{"id":69490,"date":"2012-12-31T14:30:26","date_gmt":"2012-12-31T19:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mommyish.com\/?p=69490"},"modified":"2012-12-31T15:34:38","modified_gmt":"2012-12-31T20:34:38","slug":"top-10-parenting-controversies-of-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mommyish.com\/top-10-parenting-controversies-of-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Parenting Controversies Of 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"gun

Like every year before it, 2012 presented plenty of opportunities for parents to disagree and debate. Maybe it’s the politics of an election year, but we seemed particularly inclined to argue over even the most basic parenting principles.<\/p>\n

Some of our debates centered around current events, like the horrible tragedies that scarred the nation from Aurora and Newtown. Others were inspired by magazine covers, just hoping to get parents’ passions inflamed. Whatever the inspiration, parents had lots to say.<\/p>\n

Here at Mommyish<\/em>, we’ve enjoyed getting involved in every debate, every discussion. We decided to round up the top ten \u00a0most compelling, overwhelming, and divisive controversies of the year.<\/p>\n

\"Jessica

Jessica Simpson<\/strong>\u00a0isn’t the only woman responsible for the increasing baby weight obsession in pop culture media, but the \u00a0reality star and her\u00a0Weight Watchers endorsement<\/a>\u00a0certainly aren’t helping matters. When even\u00a0editors of weekly tabloids<\/a>\u00a0are complaining about the pressure on moms to lose weight weeks after giving birth, we know things have gotten out of hand.<\/p>\n

(Photo:\u00a0s_bukley<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"personhood\"

The burgeoning political movement got plenty of press this year, but\u00a0not a lot of results<\/a>. The idea that a fertilized egg deserves all of the legal protections afforded to living human beings might have seemed like a simple anti-abortion measure, but it had implications that could affect\u00a0birth control<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0IVF<\/a>, issues that most mothers thought had been settled years ago.<\/p>\n

(Photo:\u00a0Sebastian Kaulitzki<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"gender

Gender neutral parenting continues to be\u00a0painted as a controversial practice<\/a>\u00a0in the mainstream media, even though many parents employ\u00a0gender neutral tactics<\/a>\u00a0without even realizing it. The forefront of the neutrality battle seems to be occurring at\u00a0toy stores<\/a>\u00a0around the globe, where they’re getting rid of antiquated “Boys” and “Girls” aisles in favor of a more equitable layouts.<\/p>\n

(Photo:\u00a0Stephanie Frey<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"vaccines\"

Who knew that we would still be debating vaccines in 2012? But the\u00a0whooping cough vaccine’s reported failures<\/a>\u00a0brought the immunization debate roaring back into the parenting spotlight. No matter which side of the fence you fall on, mentioning whether or not you choose to vaccinate is still one of the\u00a0most controversial statements<\/a>\u00a0a woman can make in the mommy blogosphere.<\/p>\n

(Photo:\u00a0Goodluz<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"birth

Schools and doctors are getting serious about the idea of birth control for teens, whether the parents approve or not. Schools in New York City are handing out\u00a0‘Plan B’ emergency contraception<\/a>\u00a0to anyone who wants it. OBGYNs are supporting proposals to make\u00a0The Pill available over the counter<\/a>. While some conservative parents balk at the idea of their teenage children being encouraged to practice safe sex, others see this trend as an\u00a0inevitable and necessary<\/a>\u00a0tool to helping young people make informed, cautious decisions about when they want to get pregnant. One thing is for sure, this is a controversy that won’t be going away in 2013.<\/p>\n

(Photo:\u00a0OneSmallSquare<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"lego

The new “For Girls” line of LEGOs had\u00a0feminist mothers in a tizzy<\/a>, worried about the implication that “Girls toys” needed to focus on beauty salons and cafes instead of building. Other parents\u00a0couldn’t understand the big deal<\/a>\u00a0and appreciated that girls were being introduced to building toys in their own way.<\/p>\n

(Photo:\u00a0Toys R Us<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\"having

We here at\u00a0Mommyish<\/em>\u00a0were a little frustrated with the entire “Having It All” debate. Work life balance is an important topic, but the idea that women need to be all things at all times seemed a little counter-productive. That being said,\u00a0Anne Marie Slaughter<\/strong>‘s\u00a0Atlantic<\/em>\u00a0piece brought up some relevant and interesting discussions, like the need for frank\u00a0discussions about fertility<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Photo: The Atlantic)<\/p>\n

\"Marissa

Everything about\u00a0Marissa Mayer<\/strong>\u00a0caused plenty of discussion this year. From her crowd-sourcing baby names,\u00a0that she later ignored<\/a>, to her very appointment as CEO at Yahoo while carrying her first child, the tech industry powerhouse made plenty of headlines. But nothing was quite as a controversial as her\u00a0working two-week maternity leave<\/a>, and all the ways that it didn’t do anything to help other working mothers out there. It’s not that Marissa Mayer owes us all something. It’s just that she shouldn’t expect our support if she’s not willing to acknowledge our struggles.<\/p>\n

(Photo: WENN)<\/p>\n

\"extended

Nothing infuriates mothers quite like suggesting that they aren’t doing what’s best for the children. The exploitative TIME magazine cover<\/a> did just that when it acted like mothers who choose extended breastfeeding are somehow more dedicated than others. It crudely fetishized attachment parenting, adding very little to a substantive debate but definitely stirring up plenty of controversy.<\/p>\n

(Photo: TIME)<\/p>\n

\"gun

After multiple mass shootings in a single year, parents decided that 2012 was a year to get serious about gun control and keeping our kids safe. With tragedies like Aurora and Newtown hanging heavy in our hearts, President Obama<\/strong> led a call<\/a> for the country to get serious about preventing future massacres.<\/p>\n

(Photo:\u00a0ZouZou<\/a>\/Shutterstock<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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