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By Dana Macario, TODAY Moms Contributor
Mothers often introduce their daughters to all of our time-honored beauty rituals: ear piercing, mani-pedis... and the tanning bed? A new study shows that girls whose mothers took them to their first trip to the tanning salon are more likely to become "tanorexics." Surely everyone's heard that tanning leads to wrinkles and skin cancer, so why are mothers still encouraging their daughters in this unsafe practice?
The New York Times asks if the minivan could ever be considered cool. Uh, no. Next question.
Ever cut a co-worker's food into nice, bite-sized bits for them? Ever announce to a room of adults that you have to go pee-pee on the potty? Yeah, us neither.... But, if you've ever used baby talk in adult company, there's a fun confessional of people's slips into child-jargon at The Poop, which will make you feel like you're in good company.
It seems that a lot of people support breastfeeding, as long as they don't have to see or hear about it. There's been a big controversy about Facebook removing the breastfeeding support group "The Leaky Boob." And, over at TheStir.com, there's an uproar over suggestions that women breastfeed in the bathroom. Maybe people just think babies are like those dolls that "drink" and "pee"; hold them over the toilet, feed 'em and watch 'em pee. Really, they're just thinking of your convenience, moms....
Community colleges: Do they pay off? An analysis of Florida state employment shows that early in their careers, community college graduates earn more money than those who earn a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree. This applies only to those who earn an associate in science degree (not an associate in arts degree), and only applies to the early stages of one's career. The upshot? You should probably still save for that extra tuition, just think of it as a long-term investment.
The caterers will serve hors d'oeuvres at 11 and the band will set up in the living room. No, not for a wedding, for a Tuesday morning playdate. Okay, maybe we're exaggerating a bit, but is it possible that playdates have gotten out of control? One mom has some suggestions for keeping them fun and low-key. (And oh yeah, there's an app for that. Of course.)