Rumor has it, Michelle Obama may run for President in 2016.

The First Lady appears to making a grand publicity tour and media blitz of unprecedented proportions for a First Lady in effort to kick off the first year of her husband’s second term as president. With her latest appearance being an Oscar Awards presenter, many are now wondering if First Lady Michelle Obama is being groomed for something bigger.

After all, Ms. Obama is still rather young at 49-years-old. She is a former lawyer and graduate of Princeton and her oldest daughter, Sasha, will be an adult by the time Ms. Obama would be eligible for a presidential bid, her youngest daughter will be 16.

While the FLOTUS has previously denied a run for office as recently as last year, she changed her definitive “no” to a “maybe” last Spring after an engaged and adoring media started eying her potential and seizing upon the idea. So could the new publicity tour be part of a grander campaign? As criticism and skepticism grows in light of Ms. Obama’s obvious PR campaign, calls for a Michelle Obama run for the White House in 2016 have just now started to pique interests in social networking circles.

One Michelle for President supporter with the screen name VictoriaNickers tweeted on Wednesday, “Why can’t Michelle Obama be president..she’s way cooler.”

Another supporter tweeted last week, “Michelle Obama for President!”

On the other side of the opinion aisle, Ms. Obama’s close relationship with Hollywood has drawn criticism from several conservative columnists including Jennfer Rubin from the Washignton Post who suggests Ms. Obama’s elbow rubbing with celebrities makes her look more a like tacky celebrity hanger-on than the distinguished wife of a leader of one of the most powerful nations on earth.

If Ms. Obama does run, it would also answer the question as to why President Obama continues to aggressively campaign and keep his campaign offices open across the nation. Given the popularity of Obama and his ability to separate himself from any negative consequences of economic fallout, Ms. Obama could go into the next election as a clear leader.

If Michelle does run, she will likely have a huge advantage in funding, support and preparation. Those looking for a change though, may have a tough road ahead of them if the pubic sees her as an extension of an already highly popular president.

So, what do you think? Could we, and should we, be looking towards another possible eight years of the Obama agenda after Barrack’s term ends?

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Sarah Palin comes under fire for breastfeeding comment. Photo via TLC Sarah Palin's Alaska

Sarah Palin’s retort?

“It’s no wonder Michelle Obama is telling everybody you need to breast feed your babies … the price of milk is so high!”

This has caused the mommy blogosphere to go ape shit and accuse Sarah Palin of having a lower IQ than a goldfish. The left has created a mock-fest out of this by smugly and arrogantly pointing out that you don’t give non-breastfeeding babies milk, but rather, infant formula.

Now, I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of Sarah Palin (in fact, her voice makes me cringe) and I have no confidence in her as an elected official, however, the last laugh is on those who are trying so desperately to degrade Palin and the knee jerk insecurity that goes along with trying to prove that Sarah Palin is an idiot at all costs.

The truth is, if the price of milk continues to go up, so will infant formula — the majority of infant formula in the U.S. uses cow’s milk whey and casein as their base. Furthermore, it was a joke (even if it was a bad one) that made a valid point in my opinion. Perhaps we have more pressing issues (ie; economy, food prices, gas prices, unemployment, etc.) than whether or not an already educated society breastfeeds. Most women in the U.S. at least initiate breastfeeding. The jig is up. We get it. Breast is best, move on already. Lastly, Sarah Palin did in fact breastfeed her children so let’s not try to politicize this.

And this all on the heels of recent press conference President Obama in which Obama threatened the devastation and unethical suggestion of cutting off funding for poor children in this country who need formula. He was playing on American’s sympathy. Think about the children!!

So, which is it? Are we trying to get the poor to breastfeed so we can cut funding to WIC? Or are we trying to get more babies to suck on the artificial breast teat? Maybe Mr. and Mrs. POTUS need more dates, so they can, ya know, talk to each other and get on the same page.

Either way, this should prove to keep the mommy bloggers tied up this weekend.

Where’s the popcorn?

The post Breastfeeding vs. formula feeding; Sarah Palin and the Obamas duke it out appeared first on Imperfect Parent.

Last Wednesday, the bill moved forward to the state Senate:

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 9-1 Wednesday to advance a bill to withhold gambling winnings from parents who owe back child support and win more than $1,200 on slot machines and different amounts on other winnings.

