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Crib notes: Let's hear it for the (mama's) boys!

Being a daddy's girl is considered sweet. Being a mama's boy is considered sissy. Dads who are close to their daughters are called doting. Moms who are close to their sons are called smothering. While we've broken down many of the stereotypical gender roles, this one remains. Many mothers of boys worry about being too close to their sons. They are subtly (or not so subtly) told that they're turnin

Being a daddy's girl is considered sweet. Being a mama's boy is considered sissy. Dads who are close to their daughters are called doting. Moms who are close to their sons are called smothering. While we've broken down many of the stereotypical gender roles, this one remains. Many mothers of boys worry about being too close to their sons. They are subtly (or not so subtly) told that they're turning those little boys into wimps and doing them a disservice. However, one mom questions our adherence to this traditional line of thinking. She argues that several studies actually show that boys who have a close relationship with their moms benefit in many ways, including displaying less aggressive and hostile behavior, having lower chances of depression and doing better in school. She's tired of making excuses for her close relationship to her son and thinks other moms who are close with their boys should stop downplaying their tight relationships for fear of being judged.

Are you a breastfeeding mom or a stripper? Either way, your actions may be considered lewd
Work it, baby, work it. Oh yeah, now suck that nipple. That's right. Tantalizing stripper or breastfeeding mother? Hard to tell the difference? Don't worry, mixing the two up is a common mistake. After all, they're both conducting lewd acts -- at least that's what one minister in Georgia thinks. A mom in his congregation was nursing her baby during services when church leaders asked her to leave and go to a bathroom to finish up the feed. She resisted and was told to lactate and worship elsewhere in the future. Now, this mom's on a mission. Although state law allows moms to breastfeed, they can still be brought up on public indecency charges. As a result, this mom's organizing a state-wide nurse-in on March 5 and is also looking to change state law. She wants to add an enforcement provision to the current law, which allows breastfeeding in public, and says that a law without enforcement protects no one.

Silicone dad personally implants daughter's breast enhancements
Daddy, I want bigger boobs and I want you to be the one to give them to me. One plastic surgeon is raising eyebrows (as much as the Botox injections will allow) for operating on his own daughters. At 10-years-old, his daughter, Charm, wasn't charmed with her outie belly button. Daddy fixed it for her. At 18, his daughter, Brittani, thought bigger boobs would give her a bigger self-esteem. Daddy fixed them for her. Now that daddy's darlings are in their 20's, the family bonds over regular Botox injections, which he again, gives to both girls.

Hey babies, no tears topping our pizzas, please
Can a restaurant really call itself family-friendly if it has an unfriendly policy towards crying babies? One pizza joint that bills itself as family-friendly  has also deemed itself a no-cry zone. In a disclaimer printed on its menu, the pizza place states, "Dear all present and future patrons: GCP is proud of its reputation as a family restaurant, a title that we will work to keep. Unfortunately a number of our diners have posted unpleasant experiences because of crying and unsupervised children. To ensure that all diners have an enjoyable lunch or dinner with us we respectfully ask that parents tend to their crying tots outside." Does this request make it a family unfriendly establishment or is it merely a sign of the lack of consideration many parents are showing while eating out these days?

Door chains and deadbolts -- to keep burglars out or toddlers in?
When your babies hit toddlerhood you can finally catch a bit of shut-eye. You no longer have to worry so much that they're going to cry in the middle of the night, waking you up. No, you just have to worry that the police will knock on the door in the middle of the night, waking you up -- because your toddler wandered off. A three-year-old in Maine woke up in the middle of the night and donned a coat and pair of ruby-red slippers before trekking a mile in the snow to a nearby grocery store. Apparently, she thought her mom was inside, buying pizza. Her mom was at home, asleep in bed. As was her dad and two older siblings. A store employee found the little tot crying and called police. The cops retraced the girls' steps in the snow, taking her home. Seeing the front door open, the police suspected a home invasion, instead they found a home full of peacefully sleeping people. Once awoken, the shocked parents went out and installed a chain and deadbolt.

Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.