DotMoms

DotMoms Daily: Pregnancy imaging, Fit families, and more

Photo: Mykhailo Markiv, Reuters

In family-related news:
> Schizophrenia risk may start in womb (WashPost)
> Study sees rise in imaging exams for pregnant women (Reuters)
> Unhealthy habits put kids at bone-breaking risk (AP/MSNBC)
> Does physical activity run in the family? (WebMD/CBS)
> New! Improved! It's school! (Newsweek)
> The blasphemous Teddy Bear (Time)
> Wonder Woman gets a new voice, and it's female (NYTimes)
> Take-Two chairman defends game violence (Reuters)
> Youth rights advocate tries to break down barriers to adulthood (WashPost)
> Learn to be nice to your wife, or pay the price (WashPost)

DotMoms Daily: Toxic marriages, Pint Size Paparazzi, and more

Photo: Carol Guzy, The Washington Post

In family-related news:
> Toxic marriage may literally hurt your heart (AP/MSNBC)
> Reading, writing, retailing: School fundraisers a fall fixture (WashPost)
> Just one more before bedtime! (NYTimes)
> In some schools, iPods are required listening (NYTimes)
> Thank-You note enters college admissions game (NYTimes)
> Mottainai Grandma Reminds Japan, 'Don't Waste' (NPR)

DotMoms Daily: Moms need fish, toy shortages, and more

Image: Reuters

In family-related news now:
> Antidepressant use drops in pregnancy (Reuters/MSNBC)
> Mothers again urged to eat fish (WashPost)
> Kids' use of heartburn drugs surges (AP/ABC)
> Child health veto will be election issue (AP/Yahoo)
> Toy shortages expected for holidays (CNNMoney)
   Related: Buy! Buy! 2007 'Hot Dozen' holiday toys
> Varying standards may hurt 'No Child' (WashPost)
> Homework parents have to do (NYTimes)
> Do young adults mimic smoking in movies? (WebMD/CBS)
> Is the 'Mom Job' really necessary? (NYTimes)
> Men sleep better beside mate; women worse (MSNBC)

DotMoms Daily: Hug ban-wagon, unhealthy fights, and more

Image: Eric Carle/NPR

In family-related news now:
> Marital spats, taken to heart (NYTimes)
> Nearly 1 in 3 kids take vitamins (WebMD/CBS)
> The caterpillar with an appetite for philosophy (NPR)
> Playing with blocks helps with language, study finds (Reuters)
> Toy stores say they're not seeing China backlash (AP/MSNBC)
> Schools jumping on the hug ban-wagon (Today/MSNBC)
> Tweens love Broadway, but can't save it alone (NYTimes)
> Welcome back to the 'Jungle' (WashPost)
> 'Hannah Montana' concert tix too hot  (AP/ABC)

DotMoms Daily: Senior dads, insuring kids, and more

Photo illustration: Chris Jackson, Getty/NPR

In family-related news now:
> Women on meds not told to avoid pregnancy (AP/MSNBC)
> Where risk, choice and hope converge, a guiding voice on pregnancy choices (NYTimes)
> Senior dads help boost human lifespan (LiveScience/MSNBC)
> $35 billion boost in works for kids' health care (WashPost)
> Shot may be boosting ear-infection germs (AP/MSNBC)
> Crocs, kids and escalators a bad combination? (AP/CNN)
> Soda drink sales in schools fizzing out (AP/CBS)
> Back to school: Reading, writing and Internet safety (NPR)
> Is the lottery shortchanging schools? (CBS)
> Using crayons to exorcise Katrina (NYTimes)
> Some toy makers shun the China label (NYTimes)

DotMoms Daily: Stepmonsters, teen health, and more

Image: David Chelsea, The New York Times

In family-related news now:
> UNICEF says child deaths down sharply since 1990 (Reuters)
> Consumers could face higher toy prices (AP/ABC)
> How I turned into a stepmonster (NYTimes)
> My so-called gossipy life (NYTimes)
> Credit card companies woo teens with plastic (NPR)
> Teen girls on a diet more likely to smoke (Reuters)
> Teens' unhealthy weight hurts later fertility (Reuters/MSNBC)
> Binge drinking particularly risky for teens (Reuters)
> In high school football, an injury no one sees (NYTimes)

The Kitchen Cabinet: Coverage of the candidate's spouse

By Julie Kirtz Garrett

I don't know Jeri Kehn Thompson (shown left with her husband), but she used to be in my Rolodex when I was a new reporter in Washington, D.C. She was young professional, a contact on the Hill, a senate aide and an RNC spokesperson. Now, as the 40-year-old wife of likely presidential candidate Fred Thompson, 64, she has been labeled a "trophy wife."

In today's Washington Post, Robert Novak pens a piece with the headline, "Thompson's Top Advisor." Meanwhile, blogs, chat rooms and a story in The New York Times by Susan Saulny, "Will Her Face Determine His Fortune", focus on her looks: "youthfulness, permanent tan and bleached blond hair ... much of the brouhaha around Mrs. Thompson, 40, is being stirred by photos of her in form-fitting gowns circulating on the Internet."

NPR just aired a story on "Candidates' Spouses: Use and Abuse" that describes how Bill Clinton, Judith Giuliani, and Mrs. Thompson are being covered. Here's an NBC story about Michelle Obama, who Vanity Fair just named one of the best-dressed women in America. Vanity Fair also just published a story on "Guiliani's Princess Bride."

Are spouses fair game? Is the coverage of them sexist? Crass? Are Democratic and Republican candidates' spouses getting the same treatment? Was Jackie O. a trophy wife?

Julie Kirtz Garrett is a writer and television reporter. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and three children.

DotMoms Daily: First comes love, then comes marraige, and more

Photo: UCR.edu

In family-related news now:
> To be happy in marriage, baby carriage not required (WashPost)
   Related: As marriage and parenthood drift apart, public concerned about social impact (Pew)
> Depression in kids of divorce blamed on genes (MSNBC)
> Anyone up for stickball? In a PlayStation world, maybe not (NYTimes)
> Does Harry Potter have migraines? (WebMD/CBS)

DotMoms Daily: Momblocked, homeschooling, and more

Photo: Stephen Voss, WpN/ABC

In family-related news now:
> 'Momblocked' mothers feel edged out by dads (MSNBC)
> Fight over vaccine-autism link hits court (Washington Post)
> AWOL mom chose her daughter over her country (ABC)
> Giving proper credit to home-schooled (Washington Post)
> Parents writing one really big check (ABC)

DotMoms Daily: Gaming star, Potter auction, and more

Image: Hadley Hooper, New York Times

In family-related news now:
> Cyberfamilias: 'omg my mom joined facebook!!' (New York Times)
> Kids' Internet safety starts at home (CBS)
> Doll Web sites drive girls to stay home and play (New York Times)
> He's 9 years old and a video-game circuit star (New York Times)
> First-Edition 'Potter' book headed for auction (Washington Post)
> State school standards vary widely in study (New York Times)
> Model parent: Teen migraines may echo adults' (LiveScience/MSNBC)
> Have kids? Sure ... someday (MSNBC)
> New treatment for depression: marriage (LiveScience/MSNBC)