Of course, the casinos are still complaining about it, citing the same reason: searching and checking the names against a list of those owing child support would cause a two minute delay on the casino floors.

Two minutes. That’s all.

Two minutes the casinos aren’t making money, I guess….

Governor Mitch Daniels supports the bill, saying:

“…. helping single parents collect child support is more important than any minor inconvenience to casinos.”

See the full article here. (Jan 13, 2010)

Original bill proposal article from ABC. (Jan 6, 2010)

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a parent must escort children under 16 years old to the washroom in places such as restaurants.

and any other “licensed” restroom. What are they afraid of? Children being snatched? Pretty sure most 14-16 year olds can handle going to the bathroom by themselves.

“While children are in any part of licensed premises and in particular the toilet areas, they must at all times be within sight of an accompanying adult.”

Really? I’m sure the 15 year olds love that. Mom or Dad  tagging along to the bathroom? Ew. Gross.

They claim the rule is in place to prevent any harm to the children, but it sounds more like businesses covering their butts if something should happen.

They also “expect licensees to apply this rule with a degree of common sense,” the council said.”

A DEGREE OF COMMON SENSE. Right. Doesn’t seem like common sense prevails here.

Read the article here.

The post Now, Is This Really Common Sense? appeared first on Imperfect Parent.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, citing an eyewitness account, said more than 100 police and plainclothes officers broke up a gathering of the Mourning Mothers in Laleh Park Saturday afternoon. The group — formed by women whose children have been killed in recent anti-government protests — gathers every weekend at the park to call attention to the deaths.

“They would not allow anyone to even sit on the benches or congregate,” the organization quoted the unidentified witness as saying. “After about 70 mothers entered the park, security forces engaged them and started chasing them, grabbing them, and forcing them into police vans. They used a lot of violence and insults in the process.”

“No culture permits such violence to be unleashed against mothers,” Ghaemi said in a news release posted on the campaign’s Web site. “How can this government, which claims to have moral and religious authority, treat mothers who have lost their children in such a way? The Iranian officials should know that the activities of Mourning Mothers will not stop until their legitimate grievances are properly addressed.”

The group, Mourning Mothers, was founded in response to the highly publicized and controversial election last year with the mission of having the government take responsibility for the deaths.

The post Mothers Gather In Iran For Peaceful Protest, Get Arrested appeared first on Imperfect Parent.

It’s getting a lot of support from Department of Child Services, Senator Schnieder and the Governor, but casinos are not on board with the idea:

The Casino Association of Indiana worries the legislation would cause a two-minute delay on casino floors while names of winners are checked against an electronic list of people owing child support.

They also site these reasons that would further complicate things:

….searching an outside database of people who owe child support could be problematic since not all casino floors have Internet access.

Also, more than half of casino gamblers are from out of state, so the chances of catching deadbeat parents are relatively small, he said. Smith also argued that child support collections are the government’s responsibility, not the role of private business.

First of all, why don’t all casino floors have internet access? I see the point being made about most gamblers are from out of state. However, Colorado casinos already have something similar in place and they don’t seem to have a problem enforcing it, even if it is a bit of a headache and not without complaint from the casinos themselves.

Second, let’s look at a few stats: In Indiana a little over half of payments are collected.

More than 165,000 noncustodial parents each owe more $2,000 in back child support, which adds up to more than $2 billion in delinquencies, according to the state Department of Child Services

And, really, what the hell are you doing gambling in a casino if you can’t pay your child support and/or are considerably behind?

I have my doubts that this proposed bill will actually be put into place, despite being backed by the Department of Child Services and various statesmen. Indiana isn’t the most ‘family friendly’/’family forward’ state.

The post Jackpot! Not If You’re Behind In Child Support appeared first on Imperfect Parent.

He will be known as a sexual predator who used his riches and fame to escape the hand of the law.

Yes. It is a shame that such a brilliant talent will go down like that.

A bigger shame is that he’s gotten away with it for so long.

As a survivor of sexual crimes, it makes me ill to see that he’s never fully acknowledged his crime or served the penalty for victimizing a 13-year-old girl.

As a mother of a 5-year-old girl, it makes me sick think that we have not eliminated people like this from society. I constantly worry about someone taking her innocence as mine was.

