Category Archives: parenting

Casey Anthony, Please Don’t Have Another Child

In the wake of the Casey Anthony trial, despite my outrage at the verdict, and my disgust at her actions, I also feel horrified at the notion that she can in fact have more kids. She is only 25 and has many child baring years ahead of her. What if she concedes to reproduce again?

I know abortion is a touchy subject, and an entire argument onto itself, but in her case, I would definitely be pro choice. I would rather she terminate within a few months of finding out she is pregnant than perhaps chose to terminate when the child is his first years of life. Yes, I am basing this on the assumption that she murdered her daughter.

For those who believe she is innocent of murder or manslaughter, it is indisputable that she in the least negligent. To extrapolate some key findings of this case, she did not know where her child was for an entire month. If I did not know where my daughter was for even a few minutes I would begin poking around looking for her in the other rooms. My daughter is the same age as Anthony’s daughter, so this case had a very sever effect on me. If this was my daughter nowhere to be found, and in harm’s way, I would be enraged, doing everything possible to find her. I would not be out partying only a few days after she was suspected to be missing.

I just cannot get past how a missing child was overlooked. If I had as much as a fish tank and one of the goldfish was not there for even a day, I would notice. A small child is far louder, and demands a lot more attention than a fish, or even any other pet. In my opinion, if Casey Anthony wants to raise something in the future, she should stick to houseplants. When her fern dies at least no one will be surprised.

But there is still that nagging voice in the back of my head that tells me there is nothing anyone can do to stop this woman if she did chose to have another child. Clearly she does not make the best decisions and cannot seem to cope with the outcomes. Will she give motherhood another try only to once again regret it? And how much will that child suffer once she once again figures out that, yes, children do interfere with your partying, drinking, and general mayhem. If something were to happen to that child will she finally get her due punishment?

I Could Never Name My Kid That!

Naming your baby is difficult. My husband and I deliberated for a long time with naming both our children, and performed numerous searches. I often times found myself reading articles about how other parents name their kids in the hopes of being inspired.

There were a lot of articles that advocated waiting until you meet your baby before naming them. Thinking back on everything which went through my head when I met my daughter, that approach would have gotten her stuck with a name like “Scrunchie” or “Fronky” or any other cutsie name my husband and/or I came up with. Currently our daughter is “Munchie” short for Munchkin, and our son is “Fronky” a split between mommy’s little froggy and daddy’s little monkey. I would never in a million years consider actually legally naming my children either of these names. Unless I was just coming off of the epidural, hopped up on pain meds, and my husband is too ecstatic to notice me signing any paperwork.

Is this why we have so many strangely named children? Did the parents wait until they got to see their baby and then blurt out “Squishy” in a rush of adrenaline and excitement, forever maiming, um, I mean naming their child an odd adjective used to describe them in their first hours after birth?

Naming a child is a hard decision to make. Especially when you have two people trying to compromise on the “perfect name.” I just cannot see the several months process condensed into a mere few hours.

How did you come up with your child’s name?

Is A Birthing Plan Necessary?

When I was pregnant with my daughter, people, including my doctor, asked me what my birthing plan was. My birthing plan was, well, to give birth. That is as far as I had gotten. In my second trimester I realized there was more than one way to deliver, which besides being confusing, was quite scary.

I am now pregnant with my second child. My birthing plan is, well, to give birth. Despite all the different methods of delivery I read about the first time around, I just went the old fashioned way. I am not sure I want to get all fancy with my birthing. I don’t think I want to have to follow some elaborate direction manual on the big day. Actually, I don’t think I could. I will be far too preoccupied with the task at hand to stop and think of the best way to do it.

Once again I want to show up at the hospital, lie on the bed, probably have an epidural, and give birth. I am not going to worry about my breathing exercises, as I will probably end up hyperventilating anyway. I am not going to try to give birth in a giant pool of water while I practice synchronized swimming. I am not going to perform complicated yoga tricks (as amusing as this may be for the staff). And I am certainly not going to execute any movements that could quite possibly be misconstrued as a Cirque Du Soleil audition.

I understand some women feel the need for birthing plans, especially since it makes them feel as though they have more control over the situation. However, despite the best laid plans, you may still end with an emergency c-section (and I do not wish this for anyone). You may still have the episiotomy you were hoping not to need. And in the end you will still get the beautiful baby you were waiting for. So yes, I mock the birthing plan, but really, each to his own.

Do you, or did you have a birthing plan? Did it help?