Strict Dad, Lax Dad

Stories

19 Stories

October 2008
- Webcam on Board, Teen Drivers on Alert
  
  Washington Post | Oct 24, 08 5:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - If a pilot program sees good results, teen drivers may soon find themselves under surveillance, reports the Washington Post . Parents in southern Maryland find the new webcam system, which records possible unsafe driving practices, a useful tool. Their offspring, however, aren't thrilled at the prospect of losing one of their last refuges from the watchful eye of Mom and Dad. More »
- So These Kids Walk Into a Bar (and Barflies Start Griping)
  
  Times (UK) | Oct 14, 08 8:37 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A smoking ban and an increasing trend of serving food have made Britain's pubs more family-friendly, but many drinkers are far from thrilled about sharing their watering hole with rowdy kids, the Times of London reports. The editors of the Good Pub Guide say complaints have soared about "baby lager louts" running wild in pubs. More »
July 2008
- Connery Won't Give Son a Dime
  
  Times (UK) | Jul 21, 08 10:45 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Add Sean Connery to the list of wealthy patriarchs who want their children to make their own money. The 77-year-old actor is worth $170 million, but his 45-year-old son, Jason, will “never receive a penny” of it, Connery’s ex-wife and Jason's mother Diane Cilento told the London Times . More »
June 2008
- Hollywood's Ickiest Dads
  
  Radar | Jun 14, 08 8:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Father's Day is a time to thank Dad for all he's done—but what if all Dad's done is creep out the general public? Radar lists celebrity fathers who take paternal love to barely legal levels. Joe Simpson: Father to songbirds Jessica and Ashlee, Simpson famously said of his eldest, “She's got DOUBLE Ds! You can't cover those suckers up!” More »
May 2008
- Madge Kid Wants Tour Gig
  
  Daily Mirror (UK) | May 29, 08 11:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - At 11, Madonna's daughter Lourdes is studying to be a chip off the ol’ block. Lourdes—nicknamed Lola—is practicing her moves at a famous London dance studio in the hopes she can join her mom on tour in the fall, the Daily Mirror reports. "Lola is the best in her dance classes and wants to perform a special dance sequence alongside Madonna” on tour, an insider said. More »
March 2008
- A Dad Debates Introducing Wine
  
  New York Times | Mar 28, 08 4:14 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Will letting your kids sip wine decrease chances of binges later, Eric Asimov wonders in the New York Times . “I can’t help hoping that my sons might share my taste in ball teams and politics. Why should wine be any different?” writes Asimov, who imagined raising his children European-style to teach them “wine is a wonderful part of a meal.” More »
- Boomers Move Back Home
  
  Associated Press | Mar 24, 08 3:06 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Young people have long fled recessionary job markets by moving back home, but the current crisis has a new demographic scurrying there: the middle-aged. "This is not like, 'OK, my son just graduated from college and needs to move back in' type of thing," says one financial planner, who has seen more adult children leaning on parents for everything from rent to groceries. More »
- UK Teachers Blame Parents for Bratty Kids
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Mar 22, 08 3:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - UK teachers complain that classrooms are getting tougher to control because kids throw more tantrums—and parents are to blame, the Daily Telegraph reports. A Cambridge University study says that parents are letting children indulge in video games, junk food, and TV. "Teachers described highly permissive parents who admitted to indulging their children, often for the sake of peace or simply because they had run out of alternative incentives or sanctions," the report said. More »
February 2008
- Teen Drinkers Mimic Parents
  
  Reuters | Feb 14, 08 5:33 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Parents' drinking habits can influence those of their children, but perhaps not how you might think, a study suggests. While kids are apt to mimic boozing elders, more than one action speaks louder than words: The lax monitoring and harsh punishment that go hand in hand with alcohol abuse can also drive teenagers to the bottle, Reuters reports. More »
January 2008
- Dude, Mom Unloaded My Car
  
  Des Moines Register | Jan 9, 08 3:26 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The "meanest mom on the planet" has unloaded her rule-breaking 19-year-old son's car in a very public Des Moines Register classified ad: "Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat." More »
December 2007
- Parents Blind to Their Fat Kids
  
