Most people, adults or children in the know, do not like to think about their parents having sex, ever. Well, there is the fact that there's a very good chance the parents had sex in order to get said adult or child, but other than that we prefer to have our minds boggled rather than our imaginations ruined by thinking about our parents getting it on.

Not so with Matthew McConaughey. His mother, Kay McConaughey, is set to publish a sort of memoirs/tell all book about her life, and in it she gets pretty explicit about her relationship with Mateo's father, how the star was conceived and how her husband met his ultimate, if not untimely, demise. Says Kay, who married Matthew's dad three times and spent over sixteen years before conceiving, her hubby died during sex; she knew he was gone when he just wasn't responding.

More information than we will probably ever want to know. If there's one thing I want to think about LESS than my own parents having sex it's Matthew McConaughey's parents having sex and then one of them dying during it. The Sahara star did comment that if he has to go, he hopes it's a long way off, but that doing so while making whoopy would be the desired method of exit. And, I will say, for being 77, Kay McConaughey looks unbelievably amazing. Seriously. If we could all look like that when we're 77 people would never actually stop having sex.

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This product recall is a little different than others in that it isn't actually a product recall. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets do not meet the safety standards regarding spacing of the metal bars and pose an entrapment and strangulation hazard to infants. The products would be recalled, but SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity, Inc.'s assets at public auction in April, 2008, refuses to recall them. SFCA claims they are not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity.

Clearly somebody needs to be responsible for the products because according to the CPSC, two infants have already strangled to death between the bassinet's metal bars - a 5-month old girl earlier this month and a 4-month-old girl in September of 2007. Since SFCA won't recall them, the CPSC is issuing a warning and urging all consumers to share this warning with day care centers, consignment stores, family and friends to ensure no more children are injured or killed sleeping in this bassinet.

The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets have metal bars spaced farther apart than the 2 3/8 inches maximum allowed by federal crib safety standards. The metal bars are covered by an adjustable fabric flap which is attached by Velcro. The fabric is folded down when the bassinet is converted into a bed-side co-sleeping position. If the Velcro is not properly re-secured when the flap is adjusted, an infant can slip through the opening and become entrapped in the metal bars and suffocate. This warning does not cover bassinets produced in recent months that have fabric permanently attached over the lower bar.

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We've often had the conversation here at ParentDish about how many children is enough. The answer? Well, it depends on the family. Desire, money, space, time and energy requirements all make their case in the debate, and it ultimately comes down to how much kid a parent can handle. Several people have said to me, for example, how they really wanted three children until they had two. Some, like me, who came from a small family--I was an only child--want as big a family as possible. Others think one is the magical number.

For Brad Pitt, apparently that magic number hovers somewhere near what it would take to have your own baseball team. The actor, heartthrob and life partner (or whatever you want to call him) of Angelina Jolie, who already has six children, recently admitted he'd like two more. To take matters further, he is quoted (probably WAY out of context) as saying they'll arrive within the next year. That statement, true or not (probably the latter) will do two things:

1. It will give the media, tabloids and gossip hounds even more ammunition that the twins were conceived using fertility treatments, which has been denied by the pretty pair and that they'll use such methods again to get two more children in such a short span of time (unless they adopt, and you know how long that can take, even for a celebrity: just ask Madonna); and

2. It will, indeed, give them almost enough kids for a baseball team. I mean, if Ange and Brad joined in the fun then there'd be ten of them, so you know, you could have reserves and pinch hitters and whatnot.

Safety in numbers, right? And, really, once you have six kids, what's two more? I mean, other than the baseball team thing. Good luck to the happy couple, if indeed what Brad says is true in any way, shape or form whatsoever.

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Traditions are an important part of family life. Traditions not only create positive feelings and a sense of belonging, they help parents pass their values on to their children. There's a good reason why, as parents, we often find ourselves repeating some of our favorite family traditions with our own children.

Today was my older daughter's first day of kindergarten, so we're just starting to form our own back-to-school traditions. Ours are pretty simple -- a shopping day spent just with Mom, a special breakfast that first morning, and a picture taken on our front porch, where all milestone pictures are staged. Then, we all walk to school together as a family. It's only our second year of school, but I particularly hope that we can keep that last one up.

Tip Junkie has collected an interesting list of back-to-school traditions from other parents, and Family Fun has some great ideas for celebrating that first day of school. Real Simple has tips for creating family traditions any time of year.

Of course, the best parenting tips usually come from other parents, so let's hear it: What do you do to make the first day of school special?

When I was a kid, everyone took their family vacation to Florida. Sure, some opted for California, where there is a Disney Land and other beaches, but for the most part everyone went to Florida with their kids. As we've gotten older, and the Internet has shared with us the many wonders of the world--and how easy it is to get to such places--many families are opting for less traditional family vacations. For example, ever thought about taking the kids to Costa Rica? When I think of Costa Rica, I think of two things: Some of the most beautiful rain forests ever to exist, and really, really big spiders. In fact, when a friend reported back to me of her honeymoon (Costa Rica also makes me think of a romantic getaway), she spoke much of the giant spiders. No matter, people are still bringing their kids with them on such exotic vacations. And, the kids are loving it.

What's to do in Costa Rica for kids? Well, if you can afford it, given the dollar is so weak these days, a lot. The first thing is they get to interact with other children. Sign up for the Thomson Family Adventures and enjoy everything from homemade burritos to the chance to meet Costa Rican children and become their penpals. Spend some time white water rafting (obviously not for little kids or the faint of heart). Kids can play soccer and ride horseback with the locals. And of course there's the touring (sure to include at least one encounter with a giant spider) and the gorgeous beaches. Still others get their kicks from signing up for adventure packages with the likes of outfitters Wildland Adventures and Costa Rica Expeditions.

