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Mother of Obese Teen Charged With Criminal Neglect
Jerri Gray, the mother of a 14-year-old boy who weighs 555 pounds, has been charged with felony child neglect by South Carolina. Her son has been taken to foster care, and she faces 10 years in prison for putting her son at risk by neglecting his medical needs. Gray, who works three jobs, has told the media that her son got so overweight because she could not keep track of what he was eating.
Parents in Nebraska Dumping Teens Before Law Changes
More than half of the 33 children legally abandoned in Nebraska since the state's safe-haven law took effect in July have been teens. Nebraska is the first state to permit the abandonment of anyone under 19 years of age.
The state's governor announced that lawmakers would rewrite the law, which was created to provide an alternative for so-called "dumpster babies," at the end of October after a circus of attention on stats that showed many parents were abandoning teens.
Parents Abandoning Teens Under Law Created For Babies
Nebraska recently became the first state to permit the abandonment of anyone under 19 years of age, despite speculation that such a law might encourage anyone with an unruly or disabled child to simply leave them at a safe haven. It looks like those fears have been justified.
Last month, 15 older children in Nebraska were dropped off at safe-haven spots after their parents or guardians deemed them unmanageable, according to the New York Times.
Nebraska Lets Parents Surrender Kids — Up to 19 Years Old
When you say “abandoned child,” most people conjure up an image of a basket with a baby in it left at the doorstep of an orphanage or a wealthy benefactor. In Nebraska, a new vision of the baby amongst the reeds might emerge — one of an unwanted teenager left at one of the many “safe-haven” drop-off centers for abandoned children.
Whereas every other state in the Union with safe-haven laws focuses on newborns, Nebraska just became the only state to permit the abandonment of anyone under 19 years of age.
NY Parents Paid To Parent Their Own Kids — Great Service?
Tough, dangerous, and impoverished neighborhoods are hit with a double-whammy when it comes to raising kids: parents who are away from home a lot trying to make ends meet, and as a result, kids that are left to their own devices learning tough and dangerous behaviors to match. New York City has a program aimed at ending that cycle.
It's called Opportunity NYC and it pays cash to 2,500 families from the city's poorest neighborhoods, to do the things that are expected of parents: taking their kids to the doctor, or going to parent-teacher meetings.
You Asked: When Should My Daughter Meet My Boyfriend?
Dear Sugar,
I am 29 years old, and I have been with my boyfriend (also 29) officially for almost a year — we dated off and on for about four years. I'm a single parent of a beautiful 8-year-old daughter and I have been toying with the idea of the two meeting, but I am just not sure when. I have been very cautious because my daughter has not seen her father since she was two (and even then she only met him two or three times), which is his choice not mine.
You Asked: How Can I Balance a Social Life With Being a Mom?
Dear Sugar,
I'm a 23-year-old single mom who has decided to start dating after the end of a seven-year relationship with the only man I've ever been with. I'm trying to figure out how to balance between my love life and taking care of my 2-month-old baby. I've barely gone out since she was born.
Spanish Twins, Separated at Birth, Sue for Millions
You know that movie Big Business where Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin play twins switched at birth? This is like that, but in Spain — and with a lawsuit. What happened?
Childhood Obesity Tipped Top of Scale — Are We Winning?
A new survey out today shows that childhood obesity, after rising for more than two decades, appears to have hit a plateau. The data gathered from 1999 to 2006 by the federal Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is being greeted carefully.
It is not yet clear if the pause in kids' weight gain is permanent or even if the small success is the result of public antiobesity efforts to limit junk food and increase physical activity in schools.
Japan Getting Rid of Babies, US Woman Collecting Her 18th!
In Japan, a Roman Catholic hospital's controversial "storks' cradle" is a flyaway success. The hatch is designed to be a safe haven for unwanted babies, and officials say in the past year 16 years babies have been safely dropped off and more than 1,000 people have called for advice. The hatch ensures a safe drop-off point where unwanted children are placed anonymously and are guaranteed care by the hospital.
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