An interesting study has emerged about the effects on children from same-sex couples. The University of Melbourne has found no significant detriment to the health and wellbeing of kids with gay and lesbian parentage.
In fact, according to an article in the Washington Post, although the sample was necessarily small, the children in the study actually scored marginally higher (6 percent) on "general health and family cohesion" than others, regardless of socio-demographic factors. And both groups were on par with regard to "emotional behaviour and physical functioning."
While it's often presumed that children of a same-sex couple will miss the influence of a parent of the opposite gender, the study published in the BMC Public Health journal challenges this assumption. The research involved 500 children in Australia, 80 percent of whom had female parents and about 18 percent male.
Lead author Simon Crouch speculates that the cohesiveness at home may be as a result of more egalitarian distribution of domestic duties in same-sex households.
“It is liberating for parents to take on roles that suit their skills rather than defaulting to gender stereotypes, where mom is the primary care giver and dad the primary breadwinner,” said Crouch.
Photo credit: http://instagram.com/p/pjcl4AyOW6/?modal=true
When Bethany Townsend posed for a photo in her bikini, little did she know that 12.4 million people would view it. The image, in which the Crohn's disease sufferer bravely exposes her colostomy bag, has led to something of a movement on social media.
According to an article in the Mirror, the British woman is gobsmacked by the amount of attention over her picture.
"I didn’t expect it at all," said Townsend. "It was just a picture that I got my husband to take on holiday and it was just for me and him really.”
Though it has been hard living with a colostomy bag, the 23 year old has found new confidence as a result of her viral photo.
Her image has also prompted others with Crohn's to post pictures of themselves proudly revealing their colostomy bags under the hashtag #getyourbellyout.
What do you think of Townsend's photo? Bravely boosting awareness or TMI?
One of our writers suffers from Crohn's. Follow her journey here.
This woman lost 170lbs, but a fitness magazine refused to print her 'after' photo.
What if there was a Fitbit but for your lady bits? Now there's a new way to track your kegel training progress: the kGoal Smart Kegel Trainer.
According to an article in the Guardian, this handy little device, recently launched by Minna Life on Kickstarter, will see you on your way to a tighter vagina.
The "squeezable silicone pillow" connects to your smartphone where your pelvic floor progress—known as "clutch strength"—is monitored and tracked via Bluetooth.
“Pelvic floor muscles are one of the most important, yet least appreciated, parts of the body,” says kGoal designer, Grace Lee in the promo video. “But many people never think about exercising them.” And yet they are critical—if you want to avoid the sneeze-pee incontinence that often comes following childbirth.
But even you are religiously performing those kegels, how do you know if you're doing them correctly? (Many women don't, and sadly give up.) That's where the kGoal comes in.
Though this handy little device flashes a pink light and vibrates when you clench, it's not to be confused with a toy.
Apparently the biggest challenge for developers is making the kGoal function and comfortable for "a wide variety of anatomies."
With less than a month to go on Kickstarter campaign, would you back the kGoal?
As far as Kickstarter products go, the kGoal seems far more practical than this one.
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