Mom sells kids' toys on eBay as punishment

YES! They need to learn the lesson of never questioning authority and respecting property.

• I had to applaud this mom, not just for being a strict disciplinarian, but for actually following through.

• Dave in NM, where were you when your poor wife was having trouble with the children you helped create?

• I don't see any excess of embarrassment. Sure the mom could have done things differently, but it's not like she placed the kids in some humiliating posture or stripped them before shooting the pic. This is not child abuse; it's strict parenting after a very serious offense, and I'm all for it.

• doogs: Saying the mom has some responsibility for her kids' behavior? Sure. In court, there would be an apportionment of fault, but if I were on the jury, I'd assign no more than 10% to the mom, and 90%+ to the kids.

• Justin: I didn't say this case should be in court; I said that in the legal system, there is such thing as apportionment of fault - in other words, that blame is not always 100% on one party, and that if this case were in court (hypothetically), I would assign the majority of fault to the kids.

• mil - you can stop pasting the same comment over and over. WE GET IT. You think punishing kids who unquestionably did something very wrong by posting a picture with one of them crying is akin to humiliating a boy by making him wear a dress in his own neighborhood. Fine. I disagree.

• Look at the age of the kids, they had no idea the beyblade would ruin the tub.

• Sniffle: agreed - I'm flagging the ridiculous repetition as "no value." mil: if you have something new to say, say it. Otherwise, please just figure if you post it, we read it, and move on.

Do you agree with the Tiger Mom's strict parenting?

No, she's way too harsh.

• Kids need rules, structure, consistency and expectations, but they also need laughter and downtime and freedom and leeway. Moderation!

Do you think schools should have the right to inspect what's on students' digital devices?

No. It's a clear violation of the right to privacy.

• Not unless there's a clear threat of harm to someone other than the student, and then only in the parents' presence.

'I love my children. I hate my life.' Do you agree?

No. Having kids is hard, but the joy they bring is immeasurable.

• I'm 10X the man I was before having kids. By far the best thing ever to happen to me. Even though my wife feels differently and is leaving.

Does technology distract you from parenting?

No. I'm able to put down my devices when the kids are nearby,

• My wife, on the other hand, can't stop ignoring the kids while in Second Life or on Facebook (not surprisingly, she's ending the marriage).

• When I have a free moment, I am with my kids: playing, reading, making something - just talking. Those moments I get to spend with them are the highlight of my day. My wife, on the other hand, uses all her discretionary time to chat with "friends" on Facebook, or do god-knows-what in Second Life.

• Thank you so much, jag. Here's hoping some nice lady around these parts thinks so too. ...emphasis on "nice."

What's the best child-care option for kids of working parents?

• I'm with Rickeroo, but with a caveat. We chose to forgo a lot of potential income by having my wife stay home with the kids instead of packing 'em off to daycare so she could work. I still believe that was the right decision (do the kids come first, or don't they?).

• Thanks, SunnyD. Things will be better for everyone once the dust settles. Whatever else I say about my to-be-ex, she loves the kids as much as I do, and knows that they're the last ones who should suffer for her transgressions.

• U73: The question whether someone is too uneducated and ignorant to be a good role model is a valid one, and should be considered and discussed, even though it doesn't address the obviously thorny question of who gets to decide that.

• The point of the opening montage in Idiocracy is not that breeding is bad, it's that indiscriminate breeding by stupid people is bad. Me, I'd advocate for a program of mandatory sterilization before puberty, for boys and girls, reversible upon request at the age of majority.

• U73: Thank you - unfortunately, my stance on stupidity alienates me from a plurality of potential voters.

• Why did this post only have one "thumbs up" before me? Who could read this and not want to give their approval? CJ just laid out the formula, along with proof that it works. Way to go, CJ. Thank you for your inspiring story, and for bringing such a fine young man into the world.

• I agree.

Marijuana moms say pot is no worse than alcohol and teens shouldn't get jail time for experimenting. Do you agree?

Yes.

• There is NO way in which pot is NEARLY as bad as alcohol. Addiction, judgment, impulses, toxicity - alcohol is worse in every possible way.

• People are free to grow their own tobacco, too, and to make their own alcoholic beverages, but most don't, because it's way more convenient to buy them for the same level of quality. Sure, pot grows easily, but GOOD pot takes time, skill and patience.

• former repub: It's my understanding that these Newsvine polls skew a lot more toward the rational side than national opinion polls. Last I saw, a majority of Americans (though a slim and shrinking majority) still believe the lies about pot and oppose legalization, always for invalid reasons.

• Exactly. Google the name "Anslinger," and you'll get a rich education in the racist history of the war on pot. The scheduling of pot alongside heroin and cocaine, under the Nixon administration, on the other hand, was not racist so much as it was cultural.

• And - imagine that - the people who are most friendly to those things are the most hostile to pot.

• I agree with those who are saying, in effect, that Brenda is conflating cause and effect.

Should family have been forced to cover up their sexy snowlady?

No. It's ridiculous. Their snow art was totally harmless.

• It was a startlingly good reproduction of one of the great works of art. Get over it, people - just 'cause you don't look like that. Jerks

• Christians do degrade women. Maybe that's the problem they had with this. The Venus celebrates women, and is not degrading in any way. People just need to grow up and stop being so offended by everything.

Are kids spending too much time 'plugged in'?

Yes. Use of electronics should be limited before our kids turn into zombies.

• Like anything else: moderation is the key.

At what age should parents have 'the talk' with their kids?

Between ages 5 to 6. They're ready to start learning the basics at these ages.

• I'd had parts of The Talk with each of my kids before 4. It doesn't have to be all at once - just explain things as they come up.

• Hear, hear. We've taught our son and daughter (5 and 8, respectively) a lot about anatomy, like where to knee a would-be abductor (and where not to knee Dad), the basics of reproduction, menstruation, and a few other details.

• YES!!!!! I just re-watched the movie "Knocked Up," and noticed that a recurring theme is how effortlessly the adults lie to the kids. I was raised with some information and a lot of (non-cutesy) euphemisms. My kids are being raised with facts, real names, and a complete lack of shame.

• I agree. Abstinence is a part of sexuality, but to "teach" it and nothing else is foolhardy. I say "teach" in quotes, because - come on - it's not teaching anything just to say "don't do it." Teaching is imparting knowledge - facts - and our kids deserve as many facts as we can give them.