School Warns Parents It's Not Responsible for Their Kids During Field Trips

maandag 9 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Jeanne Sager 2 hours ago

When you sign a permission slip for your child to go on a field trip, you expect it to be pretty simple. Generally, you're giving your OK for your kid to ride a bus somewhere fun. Who wouldn't sign that? How about if the permission slip expected you to let the school off the hook if something bad happened to your kid?

Would you want to sign that slip? Parents in the St. Louis Park School District are weighing that one right now. After a tragic landslide killed two fourth graders during a school fossil hunting field trip last school year, the district is looking to protect itself.

So they sent home a permission slip to parents this year that states:

We understand the arrangements described above and believe the necessary precautions and plans for the care and supervision of students during the field trip will be taken. Beyond this we will not hold the school or those supervising the trip responsible.

So, basically the school is saying "your kids COULD die on our field trip, but don't sue us because we're really not responsible!" How ... comforting?

Every time your kid leaves your sight, you have to know something could go wrong. I don't mean to sound like a cynic here, but that's life.

The bus could crash. They could develop a sudden deadly allergy to bee stings. The ceiling could cave in.

I could continue to list the things that could go wrong, but really, why work ourselves up? We know it could happen, but part of being a mom is knowing that we have to suck it up and risk it if we want our kids to live full lives. We can't put kids in bubbles.

Still, with all that said, we should be able to send our kids to school activities with at least some sense that they'll be OK, that the school has their best interests at heart. A permission slip like this does the opposite. It tells the parents that the school cares about its bottom line first, the kids second.

I don't know that I could sign a permission slip like this.

I don't care about suing a school, frankly. I know it happens, and that not all parents are greedy. Sometimes it's just about paying medical bills that become a burden. Still, if something horrible happened to my child, that would be the last thing on my mind. But I do want to know that a school cares about my kid.

Would you sign this permission slip? What's the scariest thing you've seen written on a permission slip?

Image by Jeanne Sager

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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8 Natural Ways Women Can Manage Pain During Labor (PHOTOS)

vrijdag 30 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Sasha Brown-Worsham 9 hours ago

The pain of labor is something that we have been trying to manage for women since the dawn of time. Whether it was cool rags on the forehead of a laboring woman or a stick to bite down on, helping women ride the contractions and make it through to the other side when they are holding their baby has long been the subject of research.

For many women, pain management really just means getting the epidural as soon as humanly possible. And that's fine. But for others who want to experience all the pain of labor without medication, there are other ways to manage and mitigate it without the use of drugs.

The Stir spoke exclusively with Lacreshia Laningham, a massage therapist and doula, as well as Jenny Skoog, who is a pre- and postnatal fitness trainer, birth coach, childbirth educator, and star of Pushing It. See their ideas for natural labor pain management for women below:

How did you manage labor pain?

Image via eyeliam/Flickr

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TENS Units override the pain signal to the brain through electrical impulse. The results are immediate, and yes, some women use them in labor. With most, the woman controls the pulse width, pulse rate, and intensity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sasha Brown-Worsham

can't decide whether she is a mother, writer, or runner, but is usually all three at some point each day. She has written for dozens of print magazines, newspapers, and websites. She rarely ever writes on bathroom walls.

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Students Forced to Pee in Trash Can During School Lockdown Should Stop Whining About It

woensdag 21 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 4 hours ago

So let's just pretend that your kid could be in danger. Serious danger. Like your kid is in school and gunshots are heard. The school goes into lockdown. And then, your kid has to pee. Badly. The kid asks to be escorted to the bathroom but the answer is "no," because, well, there could be people who want to shoot you. Ya know, that kind of thing. So the teacher makes your kid go to the bathroom in the trash can.

Do you a) thank the teacher for having such a dangerous job, which I'm sure the teacher never imagined in a million years would be a dangerous job when he or she signed up for it; b) explain to your child that during emergencies, sometimes you have to make adjustments -- even embarrassing ones; c) demand an investigation and have your child talk to the media about this supposedly horrifically embarrassing incident. I think we all know which option one parent chose.

