With Parent Away at War, Child Abuse Increases

Kids stress us out—but we still find them rewarding

(NEWSER) - Ask parents if their children make them happy and they’ll likely say yes. So why does almost every study on the subject show that having children tends to make people less happy—and that, in fact, many parents love their kids but hate parenting? In an extensive New York article , Jennifer Senior explores how parenting, and Americans’ reasons for having children, have changed over the decades. More»

Public awareness campaigns credited with helping abuse drop 26% since '93

(NEWSER) - Cases of child abuse and neglect have fallen sharply since the early '90s, according a huge federal study. A total of 553,000 children suffered physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in 2005-6, the study found, down 26% from the 743,200 abuse victims in 1993. Cases of sexual abuse were down 38%. Experts say the results show that crackdowns and public awareness campaigns are working. More»

(NEWSER) - The latest trend in nomenclature rings false to at least one person who recently realized that "Mom" has become "the now generic name for every female parent in our country." Thinking it over, Anne Albeck dates the phenomenon to the early '90s, but familiarity—and overfamiliarity—really does breed contempt. "Being called Mom by everyone from the shoe store clerk to the pediatrician is a little too intimate for me," Albeck writes for the Chicago Tribune. More»

'Zodiac'-style letter claims responsibility for Touma's murder

(NEWSER) - Police say the pregnant soldier whose body was found in a North Carolina motel last week was murdered, the Fayetteville Observer reports. The Observer, meanwhile, received a letter from someone claiming to be the killer, which contains a symbol sources say was also drawn in lipstick in the room where Megan Touma, 23, was found. More»

'Marriage education' aims to bridge gulf between love and war

(NEWSER) - A jump in divorce rates since the start of the Iraq war has the Army concerned. Marriages are falling apart as soldiers return home from tours of combat duty emotionally distant and unwilling to discuss their experiences. The military has now launched 'marriage education' retreats to try and repair the damage, the New York Times reports. More»