So I was talking to a doctor the other day who said that a large percentage of European women drink a glass of wine with dinner, nearly daily, whether pregnant or not. There are no signs of this causing any damage to the baby. So why do American doctors and women vehemently look down on this practice..?

ETA.

So do you look down on women who have a glass or two of wine while pregnant? We're not talking a woman who gets intoxicated, but just consumes alcohol with dinner or lunch? Would you be embarassed to be seen with an obviously pregnant woman sipping from a glass of...

Your spouse is making enough money to allow you to stay home with your (smaller than school-age) children. You get a chance to take a full-time job in your field, that would allow you to pay for daycare. Do you take it, or do you stay home? Why?

Breastfeeding would save lives

I was browsing Passive-Aggressive notes today and saw this:

http://www.passiveaggressiveno tes.com/2010/03/26/there-are-c razy-people-out-there-you-know /

I work in public facilities with children in the city where I live, and photography policy has varied. When I was a kid (in the early 1990s) you could videotape in public buildings. When I started working, there was a strict no photography policy. I had to hunt down people with cameras and cell phones. Nowadays you can apply for a permit, and take pictures as long as no one but your child is in them. (And of course, though, absolutely no pictures in public changerooms!)...

How do you all feel about babies (under 1 or 2) getting junk food? (juice boxes, french fries, iced cream, mac n cheese, etc.) Do you allow it? If so, how often? Would you be okay with this once a week?

edit: I am referring to the prepackaged, processed versions, NOT homemade.

You have a choice of two schools to send you child for elementary school.

A) Walking distance. Probably has better education (let's say the test scores are higher and it has slightly better reviews). This school has no playground at all. It is just a vacant asphalt lot.

B) Not within walking distance. Decent education. Amazing play yards for the children....

Is it okay to raise a child bi-lingual if your partner can't speak the other language?

I think its something that would be beneficial to the child, but also fear that it could become a block where one's partner feels left out.

Thoughts?

My 2nd grader's friends already have cell phones. I refuse to get her one yet, but this year seemed like the right time to get my 6th grader one. It wasn't even a week before she needed a lesson on texting etiquette. She was constantly texting at places like the dinner table.

It was amazing how quickly this obsession took hold of her but I also use my phone like a mad woman so at least I "get it". With a couple exceptions, most of my friends just a few years older don't use theirs nearly as much as I do. Most of the older generations in my family still have no idea how to even send a text and hate how the younger generation constantly has phones going off during family gatherings. The "generation y" line has been drawn. I can't wait for stories of how people had to walk uphill barefoot both ways in the snow to get to a library for a book report....

Kindergarten teacher giving kindergartners candy/sugary sweets on nearly a daily basis.
Yay or nay?

Imagine your pregnant. Now imagine that instead of a nice neat bump you have a huge one. When people you don't know or barely know come up to you in the street and say things like "Wow, that's a big one!" or "Who ate all the pies? Hahahaha." would you just put up with it or would you tell them where to go? Is it offensive to say such things to a pregnant woman or is it just friendliness? Is it wrong if the woman gets offended?...

i am currently 18, and have moved in with my grandmother,72, to get to know her more.
i go to college full time, and work two part-time jobs (somehow my life isnt very busy)

my grandmother is an interior designer and has her own business. she was also married at 16 (she had a tough home situation) and moved a lot due to the army. because of this she is very demanding and controlling. which in my view is completely understandable- i am young and able to change, while her life is set in stone....

I am new to posting and this site.  I found this site only after trying to find a site I could cut and paste a story I started writing over 10 years ago, and did not want to take a chance in ever losing it.  I am glad to see a site with questioning parents!  So here is mine. 
Does it seem crazy to anyone else that when your child comes home from school, you look at their homework and notice that they are not correcting spelling errors anymore?  They tell me that as long as they can understand what is written it will not be marked wrong.  I have one child that will be graduating soon and another entering 2nd grade, I have been fighting the school for my older daughter for years and hoped and prayed that things would improve when my youngest started.  Should we not expect or better yet demand our kids learn the fundamentals of our language? ...

My son is only two months old but already says: " Mama " , " Dada ", " No " , and " Hungry " , is that normal?

We are re-locating our (military) family from California to Georgia. For the move, I've made arrangements to leave our 15 month old with my mother-in-law in WV. I'll be flying out to CA for a week to pack everything up and the husband and I will be driving cross-country, picking up our son, and continuing on to GA.
My side of the family insists that I am being selfish and not thinking of my child, and that I should stay in WV while my husband makes the cross-country drive alone....

A friend of mine recently posted on her facebook something like "This morning I caught my 5 year old killing bugs in the garden and had to have a talk with him. Please teach your children to respect life!"

I was surprised how much of a debate this comment caused! Some people told her killing bugs was an excellent way to teach "cause and effect," others just laughed it off and said "They're only bugs. It's not like he was abusing a dog." and yet others completely agreed with her - unless a creature poses a threat, you should teach children to respect it and leave it be, particularly outside....