sexual confusion. Recently two examples of this were in the news.In the first article which I summarize here, a Canadian couple have chosen to raise (impose upon?) their child a “genderless” upbringing. For now, they have refused to tell any of their family or friends the sex of their child, whom they call “Storm,” and groom and dress the infant child ambiguously.I would like to provide excerpts of a much longer article here and comment as we go. As usual, the article is in bold,...

If anything makes Americans stand tall internationally it is creativity. “American ingenuity” is admired everywhere. We are not the richest country (at least not as measured by smallest percentage in poverty), nor the healthiest (far from it), nor the country whose kids score highest on standardized tests (despite our politicians’ misguided intentions to get us there), but we are the most inventive country. We are the great innovators, specialists in figuring out new ways of doing things and new things to do. Perhaps this derives from our frontier beginnings, or from our unique form of democracy with its emphasis on...

One child had a BMI measurement of 35, which for a six-foot man would mean weighing 19st. Britain's obesity epidemic, which sees NHS hospitals dealing with 1,000 cases every day, is a reversal of the traditional problem when children were undernourished. Increasingly social workers find youngsters being fed a high-fat, sugary diet, which can be just as bad for their health. The phenomenon is known as "killing with kindness" because the child craves the unhealthy food and a loving parent feels unable to say no. Professionals say they have to make complex decisions in care proceedings and a family's gross...

PORTLAND, Ore. (CBS Seattle/AP) — One Oregon mother says that she is unable to afford health insurance for her and her 18-month-old son because it’s too expensive. Kate Holly, 33, tells KOIN-TV that she originally championed President Barack Obama’s signature health care law because she thought it would help people in her situation. “I’ve been a cheerleader for the Affordable Care Act since I heard about it and I assumed that it was designed for people in my situation,” Holly, a freelance yoga instructor, told KOIN. “I was planning on using the Affordable Care Act and I had done the...

Dr. Michael Niccole takes pride in his profession and the spoils of his work can be seen in his children. The Orange County plastic surgeon has operated on his adopted 25-year-old daughters multiple times over the years, according to a video by Barcroft Media. Daughter Brittani says in the video her first surgery was breast augmentation after she finished high school at 18. Then she got a nose job right before her 21st birthday and started Botox injections at the age of 22. Meanwhile, her sister Charm got her navel changed from an outie to an innie when she was...

Living and working the African American Catholic Community I have been subject to some time with names that are often unpronounceable. It is a controversial practice even in the Black community for parents to name their children all sorts of crazy, made-up names that are often intentionally misspelled.DeQuanna, Sharkeisha, LaDarrius, Shamyra, Marketta, Shontella, LaRochelle, Shandrika, Charmonique, Myosha, LaKeisha, DeQuan, Rhondella, Raviona, Rominthia, Tomika, LaVenia, Trishela, LaTasha, ABCDE, Tyeisha, Mootron, Knoshon, Keyshawn, Tarquisha, Q’J'Q’Sha, Laquintas, Jamarcus, JoNathans, et al.I trip over this especially at Baptisms when I am supposed to solemnly pronounce the name of the child. Even after the irritated...

“These are the ones most grateful to you for the new well . . .” With that, the chieftain of this Islamic village in Ethiopia, not far from Meki, took me over to meet about twenty beaming young girls, all who looked to be about the age of my niece, Grace, seven or eight years old. I was in the village with a delegation from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the acclaimed international assistance agency supported by the Catholic community of the United States.  We had just been enthusiastically welcomed to this small village to bless and start-up their new well,...

Vigil held for slain teen By Mike Nolan mnolan@southtownstar.com December 28, 2013 11:22PM Updated: December 29, 2013 2:17AM Family and friends of a slain pregnant teenager, whose baby doctors were able to save, held a candlelight vigil Saturday in her memory. The aunt of 17-year-old Eva Casara said at the vigil in Dolton — held where the teen was found on Christmas Day, shot in the head and left between two apartment buildings — that her niece’s baby, Laylani, is “doing much better.” “She’s a true fighter,” Jennifer Ross said of the baby, who weighed just over a pound when...

In modern times there has been a tendency to downplay the differences between men and women, preferring to see whatever differences have historically existed as simply social constructs. This thinking was insisted upon by many as a kind of political correctness that must be held otherwise punishment and excoriation was sure to follow.Nevertheless, most people with common sense have always known that men and women are very different, and that these differences are not simply the result of social constructs or the way people were raised.Now scientists have made discoveries not only affirming that men and women are different, but...

Ted and Theresa Baklinski with their growing brood of grandchildren. COMBERMERE, December 25, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Amid all the joyful bustle of family preparations in anticipation of the holy day of Christ's birth, Christmas time always brings to my mind the deep regret that I feel over the one child my wife and I lost due to miscarriage, because it reminds me that at the time I was like the Bethlehem innkeeper who said there was no more room. I was having a lot of trouble accepting that my wife was pregnant with our ninth child. It's not that we...