To me, Costa Rica sounds like a vacation of doing, not so much hanging around. It's not just a beach, where the whole day focuses on getting to the beach, hanging out on the beach, having some lunch (if you feel like it) and then heading back to the beach, where dinner is the only thing really given any thought. If your family is interested in learning about other cultures, having a 'learning vacation' as I like to call them, and needs a lot of activities to be satisfied, then perhaps Costa Rica or some other exotic location is the way to go. Just, you know, let me know when you get back if you saw any giant spiders.

What about you? Do you prefer the hang out, lazy, kinds of family vacations, or do you and your fam prefer the get up and go approach to group getaways?

Pic by joiseyshowaa.

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(Click the image above to see a larger version of the comic strip.)

When I was growing up, there was always a "For Better or For Worse" comic cut from the paper and stuck to our refrigerator. The Pattersons may have been an imaginary family, but Lynn Johnston, their creator, made them real by touching on issues both big and small that many families deal with. When I became a parent, I even cut out one or two and put them on my own refrigerator, relating easily to daughter-in-law Deanna's life as a busy mom of two young children.



The strip has looked a little different for the last several months. Lynn Johnston, seeing retirement on the horizon, has been running a series of flashbacks that allowed her to lighten her workload and revisit early moments in the Patterson's life. This Sunday, Lynn will give readers what every good story needs... an ending. The strip will be the endpoint of the Patterson's story, but it won't be the end of "For Better or For Worse."

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The management of the Oulton Hall Hotel near Leads in the UK have an odd sense of humor. They thought they would have a 'bit of fun' and make parents pay for their children's Sunday dinner based on weight. Not the weight of the food the child consumes, but the weight of the child. A kid who weighs 5st (70 pounds) would be charged £5, with the price increasing along with the weight of the child.

Child obesity expert Professor Paul Gateley isn't laughing and believes the public weigh-ins would be humiliating for a child . "What child wants to be pulled on to scales and judged? The undoubted outcome is that they will feel bad. It's especially likely to upset girls, who tend to become aware of their weight as early as seven."

Oulton Hall spokesman Nigel Massey thinks Gateley just needs to get over it. "There will no doubt be people who say it's not politically correct and have a grumble about it. Well, frankly they should get a life and stop being so miserable." Ah, that 'screw you' attitude is so refreshing in the hospitality industry.

Massey goes on to say that the pay-as-you-weigh program is entirely voluntary and was conceived as a way to help parents save a bit of money when dining out. If a child declines to be weighed, the regular kid's meal price of £11.25 will be charged, which is half of the adult meal.

I am not all that great with math and less so when it involves converting weights and monies, but it does seem like this would be a good deal for parents with young and small children. But the program is open to kids as old as 15. Do you think think Professor Gateley is being overly sensitive? Or should he, as Massey suggests, stop being so miserable?

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Is there anything more precious than a daddy's hug? We think not. Thanks to Aranel Manveri for sharing this wonderful moment.

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Do you read parenting books? For real, as in from cover to cover? Did you get anything at all out of the book? Was it overall a great buy with an excellent philosophy, or was there at least one nugget of sage advice that has helped you shape your parenting style? If the answer to that last question was yes, then perhaps parenting books are good for you. For others, not so much.

I remember when I first started writing for ParentDish--way back in the Blogging Baby days. I was pregnant and trying to figure out if I had what it took to be a parent. I bought oodles of parenting books and tried to plow through them as best as I could. I found lots of conflicting information, some of it outdated. I had lots of conversations with other parents and got more of the same. I even asked them what parenting books they recommended. Some loved certain books, some hated said books. One such book was "What to Expect when You're Expecting." I wrote a post about that and got innumerable comments of both praise and abhorring. So it is with any sort of parenting advice.

Once you become a parent, generally all the things you were so scared of dissipate. You become more confident in your decision making and parenting abilities. Most of the time, you actually become a better wife, daughter, friend, sister, etc. in the process. Did the parenting books help? Maybe, maybe not. Being a parent did. The things we all fear--that we'll be bad parents, that we'll hurt our children, that they'll be taken from us through our own negligence--seem to go away the more we actually practice parenting. And that means whatever parenting style comes most naturally to us or works out best for us. And it is different for every person. I don't think it really matters how much attention you paid to WTEWYE--you're probably doing OK in the mommy or daddy department. Parenting books, if you actually have time to read them (see: before children) might offer some insight, but only you will be able to determine the right approach to raising your kids.

There are a lot of ways that we, as parents, put ourselves into groups. Breastfeeders vs. formula feeders, co-sleepers vs. cry-it-outers, stay at home moms vs. working moms. I think it's really unfortunate when these very personal issues divide us, because, really, what do variations in parenting technique have to do with adult friendships and relationships? I'm very committed to the way I choose to parent my children, but I'm not committed to making sure other parents parent their children the same way. That's just not my business.

Vaccinations are a different issue, however. Whether or not you vaccinate your kids can have an impact on other people's children. That's one of the biggest issues vaccinating parents have with parents who choose not to. When kids aren't vaccinated, parents fear, then the risk of their children contracting those illnesses increases. Says Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "One of doctors' biggest concerns is loss of 'herd immunity.' Because no vaccine is 100 percent effective, successfully fighting disease requires most children be vaccinated."

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