PARENTING WITH STRESS...GIVERS AND TAKERS

It's numerology's #6 "focus on family, relationships and balancing rights and wrongs" Universal Month, so, family values are top news. Here's a tip for what not-to-do and a a place to go for suggestions for what-to-do for parents and kids.

Natural parents are straining to maintain homes for their children and suffering the anxiety and depression that accompanies job loss - or fears of job loss and it's disgusting to read that Nadya "Octo-Mom" Suleman has paid $550. to lawyers to apply for her trademarked nickname. News of the increase in abused infants and children reported by hospitals followed Octomom's lawyer's announcement that Octomom's trademarked name would inspire these same parents to pay to put her greed and disgrace on the backs of their kids. Both news stories are horrific.

Would you buy infant diapers, sleepwear, tees and other necessities with the "Octomom" label? Nadya assumes you will. Just as she assumes you'll follow her and takes money from radaronline.com, the National Enquirer web site, for exclusive rights to her notoriety. Now, she's gonna' capitalize on royalties from product sales. Her lawyer says it's a boon for taxpayers and will keep Nadya off the publicly subsidized charity lines. I will never understand lawyers: Anything can be rationalized!

It's not difficult to understand why parents would have more resentment and frustration - less patience for spilled milk and no reason for singing nursery rhymes. It is difficult to imagine anyone - doting grandparent or desperate parent - putting the "Octomom" label anywhere near a child to save on taxes. However...good and bad strange things have happened.

HuffingtonPost.com has a great article by Gretchen Rubin that includes "twelve commandments" to ease the day-to-day stresses of the short-on-money-short-on-patience parent. Her advice is free, sensible and may save a child from hurt or death and a parent from grief and regret. You can find everything you look for in America...there is self-serving Nadya Suleman and there is empathetic journalist, Gretchen Rubin, who does understand the stressful feelings of hopelessness and fear this economy is having on parenting and voluntarily contributes rather than being-on-the-take.