Actually, I got the impression "it" was meant to refer to the case, not the person.

I hear ya'. Sometimes you just run out of words.

*takes a bow*

The situation you describe is not what happened in my family, as there was no abuse, though I have seen it before with others. But I do know it's impossible to treat multiple kids the same, even if you go for fairness or equality, which is why I said teaching the same things instead.

As someone who's known a LOT of people in jobs they're overqualified for because that's what they can find, I agree. It's an employer's market out there, unfortunately :/

I agree.

I would agree if *she* had hit *him*, but, to me, it gets a little more hazy when he was the one who did the hitting. Not that I'm saying she isn't at fault for stopping in a place where no one should have stopped. That was a stupid thing to do. I just don't think it's as black-and-white as all that.

Yeah, the pacing seems off, to me. It was probably something they could use without permission.

No doubt, especially since she started out not expecting to be supporting them alone.

Damn, that looks delicious.

It's a real job, for sure. It's just not one you can expect to take care of eight kids with.

I agree.

That's probably how I'd feel if I had to keep track of that many kids all the time >.<

Not necessarily. I'm not an asshole, but my brother kind of is, and he behaved in and treated our mother in ways growing up that were frankly stunning to me (and not in a good way). You can teach two different people the same things, but each will make of it what he or she wishes.

Mmm. Mine, too.

When I see stuff like this, I wonder when we lost all sense of context. This is a silly, cute picture of a toddler doing what toddlers DO.

Unfortunately, a child does not have to be naked for people who are interested in them in that way to "enjoy" their photos.

This. Exactly.

Being a parent—as opposed to simply giving birth, because these are two different things—can BE "doing something smart and being a contributing member of society." It takes intelligence to be a good parent. Society is made up of people, so it stands to reason that raising a person to be decent is, in fact, being a…

While it's true that many women are able to get pregnant and give birth, the blogs you refer to are not about that process. They are, in fact, about things that involve using skills and intellect that not all women can do just by being women—namely, being a *parent*. Because having a baby and parenting a child are…