It all started when several people reported hearing what sounded like gunshots from a wooded area near a school in St. Cloud, Florida. Like all schools are trained to do these days (what does that say about this country?!), the school went into voluntary lockdown mode, even though police were called and couldn't find the source of the gunshots.

So far, so smart, right?

Until two students, one whose diabetes makes her have to urinate more frequently, had to pee. The teacher, not wanting to send them out into the hallway where, you know, God knows what could be lurking, had the girls pee in a trash can behind his desk.

"It was very embarrassing," said the 13-year-old "victim."

Embarrassing? Sure. Was she alive to tell the tale? Yes. Was anyone grateful about that? No.

Then instead of, say, forgetting about the peeing incident, an investigation was launched and two dozen students were required to write down their eyewitness accounts of said peeing incident. Yes, kids who probably would have gotten over the horrible trauma of listening to their classmates whizz in a can instead had to relive (relieve? har!) the trauma all over again.

And then the teacher actually had to DEFEND his choice, telling the principal in an email:

I felt that the best solution for keeping her safe and also preventing her from being embarrassed was for her to go (to the bathroom) behind my desk. My primary concern was keeping the kids healthy and out of the halls during the lockdown while preserving them from the embarrassment of wetting themselves. I would want the same done for my future children.

You would think if peeing in a bucket were such a problem, perhaps there would have been a protocol to follow for these teachers who are being put in these situations. They signed up to teach, not to hide kids from crazed madmen with guns. Unfortunately, this is now part of the curriculum. But not only did the school not have any policy for what to do in these cases, it actually contacted child services to ask about reporting the teacher for child abuse!

The teacher has been fired -- though supposedly (cough, cough) not for this incident.

We live in times when kids can actually get blown away at school. Sandy Hook taught us that. Isn't their safety more important than a little embarrassment?!

Do you think the teacher made the wrong decision?

Image via kalleboo/Flickr

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Couples Who Don't Face Each Other During Sex Shouldn't Get Married, Says Wacky Anti-Gay Congresswoman

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by Kiri Blakeley 17 hours ago

We've heard some odd reasons why gay people shouldn't be allowed to get legally married. Like that they "undermine" the institution of marriage. Like heterosexual people who get married for a split second don't? Or that they can't procreate. Like all heterosexual couples can? But this one is a doozy. Hold your hat. A congresswoman from Mexico reportedly said that gay people shouldn't be allowed to marry because they don't face each other during sex. Yes, Ana María Jiménez Ortiz, who represents the state of Puebla, which is considering legalizing gay marriage, reportedly said:

Marriage should only be considered in those relationships in which the members have sex while facing each other.

Ummm. WHAT?!

She also reportedly went on (and I'm not making this up):

A marriage should only be considered amongst people that can look at each other in the eye while having sexual intercourse, something that does not happen in homosexual couples.

After a backlash on Twitter, Ortiz backpeddled on her "face only" sex statement, but the damage was done. Let's face it (har!), there are lots of ways to have sex besides that which brings you eyeball to eyeball!

Hello, Ms. Ortiz. Oral sex? Minimal eye contact, I assure you. Doggie style, perhaps? You should try it. Okay, then there's 69. I won't explain. You figure it out.

Oh my goodness, has Ms. Ortiz not read the Kama Sutra? That's a hypothetical. I won't even get into Fifty Shades of Grey. Please let us not even consider blindfolds. Or blind people?!

There are so many ways to have sex and to have intimacy. The day that missionary sex becomes the sole way couples can have sex or they can't be legally married ... well, a lot of us would suddenly be divorced.

Who is to say what is "natural"? Plenty of animals don't look each other in the face when they have sex. Luckily, they don't need people like Ms. Ortiz.

This is the screwiest (har!) reason to be anti-gay marriage I've ever heard of. It's not just homophobic. It's, like, funaphobic.

Ms. Ortiz must be a riot in the bedroom.

Do you think that sex should always be face to face?

Image via Kainr/Flickr

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8 Natural Ways to Treat Heartburn During Pregnancy

donderdag 15 augustus 2013

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During both of my pregnancies, I was relatively lucky when it came to symptoms for the most part. I didn't have huge amounts of morning sickness, hemorrhoids (thank God!), or many of the other things I dreaded. The one thing I did have though, I had bad -- heartburn.

