Topic: family and money

Aaron Sorkin Writes Sweet Father’s Day Letter To His Daughter, Sort Of Admits He’s Screwing Up

Aaron Sorkin may have caught a lot flack for his depiction of ladies in The Social Network, but in an open letter to his young daughter Roxy, the father suggests that he’s quite attuned to at least some of the plight of growing up female. More specifically, raising his daughter in a hotbed of body issues, hyper plastic surgery, wealth obsession, and all within the shadow of the ever looming entertainment industry. As a Los Angeles native, I made it out pretty well-adjusted so I guess it’s possible for young girls. More »

American Dads Aren’t Taking Paternity Leave Due To Super Lame Office Daddy Stigma

Other countries may have mandated paternity leave, but here in the United States we’re just begging for the basics, like decent maternity leave. Companies like Yahoo that give new daddies eight weeks of paid time off are in the minority on this side of the ocean. But even among the Lean In crowd’s male partners, specifically men who are privileged enough to have access to this type of leave, dudes aren’t taking it. And it all comes back to being taunted at the water cooler by their colleagues. More »

Fertility Specialist And Bitcoin Evangelist Uses Newborn To Shill His Favorite Currency

In Brea, California, fertility specialist Dr. C. Terence Lee is making a surprising claim. Using a photo of an adorable baby, he announced the world’s first “Bitcoin Baby.” No, this isn’t the story of a baby bought on the black market, but rather a baby conceived thanks to a discounted fertility treatment which was paid for using bitcoins. I don’t know about you, but personally I would feel pretty icky about getting a discounted medical treatment so some doctor can push an internet trend. More »

The 5 Types Of Part-Time Working Mom Guilt

After I found out I was pregnant with my third child, I decided to approach my boss about reducing my hours at the hospital where I work as a labor and delivery nurse. Her reaction, after subtly and offensively also quizzing me on my age? (27, in case you’re wondering.), was as follows.

“I don’t care if you go part-time,” she told me. “But I want you to know that if you do this, everyone will hate you. People will say you’re not a team player…” More »

‘Tiger Mom’ Porn: Impressive Teen Banks $3 Million In College Scholarships As Elite Colleges Clamor For His Acceptance

Lloyd Chen has cleaned up. The 17-year-old is graduating valedictorian from Laguna Creek High School in California with over three million dollars in scholarships from some of the most elite universities in the world. Don’t all salivate at once, Tiger Moms. More »

Chinese City May Fine Unmarried Mothers Because Nothing Prevents ‘Sewer Babies’ Like Big Old Fines

Last week we reported about Baby No. 59, the child who was rescued from a sewer pipe after his mom gave birth over a toile t. His unmarried mother conceived him during a one night stand and could not afford an abortion so she hid the pregnancy from her family. Baby No. 59 is lucky. The baby was given to his grandparents and apparently authorities believed the mom’s ~~totally sketchy~~ story because she was released with no charges filed. Unfortunately this type of thing happens way too often and thanks to a new policy in one Chinese city, stories like this might become even more common. More »

Parents Roll Their Eyes At Mom Who Charged Fellow Mom Money For BDay Party Cancellation

Kindly direct your attention to a hopefully not emerging trend in children’s birthday etiquette. Forget about writing out thank you cards, committing to goody bags, or debating whether or not to open presents in front of guests. The new question is what to do about those last minute guest cancellations. According to one mom on the interwebs, you should charge. More »

Kim Kardashian Would Like You To Know She Charged Her Latest Preggo Craving To Her Black Amex Card

Goodness knows I don’t expect Kim Kardashian to be a beacon of class and etiquette, especially when it comes to money. The soon-to-be mother may have eventually opted out of receiving baby shower gifts (points!) but she does want you to know that she just shopped her latest preggo craving on her black American Express card. KARDASHIAN KLASS, BABY! More »

Moms Are Bringing Home The Bacon Like Never Before And It’s Not Just The ‘Lean In’ Crowd

Mommies are bringing home the cash monies like never before according to a new Pew Research Center study. Mothers are outearning their husbands in nearly one in four American homes. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to there being a ton more Sheryl Sandbergs among us. In fact, this data explicitly points to the non-Marissa Mayer class.
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What We're Reading:

Awesome 9-Year-Old Righteously Shames Rahm Emanuel Over Chicago School Closings

When I was nine years old I was so shy I could barely give my order at McDonalds, let alone speak to a crowd of thousands of on-lookers. But that is just what Asean Johnson, a Chicago student, did earlier this week at a rally protesting the possible closing of more than 50 schools in the city.

No One Is Obligated To Have A Second Baby

I’m often irritated when I hear parents talk about having a second child like its an obligation. What irritates me more is when parents rationalize having a second child before their financially or emotionally ready because “Little Johnny wants a sibling.” It’s a cop out. It’s an excuse to do something you don’t have the discipline to wait/prepare for, while putting the onus on a child that wouldn’t know a baby brother or sister if it jumped up and bit them in the diapered behind. More »

The 5 WTF Moments Of The One Percent Moms Using Handicap Tour Guides At Disney World Story

You can "hire" a disabled person specifically for their disability

Parents would actually brag about "hiring" a disabled person for their disability

You can't "hire" a disabled person unless you know someone who has

Even Disney Worldâ��s VIP Tours isn't good enough

Someone would willingly tack on an additional $1,000 to Disney prices

There’s a lot to be irked about in The New York Post‘s story about “wealthy Manhattan moms” cutting Disney World lines with the hired help of “handicapped tour guides.” While I kept quadruple checking to make sure I wasn’t reading The Onion, I also found myself unable to get past a few particular details. And it wasn’t just the echoing of, “This is how the one percent does Disney.” More »

My Mother’s Biggest Parenting Mistake Taught Me To Be Wary Of Overbooking My Kids

My mom hated the concept, and still does, of ANY extracurricular activity—if and when I joined anything—and my track record (never actually ran track) was pretty modest. Anything I wanted to do: build sets for drama, enter the science fair, try out for tennis, or simply peddle cookies; well… I had to work hard on the PR angle and make Mom see that it was worth our time.

“Kids need to just be,” she’d insist and still does, especially now that her grandchildren are heavy into piano lessons. More »

My Mother’s Biggest Parenting Mistake Taught Me Not To Rely On Kids For Emotional Support

There was one winter we lived for months with no gas, meaning we didn’t have central heat, because we didn’t have the money to get it reconnected. Meanwhile, my mom was working through the emotions of a failed marriage and had no one to talk to.

She and I have always been close, and so she turned to me to vent her worries and frustrations about money or my dad. I didn’t have the words at the time to tell her that she was giving me a burden my small shoulders weren’t strong enough to bear. More »

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