  Associated Press | Dec 25, 07 3:20 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Nearly half the parents of severely overweight children ages 6 to 11 said their child was “about the right weight,” and only 13% recognized that their child had a severe problem, says a University of Michigan study. The results indicate parents think children will “grow out” of obesity or that something will change as they age, reports the AP. More »
- Spoiled Chinese Kids Get Traditional Lessons
  
  Washington Post | Dec 25, 07 11:47 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - China's new millionaires have ridden the waves of the country's transforming economy, but not so their children, writes the Washington Post . Raised in privilege and coddled by parents who obeyed the country's one-child policy, the nation's "little emperors and princes" have little experience of hardship and spend money lavishly. Now parents are trying to instill Chinese values in their Westernized children. More »
- And Dr. Spock Breathes Sigh of Relief
  
  People | Dec 19, 07 5:31 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Lynne Spears might have been able to explain elder daughter Britney's head-shaving incident and even finessed the no-skivvies romp, but, People reports, news that younger daughter Jamie Lynn, 16, is pregnant appears to have derailed Lynne's book on … you guessed it, parenting. A spokeswoman for her publisher says the book, scheduled for release next spring, is "delayed, not canceled." More »
- Guitar Hero: $9K; Lesson to Pothead Son: Priceless
  
  AFP | Dec 17, 07 4:23 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Christmas came early for a father who sold a rare $90 Guitar Hero III video game for $9,100 on eBay. He searched for "the Holy Grail of Christmas presents" for 2 weeks, he said in his auction description, and "couldn't wait to spread the jubilance to my son," AFP reports. But then he came home early and found the 15-year-old smoking marijuana with friends. More »
November 2007
- Brit's Mess My Fault, Says Mom
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Nov 8, 07 10:31 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Think Britney is a brat? Blame her mom. That's what Lynne Spears is doing. The 52-year-old says her daughter has been falling apart for years and it's her fault because she wasn't able to go on the road with Britney when her career took off. "I wish I'd been there more, but I had the other kids to look after," said the mom of three. More »
October 2007
- Judge to Britney: Childproof
  
  People | Oct 31, 07 4:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A judge cut Britney Spears’ visits with her sons to one afternoon and one overnight visit per week yesterday. In addition to twice-weekly drug tests, Spears was ordered to childproof both of her homes by Friday. Her court-appointed parenting coach was underwhelmed by the troubled pop star's interactions with her kids, saying she rarely engaged with them "in either conversation or play." More »
- Brit's Visitation Rights Revoked
  
  Reuters | Oct 18, 07 3:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A court re-suspended Britney Spears' visitation rights yesterday, the latest in an ongoing tug-of-war between the fallen pop star and ex-hubby Kevin Federline over their two sons. The court recently granted Spears a weekly chaperoned overnight visit, but rescinded it until she complies with outstanding court orders, including one to get coaching on parenting skills, Reuters reports. More »
April 2007
- Protective parents not preparing kids
  
  Denver Post | Apr 7, 07
  
  One sunny afternoon as our children played nearby, I asked a neighbor at what age she would allow her son to bicycle around the block by himself. "I don't think I would ever do that," she replied. "The world is a very different place now than it was when we were growing up." Did she really think the number of child molesters and kidnappers in the world had increased in the past 20 or 30 years, I asked? "Oh, yes, I think it is increasing. Because of the Internet." At a PTA meeting, during a discussion of traffic problems around the school campus, I asked what we could do to encourage families...
May 2006
- Top 10 Parenting Pitfalls
  
  WebMD | May 15, 06
  
  Experts offer advice that will help you raise a well-behaved child -- instead of a brat.

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Stories

Webcam on Board, Teen Drivers on Alert

So These Kids Walk Into a Bar (and Barflies Start Griping)

Connery Won't Give Son a Dime

Hollywood's Ickiest Dads

Madge Kid Wants Tour Gig

A Dad Debates Introducing Wine

Boomers Move Back Home

UK Teachers Blame Parents for Bratty Kids

Teen Drinkers Mimic Parents

Dude, Mom Unloaded My Car

Parents Blind to Their Fat Kids

Spoiled Chinese Kids Get Traditional Lessons

And Dr. Spock Breathes Sigh of Relief

Guitar Hero: $9K; Lesson to Pothead Son: Priceless

Brit's Mess My Fault, Says Mom

Judge to Britney: Childproof

Brit's Visitation Rights Revoked

Protective parents not preparing kids

Top 10 Parenting Pitfalls