The Call to Lower the Age of Consent in Order to Protect Pedophiles is a Disgrace

May 9, 2013

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There is a reason why the age of consent is not at 13. It is largely to ward off manipulative and controlling men from young and vulnerable girls. If considered of legal age to engage in sexual activity, a 13-year old would be less likely to make informed choices and be more likely to be pressured and cajoled beyond her own comfort limits.

What makes this suggestion even more astonishing is that it was proposed in order to make legal the alleged actions of possible pedophiles:

The age of consent for sex should be lowered to 13-years-old in a bid to end the ‘persecution of old men’ in the wake of the Savile sex abuse scandal, a top female barrister has argued.

Lawyer Barbara Hewson described the arrests of celebrities such as Rolf Harris, Dave Lee Travis, Jim Davidson and PR guru Max Clifford under Operation Yewtree as a ‘grotesque spectacle’ adding it had ‘nothing to do with justice or the public interest’.

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The Children of Today Show a Lack of Respect For Authority

May 9, 2013

You know when things have gone out of control when the disrespect shown by children to adults goes beyond targeting parents and teachers, and instead becomes focused on the Prime Minister of our country.

The child who threw a sandwich at the PM will unfortunately become a cult hero among disaffected teens. To me, his actions are emblematic of a generation that exhibits a general lack of respect for authority:

A STUDENT suspended for throwing a sandwich at the Prime Minister during a visit at a Logan school has denied he did it.

Kyle Thomson, 16, was one of many teens who mobbed Julia Gillard during a visit to Marsden State High School, south of Brisbane,  this morning.

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10 Important Steps to Stop Yelling at Kids

May 7, 2013

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As much as it is largely ineffective and unprofessional we have all yelled at our students at one time or another. It can be extremely hard to remain calm when students become unruly and uncooperative.

Although intended for parents, this list by Laura Markham, Ph.D. provides sound strategies for maintaining composure around children:

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Why Are There So Many Children Exposed to Prescription Drugs?

May 6, 2013

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It is my ardent belief that there are far too many children on ADHD medication. Whilst I am clearly no expert, it bothers me when children are prescribed Ritalin and the like, when other factors such as diet, learning difficulties and personal issues have not been properly looked at.

It also bothers me that the amount of children taking prescription medication seems to be escalating markedly. Even the experts are starting to raise doubts about the over prescribing that seems to be taking place.

I sincerely don’t want to end up with the kind of numbers being reported in the US:

One-in-four U.S. teens has misused or abused a prescription drug at least once — a 33 percent increase in the past five years, experts say.

A survey by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation also found 1-in-8 U.S. teens reported taking the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall not prescribed for them at least once.

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Tips For Parents of Kids Who “Hate School”

May 5, 2013

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There can be nothing more dispiriting for a parent than to be faced with challenges concerning their children that they can’t intervene in or correct. What do you do if they tell you they hate school? You can’t always change schools. How do you make the school experience palatable for your children when you have no control whatsoever over the day-to-day running of their school?

The following are a list of tips courtesy of parentsconnect.com:

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Teacher Buys 9th Grader “50 Shades of Grey”

May 5, 2013

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Teachers can’t afford to be stupid and irresponsible. Our carelessness and negligence can cost far too much to be tolerated lightly. Even if we are to believe that this teacher had no idea that the book he bought for his student was for mature readers only, the lack of awareness and due diligence to simply read the front cover (let alone doing basic research on the book’s content) is reason enough to hand him a much more severe penalty than a week off:

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Who Buys a Rifle for a 5-Year-Old?

May 2, 2013

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The “My First Rifle” concept is absolutely abhorrent! Gifting a rifle to a 5-year-old achieves no discernible purpose whatsoever. The result of such negligence can certainly lead to tragedy:

A 2-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed by her 5-year-old brother while he was playing with a child-size rifle given to him as a gift, authorities in Kentucky say.

Caroline Starks, a blonde, blue-eyed girl, was fatally shot in the chest by her brother’s .22-caliber rifle only minutes after her mother says she stepped outside their home in Burkesville on Tuesday.

The single-shot weapon fired is a rifle specifically marketed to children as ‘My First Rifle’ by company Keystone Sporting Arms, according to authorities.

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It was given to the 5-year-old as a gift last year, Cumberland County Coroner Gary White told the Lexington Herald-Leader.‘It’s a Crickett,’ White identified the weapon used. ‘It’s a little rifle for a kid. …The little boy’s used to shooting the little gun.’‘Accidents happen with guns,’ he continued. ‘They thought the gun was actually unloaded, and it wasn’t.’‘It was god’s will. It was her time to go, I guess,’ Caroline’s grandmother, Linda Riddle, told Lex18 on Wednesday.

‘I just know she’s in heaven right now and I know she’s in good hands with the lord,’ Riddle said.

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The company, Keystone Sporting Arms, produced 60,000 Crickett and Chipmunk rifles in 2008, according to its website.It also makes guns for adults, but most of its products are geared toward children. The smaller guns come in all sorts of colors, including blue and pink.

