Some say requiring toddlers to wear uniforms to preschool or day care adds a sense of professionalism and orderliness to the early learning process. Are people really encouraging a professional demeanor amongst a group so young that thumb-sucking and nose-picking are generally accepted?! What's next -- ordering them business cards to hand out over a power snack of Goldfish and apple juice?
Those aren't apple slices in that dehydrator - they're placenta strips. The practice of "placenta encapsulation" (dehydrating, then grinding the placenta into a fine powder before pouring it into capsules) is gaining in popularity with people who claim it helps to increase a mother's milk supply and reduces postpartum depression, among other benefits. The vitamins Tom Cruise recommended for treating postpartum depression are finally looking a bit more appealing.
Some pairings -- like peanut butter and jelly -- make sense. Others, like the teaming of The Centers for Disease Control with Ludacris and Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino, are a bit more baffling. The reality-TV star, rapper and government health agency are working together to create a new show, called " "MTV's 10 Most Outrageous Sex Myths," which seeks to demystify sexually transmitted diseases for teens and encourage them to get tested through texting-lingo. GYT kids, GYT. (That's "Get Yourself Tested," not to be confused with the Jersey Shore motto of GTL -- Gym, Tan, Laundry.)
For those who think helicopter parenting is just too hands-off, there's a new philosophy on the block -- the lawnmower parent. The lawnmower parent anticipates challenges their child might face and clears the path ahead of them, doing everything they can to ensure their precious offspring experience nary a bump in the road. Before you grab your machete and start clearing a path, be warned that some say all of this loving protection may actually be causing an upswing in anxiety disorders amongst kids. With each new parenting approach comes the backlash, which brings us to the submarine parent: the parent who is completely disengaged from their child. Why does torpedoing one's kids come to mind with this one?
Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. She is currently developing an alarm clock that will start an IV coffee drip 10 minutes prior to wake-up time. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.