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement defended the role of federal agents in transporting illegal immigrant children after a federal judge complained they were hand-delivering smuggled kids to parents in the United States. “While the court’s comments did not relate specifically to ICE, it is clear that the transportation of unaccompanied children (UAC) by ICE personnel is appropriate and legal,” acting Director John Sandweg wrote in a brief email obtained by FoxNews.com. The email was sent Monday and addressed to “all ICE employees.”

Submitted photo — The Neon Ninjas, from Pueblo Del Sol Elementary School, show off their trophy and ribbons at last week's FIRST LEGO League state tournament in Phoenix. The team member are, from left: Corbin Monson, Mason Harris, Pomp Braswell, Katelyn Nuetzel, Alyna Sloan and Jonathan McGuyer. Jennifer Monson, in the back, is their coach. SIERRA VISTA — Just a week after taking top honors at the regional tournament in Sierra Vista, the Pueblo Del Sol Elementary School Neon Ninjas went to Arizona State University Tempe campus and earned the Judge’s Award at the state FIRST LEGO League robotics competition.Established to...

Ohio State Senator Capri Cafaro (D-Hubbard) has introduced legislation to boost state regulation of homeschooling. Senate Bill 248 would require that parents be investigated and approved before being allowed to homeschool their children. “The very fact that parents would want to deny their children the enriching experience of a public school education raises a ‘red flag,’” Cafaro declared. “It makes one wonder what other risks of neglect or abuse might be present in the home environment. Rather than supinely wait for tragedies to occur it is incumbent upon the government to intercede ahead of time.” Cafaro hypothesized that “overt signs...

This Golden Globes fave has a famous theme built around the 1970s Abscam Hustle, and its trio of stars provide a trilogy of how rotten American financial brainiacs hurt us every day. I guess. But what about all of the American Hustles happening every day in every home and extended family? One of the biggest hustles of which I am acutely aware is the way in which adult children hustle their sick, old parents. The PALM BEACH POST is carrying pitiful stories each week in the run up to our Christmas Celebration of the birth of our Christ Child. One...

The statistics are truly shocking. Children aged 12 to 17 are one of the largest consumer groups of online porn. Experts say this early exposure to sexually explicit video can hook kids on hardcore and often violent imagery. Shelley Lubben is a former adult film actress turned anti-porn advocate. In 2008, she created the pink cross foundation which offers resources for teens struggling with porn addiction. "We are raising a whole generation of porn addicts," says Shelley, "When you view pornography, it creates a chemical reaction in your brain, and for a youth who is in puberty, it's like a...

One hundred years ago in America, Christmas was a mighty different situation. Based on newspaper reports, MyHeritage.com recently put together a list of the most-asked-for gifts by children who lived back then. Here are the top five requests: --Candy. --Nuts. --Rocking Horse. --Doll. --Mittens. It's a modest list, to say the least, but reflective of a time that was far less complicated than society is today. Now, kids rule in many homes. And Santa is under siege. This year, the top five kid-wants according to retailers are: --Furby Boom. --Teksta Robotic Puppy. --LeapPad Ultra. --Flutterbye Flying Fairy. --Big Hugs...

The Belgian Senate voted today 50-17 to extend euthanasia to children with disabilities, in a move pro-life advocates worldwide had been fearing would come and expand an already much-abused euthanasia law even further. The vote today in the full Senate comes after a Senate committee voted 13-4 to allow minors to seek euthanasia under certain conditions and the measure also would extend the right to request euthanasia to adults with dementia. There is still a chance to stop the bill in the House of Representatives, though pro-life campaigners fear it will become law. “Currently the Belgian euthanasia law limits euthanasia...

"Our house is as quiet as a tomb." So said a friend who's at the same stage of life -- that is, a mother of three with only one child still living at home. Her youngest, unlike mine, is an introvert, but like my Ben, he is exceedingly busy in his last years of high school, thus leaving the house echoing with emptiness. As a college sophomore, I visited my academic adviser with a problem. "I don't know what I'm going to do after graduation," I confessed. He cocked his head sideways. "Most people don't come to me with this...

BRUSSELS, December 12, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In 50-17 vote today, the Belgian Senate approved a bill that would allow euthanasia for children. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for final approval before being sent to the King to be signed into law. Most political observers are predicting the passage of the bill. Currently the law in Belgium allows euthanasia requests for those over 18 and of sound mind, although it is acknowledged that these restrictions are widely ignored. The bill allows euthanasia, with parental consent, for children experiencing intolerable physical pain and who are suffering from a...