Before I was pregnant, I honestly had no idea what heartburn really was. Oh, I'd heard of it, but I'd never experienced it. It was baptism by fire -- serious fire. I turned to antacids when I really needed to, but I wanted to keep my pregnancy as drug-free as possible, so instead I sought out natural remedies, many of which worked as well if not better. Since then I've come across many more that I wish I knew about then. Here are eight natural ways to treat heartburn that are worth a try.

1. Fresh Pineapple

Though citrus can cause heartburn in some cases, people swear by this remedy. Apparently pineapple contains bromelain and enzymes that help minimize inflammation.

2. Coconut Water

It's delicious, and it contains natural acid neutralizers.

3. Ginger

Whether freshly grated on food or in ginger ale, many women find this plant to be helpful for nausea as well as heartburn.

4. Almonds

Try eating a handful when you first feel heartburn coming on. The large amounts of oil in the nuts may help combat the acid.

5. Gum

There have been several studies that show how well chewing gum works to prevent heartburn, as it helps force fluids back into the stomach. Bonus -- good breath.

6. Elevate your head while sleeping

Whether you do so with a special pillow or just by putting blocks underneath the legs of your bed, keeping your head slightly elevated while you sleep can help keep acid down in your stomach.

7. Pay Attention to What You Eat

Common foods that cause heartburn include caffeine, chocolate, and fatty dishes, but it can be different for every woman. Pay attention to when the heartburn hits and you can try to eliminate those foods that trigger it.

8. Eat Small, Frequent Meals

A too-full or too-empty stomach can both make heartburn hit hard. Five or six small meals a day are ideal.

What natural remedies for treating heartburn have you found that work?

Image via Tatsuo Yamashita/Flickr

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8 Women Share How They REALLY Feel About Guys Who Wear Socks During Sex

woensdag 31 juli 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Maressa Brown 4 hours ago

If one thing's true about sex, it's probably that no one thing is true for everyone across the board ... Even some things that you were under the impression were totally cringe-worthy are kinda NBD to others and vice-versa. Take, for example, wearing socks during sex. Haa! Just reading that phrase probably feels like nails on a chalkboard to some of you out there, right? I know it totally skeeves me out! And it's funny, because everyone seems to have a passionate opinion on the subject -- whether they're debating pro or con!

Here, eight women's varied, hilarious reactions to the idea of sex in clothed feet ...

"Maybe if we were living in Antarctica or doing it on top of Everest. But otherwise NO!!!!""It's not the sexiest, but I'm all for it. Sometimes your feet get cold!""Honestly, I think people who care about this haven't had kids yet. Once you have kids, you realize that any chance you get when the kids are quiet and not bugging you, you don't waste time, you make good on it. If that means you don't have time to take your socks off, well, hey, what's more important? Orgasm or footwear?""My ex almost always wore socks in bed. I couldn’t help wondering: If you have no problem putting your hands all over my body, then what is it about your feet touching me that skeeves you out? Normal. Really.""It depends what else you (or your partner) is wearing. Like if you are wearing a camisole or boxer shorts to bed and it just 'happens,' it's not all that strange. But if the rest of you is buck naked, yeah, that's weird.""This is actually the one thing I demand NEVER happen during sex. I'd rather a guy wear a hat. There is just something that screams 'lazy' about it. Like, ok, I'm going to do my duty here and have some sex, but as soon as I can, I'm going to put on my shoes and get the hell out of here.""I would say it depends on the socks … but I gave that some thought and I really could not come up with any socks that would be sexy. I would say maybe if it’s really cold, and you have a short blanket, it might be acceptable, otherwise NO.""EW. No. Totally unsexy."

What are your thoughts on the matter?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Maressa Brown

has enjoyed reporting and writing for a variety of entertainment and women's magazines and websites. More often than not, you'll find her blogging, hitting the gym, reading, researching something on her iPhone, laughing, chatting at an above-"normal" volume, or getting her caffeine fix.

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