As a citizen of the world, it makes me nauseous that France and Poland are asking the United States to turn a blind eye to this man’s crimes because they occurred more than 35 years ago.

While time gives us perspective on life, it may not heal all wounds, especially these kinds of wounds.

The irony of the situation does not escape me. Polanski’s mother died in a concentration camp. Would the crimes against his family been more forgivable if they had been at the hand of a brilliant German artist? Are the crimes of the Holocaust any less heinous because they occurred more than 75 years ago? How can he and those that defend him not see this? Of, if they do see it, ignore it and claim that hampering Polanski’s artistic potential is more important than justice for his victim?

Does it matter that Polanski used drugs and alcohol to coerce his victim instead of a gun or a knife?

I’m sorry Whoopi Goldberg and Martin Scorsese. Rape is rape. He took her innocence. He’s gotten away with it. He needs to serve his time.

The only thing that’s more disgusting than people defending Polanski’s actions is the energy that’s been expended on this particular case. How many other children are voiceless victims of sexual predators?

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics:

• 67 percent of all victims of sexual assault were juveniles
• One out of seven victims in reported sexual assaults are under six
• Convicted rape and sexual assault offenders serving time in State prisons report that two-thirds of their victims were under the age of 18, and 58% of those–or nearly 4 in 10 imprisoned violent sex offenders–said their victims were aged 12 or younger.
• In 90% of the rapes of children less than 12 years old, the child knew the offender.

That should make you sick.

If you’re a parent, think of your child’s class. There are probably 30 or so kids in that room. By the time they finish high school, how many of them will have their innocence stolen by someone they trusted.

We have a choice here. We can keep the spotlight on Roman Polanski and hold him accountable, or we can focus our energies on protecting out kids from people like him. As much as I’d love to see him pay his price,

I have to choose prevention over punishment. One more victim is one too many.

Learn more about what you can do to keep our kids safe at organizations like Prevent Child Abuse America or The Child Abuse Prevention Association or an organization near you.

The post One is too many. appeared first on Imperfect Parent.

Only a few months ago Dems were boasting and touting that Republicans were done for and any ambitions the party had of regaining power, either in the senate, house or executive branch would be thwarted by new legislation which had to passed immediately, before anybody had the chance to read or analyze it’s consequence. It may have been our celebrity culture that elected our new president and perhaps, celebrity expectations that Americans had sunk their future into. Americans, by all defensive measures just like(d) Obama and that was good enough to get him elected and now they seem confused and surprised that what he promised on the campaign trail — he’s trying to deliver on. What did American’s think was going to happen? Did they think he was only paying political lip service? Well, I have to admit, I did. While I might not be a supporter, I thought, as many Americans did, that he was going to lead much more to the center and that he was only pandering to the left. (Oops!)

Now, the Dems may be right on the fiascos on the right. The Republicans still show a lack of leadership or consensus 6 months in and have taken strange leaps of faith. God forbid, if Sara Palin becomes the Repubs nominee in 2012, I’ll write in a Libertarian candidate if I have to. Problem is, the fastest growing segment of the political public are Independents and the Independents are questioning whether their celebrity really has what it takes to get this country back on track. Perhaps a balance of power isn’t such a bad thing? (Ya think??)

Of course, if the economy rebounds, the Dems could be looking at picking up more seats in 2010 and I will still never ceased to be amazed if that happens and then the people complain at that time about liberty squashing bills being passed while scratching their heads, “How could this happen?,” proof that we still need the electoral college and that people who vote may not be as imformed as they should be.

So, what do you think? Is this country moving in the right direction? Are ya still feelin’ the Hope and Change(TM)?

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I have no great sympathy for their claims that the media should back off, respecting their privacy as a family. When you open your life as they have (and as I have on my blog), you have to take the good with the bad. There will be those that love you no matter what. There will be people who will celebrate every stumble and heartbreak you experience. Others will question everything you do. It’s part and parcel of the deal.

In the end, though, what we have is a couple who is ending their relationship in a very public way. Regardless of my opinions about their relationship and parenting choices, I can’t help but watch their faces and see so much that is familiar.

I saw it months ago, the lack of physical contact, the emotional detachment, the harsh words that were only half-joking. They got further and further from each other. Soon, that interview couch could not have been long enough.