The company’s slogan is ‘my first rifle’ and its website has a ‘Kids Corner’ section where pictures of young boys and girls are displayed, most of them showing the children at shooting ranges and on bird and deer hunts. The smaller rifles are sold with a mount to use at a shooting range.

The shooting highlights a cultural divide in the gun debate. While many suburban and urban areas work to keep guns out of the hands of children, it’s not uncommon for youths in rural areas to own guns for target practice and hunting.

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Click on the link to read Mother Forced Her 14-Year-Old Daughter to Inseminate Herself with Donated Sperm

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Click on the link to read How Giving Your Children a Bath Can Get You on a Sex Offender Registry

Click on the link to read Don’t Look for Rolemodels from Our Sporting Stars

Click on the link to read It is Shameful to Claim that Paedophilia is NOT a Crime

Click on the link to read Dad’s Letter to 13-Year Old Son after Discovering he had been Downloading from Porn Sites

Some Kids Will Do Just About Anything to Get Noticed (Photos)

May 1, 2013

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This is surely a craze that those partaking in will regret at some point:

A Japanese hair salon is rewriting the meaning of cutting edge after taking fashion inspiration from the humble tomato. The innovative design has emerged from Osaka’s trendy Amemura district and is already spreading across the internet. Stylist Hiro says the hairdo, called ‘Ripe Tomatoes’ or kanjuku tomato in Japanese, is his masterpiece. 

As well as fruit, Hiro has also looked to the world of nature to inspire him. One model sported a half red and black spotted ladybird hairstyle, which was teamed with pink girls on the other side. A male model had part of head dyed yellow with black spots that resembled a cheetah. Other edgy hair-dos included multi-coloured cartoonish rainbow effects.

One model’s tresses were given a monochrome look with black and white stripes.As well as colour, Trick Store staff are also not afraid to experiment with texture. A model had numbers shaved into the back of her head and then dyed pink. The look involves cutting the hair into a rounded crop before dying it bright tomato red. Sections from the crown are then shaped and coloured green to resemble a tomato’s stalk.

Sadly, like the fruit, the style has a shelf life.

The red and the green fades quickly and the ‘leaves’ are difficult to shape after being washed.

Ripe Tomatoes is one of a number of bold designs to emerge from the salon Trick Store.

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Click on the link to read Pictures of the World’s Best Treehouse

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How Spelling Mistakes can Turn a Compliment into Something Quite Different.

April 30, 2013

This cute letter came about when a young child wanted to show his appreciation for his father after being treated to a wonderful breakfast:

Click on the link to read When Children Say Too Much

Click on the link to read Look What This Father Designed for His Son (Photos)

Click on the link to read This New Craze Proves that Adults are Just Bigger Versions of Children

Mother Forced Her 14-Year-Old Daughter to Inseminate Herself with Donated Sperm

April 29, 2013

Ordeal: The girl apparently miscarried at 14 but regularly inseminated herself with sperm bought online by her mother and later had a baby at 16 (posed by model)

What a horrendous story! I can’t believe the sentence was so small for such an awful act:

A 14-year-old adopted girl was forced by her mother to inseminate herself with donor sperm to provide her with a baby, it was revealed today.

The ‘domineering’ woman had been stopped from adopting any more children when she forced her virgin daughter to carry out the procedure.

The girl is believed to have miscarried at 14 – but regularly used the sperm bought online by her mother and later gave birth when she was 16.

A formerly-secret court judgement revealed the details which have sparked fears over rules governing the buying of sex cells, reported the Guardian.

The mother, who had already adopted three children as babies from other countries, was sentenced to five years in jail after admitting child cruelty.

The divorced woman had decided against giving birth herself because she had a health condition and was sterilised, reported the Guardian.

However when she failed in her attempts to adopt a fourth child, the mother tried to force her adopted daughter to have a baby for her.

The insemination was planned when the girl was aged just 13 and the daughter ‘became pregnant at her mother’s request’, the judgement said.

When the newborn arrived, midwives were shocked by the ‘pushy and insensitive’ mother who tried to stop her daughter breastfeeding.

She told her daughter: ‘We don’t want any of that attachment thing’ – and even tried to take the baby, before child protection officers were called.

The court heard the local authority was told four times of fears about the mother’s behaviour but found no cause from concern on each occasions.

The siblings were home-schooled and their adoptive father did not know where they lived and had not seen them for a decade, reported the Guardian.

The mother put the girl through a ‘degrading’ and ‘humiliating’ ordeal, making her inseminate herself seven times over two years in her bedroom.

She also was forced to use painful acidic douches and eat a special diet – because her mother said this would make her more likely to have a girl.

 

Click on the link to read My Heart Bleeds for Children Who Are Exploited

Click on the link to read The People Who “Liked” This Should be Struck Off Facebook

Click on the link to read How Giving Your Children a Bath Can Get You on a Sex Offender Registry

Click on the link to read Don’t Look for Rolemodels from Our Sporting Stars

Click on the link to read It is Shameful to Claim that Paedophilia is NOT a Crime

Click on the link to read Dad’s Letter to 13-Year Old Son after Discovering he had been Downloading from Porn Sites