Best Of The Web: January 11-17

Contributors: Sharon
Beesley, Elizabeth Raymond

Here’s a weekly roundup of parenting articles that piqued
our interest. Enjoy! —

A Staten Island girl stepped in front
of a bus between Christmas and New Year’s and just passed away last week. The
teen took
her life after being bullied relentlessly at school. (NY Daily News)

Pregnancy rates often dip with the economy, but the numbers
seem to show that having more
kids means you’re likely to spend less on each—and not to the detriment of
the children’s wellbeing. So the first may be the most expensive, but not each
kid costs the same! (USA Today)

Read about how an
irreverent (and very popular) mom blogger has used the power of a gorgeous red
dress to inspire outrageous acts of self-fulfillment by others.(Forbes)

Do you know the 5 “words” all babies use?
Oprah does. Learn out what they are and how you can recognize what your baby is
actually “saying”! (Oprah via Youtube)

A reason you should
videotape EVERYTHING your kids do, even if they are sick with the chicken
pox. (A Little Sussy)

Inspired by the song Jay-Z promptly released after the birth
of his daughter, The New Yorker
created a list of sweet,
and sometimes hilarious, songs about parental joy.  (The New Yorker) 

In other Blue Ivy baby girl news, some New
York parents are downright angry at the indignities
they say they suffered while Beyonce’s labor maxed out security at Lenox
Hill hospital. (NY Times)

Happy 65th Birthday to the legendary Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care. In celebration, the
9th edition has just hit the stands so you can get the same age-old advice
that your great-grandparents received! (Huffington
Post)

Physical exercise is not only good for the body, it’s good
for the brain. Here’s
proof: recent research in the Netherlands
has found a link between activity and academic performance. (TIME)