Eyes were swollen. Walls were up. The end was near.

They stopped joint interviews. Each took his/her turn with the cameras. The end was imminent.

The time they spent together with the children reminded me of the parallel play of toddlers. Functioning in the same space, but barely aware of the existence of the other. No empathy. No connection.

Now it’s over.

Watching last night’s episode reminded me so much of my experience over the last six months. The grief. The hurt. The regret. Playing things over and over in my head. Picking things apart to figure out where we went wrong. What I did. What he did. What we did.

I could see it in them and I hurt for them. I also know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, I have two little lights and they have the good fortune to have eight of them. The kids.

So, for the kids, I give Jon and Kate the following advice. Many of it came from the therapists and classes I’ve been to and the books I read, so I won’t claim original authorship by any stretch. Nonetheless, I see many parallels between the Gosselin’s post-split parenting plan and ours, so I’ll share the things that have been especially pertinent in our case.

1. It’s not about you anymore. It’s about them. Put the blame aside and think of the kids in every decision you make. What’s best for them may be a pain in the a$$ for you. Suck it up and deal.

2. If you were frustrated by the lack of control you had in your relationship before, be prepared to have even less. He will have his rules and routines and she will have hers. Structure is good and organic is great, but I can’t find any cases of death-by-breakfast-for-dinner.

3. Be flexible. Kids have this funny way of growing up. Their needs will change over time and so will yours. The arrangements you make now will need to shift at least every six months. Set up basic principles and guidelines to be fair, but expect that things will change.

4. Give before you take. If you expect flexibility, patience, and trust from your co-parent, you’ll need to give it first. You don’t have to be a doormat, but you don’t need to be a scorekeeper either.

5. Be prepared to communicate more than you ever did when you were married. Every hand-off will bring updates on who is up to what, schedules, activities, illnesses, boo-boos, school reports and more. Find a way that works for you. If talking doesn’t work, do it by e-mail. Don’t expect your kids to play messenger, they’ll get the emotions right (e.g., your hurt, anger, and distrust) and the facts wrong, neither of which is good.

6. Be the grown up. Yes, you’re both hurting and divorce is inevitably painful. (It should be. If it wasn’t, everyone would do it.) But venting to your kids or around your kids is not the answer. Be careful how you talk about your ex, even when you think the kids aren’t in earshot. Don’t be afraid to ask well-meaning friends and family to hold off on their editorials. It’s okay to let your kids know that you’re sad, but they need to know that you’re both going to be okay. They need to know that THEY’RE going to be okay. If you need help coping with the situation, get a therapist, meet a friend for lunch, take a walk.

7. Be sure to take care of yourself. Use the time away from the kids to recharge your batteries. Trust that your co-parent has things under control and, although things may not be handled the way that you would do them, the kids are going to be fine. The best gift you can give your kids right now is a happy and healthy mom and dad.

As the season progresses, I am sure there will be plenty of armchair experts out there who will analyze every move they make throughout this whole process. Will the decision to share the household work? Will Jon opt to leave for a job out of state? Will the show remain interesting without the constant tension on the sofa interviews? Are the kids getting too staged?

I’m going to stay out of that. I’m going to wish the Gosselins well and hope they find the healing they need.

The post Unsolicited advice for Jon and Kate appeared first on Imperfect Parent.

Chicago on Wednesday became the first U.S. city to adopt a ban on the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups containing the chemical BPA.

The Chicago City Council approved the ban on a 48-0 vote and a spokeswoman for Mayor Richard M. Daley said he intends to sign it. The ban is slated to take effect Jan. 31, 2010.

BPA, or Bispheol A, is a chemical used to make plastics.  Exposure to it is known to mimic hormones and cause a host of chemical disruptions as well as reproductive harm in the body.  It has been in the news frequently in the last year or so, concerning manufacturing of water and baby bottles; it’s use in the production of PVC, flame retardants and the coatings of the insides of food and beverage cans, among other things.

Other places to ban BPA: Suffolk County in New York, Minnesota and the entire country of Canada.

Despite the obvious, proven effects BPA has on humans, the FDA and the chemicals industry claim products with the chemical are safe.

Chicago’s ordinance requires retailers to post notices declaring that products they sell do not contain BPA. Violators could be fined up to $100 or more per offense and could lose their licenses.

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