One adorable 6-year-old who suffers from cerebral palsy was told she could never walk. Now she has fulfilled her lifelong dream to dance (and did so in the cutest leotard and matching leg warmers seen since the Sweet Valley High girls ruled the school). A year ago, Sophie Nugent underwent a groundbreaking medical procedure which has allowed her not just to walk but to take weekly jazz dance classes with her friends. Sophie's mother said, "When I took her to get her first leotard was one of the best moments of both our lives. I had never seen her smile so much in her whole life - she didn't want to take it off." Only a heart of stone wouldn't melt at the sight of this girl's dance-happy grin.
Botox Mom, meet Boob Job Mom. Boob Job Mom, meet Botox Mom. We think you two will get along great. Boob Job Mom, also known as the Human Barbie and Sarah Burge, just gifted her 7-year-old daughter with a gift certificate for breast enhancements to be redeemed once she reaches puberty. If you're concerned about what the young girl will do with the gift should she be naturally well-endowed, don't be, her mother has reassured her she can use it for a different type of plastic surgery, should that be the case. Burge herself has reportedly spent close to a million dollars on plastic surgery to help her look like Barbie. One can't help but wonder how things might be different if the mother had spent less time on a surgeon's table and more time on a psychiatrist's couch....
As U.S. math and science test scores continue to lag, U.S. corporations are beginning to make educating kids their business. Large companies are increasingly coughing up cash to help improve the education of the country's future work force. The National Association of Manufacturers is working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to standardize curricula at community colleges so students can graduate with certifications in industrial skills. Meanwhile, Dyson (the vacuum-cleaning company) has established a foundation to sponsor after-school engineering clubs at 20 Chicago public middle schools.
Are pregnant moms secretly eating Miracle Grow? How else to explain the tendency towards bigger babies around the country these days? Research shows that obese and diabetic mothers aren't solely to blame, as normal-weight mothers are also more likely to give birth to a super-sized tot than they used to be. The maternal health community is concerned about the trend as these larger-sized babies are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke later in life. Vaginal birthers everywhere say, "Ouch!"
As more families lose medical insurance and family budgets tighten, school nurses are increasingly serving as students' primary care providers. However, school budgets are also tighter than they used to be and full-time school nursing positions are rarer than they used to be. Not just dispensers of Band-Aids and tampons, today's school nurses help diagnose kids with ADHD symptoms, help monitor and treat students suffering from severe allergies and lead the ever-uncomfortable sex-ed talks.
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.