Top 10 parenting news stories of 2008

December 29, 8:15 PMWilmington Parenting ExaminerJana Lynch

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Wilmington Parenting Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

As hard as I tried, I could not find a list of the top parenting/kids/family news stories of 2008. So I have taken it upon myself, the news junkie that I am, to create my own. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. The pregnant man--Thomas Beatie, a trans-gendered man who was born a woman, caused a global double-take when he announced in March that he was pregnant. Beatie, who kept his (apparently well-functioning) female reproductive system while undergoing testosterone therapy and a chest reconstruction, was artificially inseminated using donor sperm.  The result: a healthy baby girl, Susan Juliette, born in June.
2. The Duggar Family--The now-famous Duggar family of Arkansas is announcing the birth of their 18th child, a baby girl. The newest member, Jordyn-Grace, was born on Thursday morning, December 18th and weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. The Duggars now have 10 sons and eight daughters, and they said they would love to have more.
3. Nebraska Safe Haven laws--One of the last states in the country to have a safe haven law, Nebraska finally instituted theirs in July. However, a loophole in the wording of the Nebraska Safe Haven laws allowed parents to drop off children up to age 18 at any area safe haven location, without facing criminal charges. The law, originally intended for the protection of newborns, led to the abandonment of several teenagers, most of them from out of state. Nebraska lawmakers met for a special session to close the loophole and in November the law was amended to read “No person should be prosecuted for any crime based solely upon the act of leaving a child 30-days-old or younger in the custody of an employee on duty at a hospital licensed by the state of Nebraska.”
4. Adam Walsh murder solved--earlier this month, police announced that they solved the 28 year old murder of Adam Walsh. Adam's murder prompted his father, "America's Most Wanted" host, John Walsh, to found the Adam Walsh Outreach Center for Missing Children.
5. Tainted infant formula--the deaths of several infants in China due to formula tainted with melamine cause worldwide panic in parents. The FDA examined several types of formula, and after first saying that they were safe, the FDA announced that they would not allow any melamine or cyanuric acid in infant formula.
6. Debbie Phelps--Ms. Phelps became the world's most famous soccer (well, swimming) mom during the Summer Olympics. Her pride, support, and devotion to her son were admired by moms everywhere. When we learned that she did it all as a working single mother. She became a champion and role model for parents of children of ADD/ADHD.
7. Celebrity babies--an abnormally large number of celebrity babies were born in 2008. From Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to Matt Damon, Halle Berry, and Jessica Alba, it was a celebrity baby boom this year.
8. Unusual find in baby's tumor--Perhaps the strangest story this year, a pediatric neurosurgeon discovered a tiny foot, and other undeveloped body parts, in the brain tumor of an infant he was operating on.
9. Child prodigies--We seem to be hearing more and more about child prodigies, from musicians to college graduates to a 2 year old that knows all the presidents. In fact, there are so many, Oprah even did a show about them!
10. Brenden Foster--Diagnosed with leukemia, Brenden decided to spend his last months working to feed the homeless. His generosity inspired food drives across the country.

Oh, and just for fun, here's a glimpse at some of 2008's most memorable moments.